Winning smooch: 11 hours, 15 minutes long
This is the polar opposite of a peck on the cheek.
Nobody would argue that kissing isn't fun, but how about doing it for more than 10 hours?
The fifth annual Longest Lip Lock contest, sponsored by radio station 95 WIIL Rock, challenged couples to hold one continuous kiss for as long as possible on Friday.
Their lips are a bit swollen and tender, but Jason Zielinski and Bailey Etten of Richmond hung on for 11 hours and 15 minutes to win the contest.
"Our strategy was for Bailey to use my lip ring as something to hang on to," Zielinski said. Having a job as a mover also helped. "I have strong and muscular legs," he said. "That helped to keep us standing."
The rules were simple. The lips stay together. If you unlock, you're out.
"They can't be apart for even a millisecond," said station program director John Perry. "The couples can't lean on anything either."
In past years, the contest dragged on until evening, especially since the rules allowed short comfort breaks. But this year, organizers raised the intensity by not allowing any breaks at all.
"No, not even to go to the bathroom," Perry said.
Some contestants played it straight and kissed in the traditional way. Others had strategies and tricks to fight boredom and strained muscles.
Brittany Wiegman and Marty Deisenroth wore bright red neck cushions to relieve the strain, not to mention the iPods pumping music into their ears. Others used step stools to equalize their height and avoid aches from drooping necks.
It's not easy to converse with your chops locked, so some clever couples exchanged text messages while making out.
Figuring a distraction might stave off boredom, contestant Julia Latza of Third Lake brought her knitting kit. It didn't seem to bother her partner, Sabrina Paczynski, also of Third Lake.
The event started at 6 a.m. at the Superpawn store in Round Lake Beach. There were 19 couples who took the challenge.
The champion kissers won a prize package valued at more than $3,000, Perry said. The winnings include a diamond ring courtesy of Superpawn and a personal backstage meeting with rock groups Nickleback, Seether and Saving Abel before their March 12 show at the Allstate Arena.
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