MADISON: A Guinness World Records title holder broke his own record for the most Big Mac burgers eaten in a lifetime, outliving the expectations of many who vowed that his diet would "end" his life.
Wisconsin man Don Gorske, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, has consumed more than 34,000 burgers from the popular fast food chain since 1972.
According to the American tabloid The New York Post, Gorske developed the habit of eating nine Big Macs every day in the beginning, but eventually reduced the quantity to just two per day.
He fell in love with the meal in an instant after having his first bite and devoured about 728 Big Macs in 2023 alone.
He was off the diet between 1973 to 1981, "out of respect to my mother and ate one non-Big Mac meal a day because she was worried about my health."
"But in April 1981, she let me relinquish that promise when she said if the burger hasn't killed me yet, then I should go ahead," said Gorske.
To stay healthy, he said he would walk about 9 km per day and ditch the fries that came with his order.
Although the retired prison officer has been widely known for his habit since then, he only received recognition from Guinness World Records in 1999.
"Many people thought I would be dead by now but instead have been a record holder for (almost) 25 years.
"I am one of Guinness World Records' longer-running record holders. So that's pretty cool to me," he said.
Gorske said he would eat the burger until the end of his life and has no intention of changing his habit.
