Five young Dominicans complete 480-hour challenge to reclaim reading record

Santo Domingo.- Five young Dominicans completed 480 consecutive hours of reading aloud Sunday in an effort to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the longest reading marathon for the Dominican Republic.

Abril del Rosario, Ismael Durán, Maikol Arias, Mayury Vélez and Franchesca Minier reached the 480-hour mark at 6:00 p.m. after spending 20 days continuously participating in the challenge.

During the marathon, the group read 63 complete books while maintaining the activity around the clock.

Family, friends and supporters gathered to celebrate the participants as they completed the challenge, which aimed to promote reading and highlight the role of Dominican youth in education, culture and knowledge.

The initiative also seeks to bring the reading record back to the Dominican Republic, which organizers said previously held it about 15 years ago.

The participants will now submit evidence and documentation to Guinness World Records, which will determine whether the challenge met all requirements for official recognition.