Brown Belt Campbell Symes has set a World Record for the longest BJJ roll at 30 hours, surpassing the previous record of 24-hours.
The feat was motivated by the need to fundraise and keep the gym he’s training at open, and keep the kids of the area in their training, “RDC gave us a home to train, and now they’re going through some hard times from Covid. I’ve taught kids and adults in many places before but these kids are something special. I see myself In them a bit. They’ve won national titles, international titles, they train 7 days a week, 3-4 hours a day. They are the future of Thai jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, due to COVID, times have got really, really tough for these kids. The parents can’t afford training. The gym can’t afford to make rent, which means the kids, unfortunately, miss out on training.â€
On October 24, 2021, Symes set out on the grueling effort to roll for 30 hours. His schedule allotted 4-hour intervals with 12-minute breaks. He was supported by his teammates who took turns as sparring partners for each round, some of them even sleeping on the mats throughout the night. At the 30-hour mark, the gym erupted in cheers as they played “We are the Champions†by Queen.
Symes moved to Thailand when he was 16-years old to train jiu-jitsu full-time. He’s a Pan Pacific Champion and Pan Asian Champion. The fundraiser listed in his instagram bio has raised roughly $3,018 at the time of this writing.
The previous 24-hour record was set by Damian ‘Obi’ Todd as a fundraiser to raise awareness for Mental Health and Sucide Prevention. Obi commented on the livestream of the record-breaking roll in support of Symes, “For everyone watching, after I’d finished my 24hour roll, I couldn’t open a bag of candy… Campbell is doing a great job and I’m pleased to have had my record beaten by this young man.â€
Take a look at the aftermath of his accomplishment here.
