Just for the Record Part Four

In June 2006, DJ Promo, who played at famous UK superclub Ministry of Sound and a host of international venues will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest DJ session in history. His mission: to smash the existing record of 84 hours by a full 16 hours, raising the bar to a new total of 100 hours live, continuous mixing. That's four-and-a-half days at the decks, without sleep or, more importantly, illegal stimulants, and all to raise vital funds for charity. This is his story.

Chapter Four: No Pain, No Gain

Back at the gym, training was picking up pace and my body rapidly replaced the 10kg of fat lost with 10kg of muscle gained. Hunts held an open day in November and asked me to DJ for a few hours. I accepted, but on one condition: that they allow me to DJ for the entire day, from 6am to 9pm - a full 15 hours. Hunts also wanted to stage a "Spinning" session during my set (riding stationary exercise bicycles to increase speed and stamina). Here was an interesting concept: me spinning records, Hunts spinning bikes.

The 15-hour "mini marathon" would serve as a chance for my personal trainer, Ben Cook, to fine-tune my diet; my remedial masseur, Anthony Birrel, to assess my posture and identify any muscle groups in need of attention; and my acupuncturist, Brett Rawlings, to conjure up colourful new ways of poking me with a needle.

On the downside, I found myself too excited to sleep the night before the event; nearly died of boredom during the midday lull when there were very few people around to bounce off; and had a fall-out with the rubber matting that was supposed to be cushioning my feet but succeeded only in making me uncomfortable.

I also sustained an ankle injury, caused by constantly shifting uncomfortably from the rubber matting to the wooden floor and back. My next workout served only to aggravate it, on top of which I also strained my shoulder. My first gym-related injuries, they were treated with acupuncture and remedial massage. The ankle was soon fixed but I had to drop all upper body exercises from my routine for a week.

It had been a long time since I'd played such a lengthy session, but it was surprisingly easy and, at risk of sounding masochistic, enjoyable. At the end of the 15 hours, I was so pumped up I marched straight upstairs for a full workout. But this was but a hint of things to come: the session in Federation Square would need to last seven times longer to set a new record. Tags

• dj promo
• matt solo