I collapsed while doing 150-hour marathon ironing

• Onele, Guinness World Record chaser, narrates experience, says he plans to break more records

 

•Onele during the marathon ironing.

 

Celestine Obinna Onele, 30, an electrical engineer, is a native of Amuzu in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. He made history recently as he embarked on a 150-hour marathon ironing to break the Guinness World Records. 

He successfully concluded the ironing marathon early this week.

In his words, in the course of the event, he collapsed and was revived by his medical doctor father, who led the medical team. Onele, a postgraduate student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, shared his bitter and ugly experiences during the marathon ironing with Saturday Sun.

•Onele

You just concluded 150 hours marathon ironing to break Guinness World Record. How was it?

It wasn’t an easy one but the only thing that kept me moving during the marathon ironing was that I told myself that I must be focused and I channelled all my energy and attention to the ironing. It wasn’t an easy one but I have broken the record. I believe myself that it was something I could do and I have broken the record.

Was there a time you attempted to withdraw from the event?

As a human, you know we all have our body systems. At a point, my body started reacting to some things and I wanted to give up. But giving up has never been in my character. I have always been a fighter and so, giving up wasn’t part of me. What I did was that I had to fight very hard and I fought it and it came through and I broke the record.

What other challenges did you encounter during the marathon ironing?

The preparation wasn’t really an easy one, it was very hectic. Trying to get everything in place was not really easy because at a point, there was a period I couldn’t get everything I needed and our major challenge was we were scared of electricity. But electricity wasn’t really an issue based on the fact that one of the major challenges in Nigeria is power but we had to defeat the challenge. We had a standby electricity generator and kept on fuelling it. We also had a bigger generator that we were making use of. So, apart from the power challenge which we fought and we defeated, there was no other major challenge.

Did you lack materials during the marathon ironing?

There was never a time we lacked materials during the marathon ironing because one of the conditions says if you run out of materials, the attempt is ended. So, we made sure that we informed the public to bring their clothes to us through adequate publicity. With that, materials kept on coming constantly. Even when we reached the 150 hours, we still had standby materials that we hadn’t even touched. So, we never lacked materials all through the attempt.

So, how do you feel now you have broken the record?

I feel so excited, I feel so good because it’s something I had always dreamt of. From day one, I was like really if someone has done this in the past, it will not be a crime if I from Nigeria could actually do so. As soon as I broke the record, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

What motivated you to do the marathon ironing? Was it for fame or money?

Growing up, ironing was part of the things that I loved doing. I like doing so many things but I like doing some extraordinary things and also go beyond my limits. So, I went into the marathon ironing simply because I wanted to push the limit or the kind of exposure I have in ironing to a different level. I didn’t actually do it because of fame or anything, it’s something I love doing and I did it because I wanted to put my name, Ebonyi and Nigeria on the global map. So, it’s something I love doing and I didn’t naturally do it because of fame, I did it because I love it. I said okay; since this is what I like doing, let me do it in an extraordinary way and know how to put Nigeria’s face on the surface of the world.

On the second day of the marathon ironing, you collapsed and people were afraid that you would not complete the 150 hours for the marathon ironing…

My father is an experienced medical doctor. He is a medical director. He has been in the medical profession for so many years. So, the few periods I passed through some challenges, he was always there to revive me because he has got the experience not just being in the profession, and him leading the medical team was a success because I needed him. Without him, I would have been very scared because even if other people gave up on me, there was no way he was going to give up on me.  So, he played a major role in everything I did during the marathon ironing and I really thank him so much because without him being in that medical team, I think it would have been very tough for me.

How many times did you collapse during the event?

I think it was just that second day, I think it was mainly the second day. The rest of the days, it was mainly fatigue, I was just feeling tired and I was revived. So, it was mainly the second day that I collapsed. My body reacted based on stress and every other thing but I had to stay very strong and finished the marathon ironing.

Now, you have accomplished your objective, if money comes, will you reject it since you said you didn’t do the marathon ironing because of money?

If money comes, there is no way I will reject it because money was part of the reason I did the marathon ironing. We need money for uploading the marathon ironing to Guinness. We need financial support for this. If money comes, we can put it in so many ways. In terms of charity, we have to support indigent children. Each time, I go out, I see children suffering and this causes me sleepless nights, I feel so bad about these indigent children and I intend channelling money I may get from this marathon ironing to a charity foundation and also establish my clothing business because as an electrical engineer, I also have plans of establishing something in terms of electronics since what I did has to do with electronics too.

If the opportunity presents itself again, will you still do what you have done?

If opportunity repeats itself again, I will still do it because this marathon ironing is what I can do continuously. I didn’t intend even stopping here because I still have a profile in Guinness. So, I will actually think of something else. I can actually attempt several other records with them. So, I feel this one that I finished which is the longest marathon ironing in the world is something that I can actually repeat in a stronger way and also think of other records to break.

What message do you have for your fans, family, friends and admirers?

I really thank them so much for the love, support and encouragement. I believe that without them, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this. I thank you guys for always believing in me and for always being there for me, I really appreciate you all and I promise that the more we are going on, the more opportunities are coming up and I will keep on making you proud and happy.