As appearing in SOURCE

Colorado State University alumnus Juan Diaz de Leon refused to just “shake it off.” For a little more than 43 hours, anyway.

Diaz de Leon and friend Matt Holmes recently reached for a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest handshake. While the attempt still needs to be certified by Guinness, the duo shook hands continuously for 43 hours and 35 minutes. The previous record was 42:05.

The two decided to try to break the record as a way to celebrate and bring exposure to Colorado entrepreneurs.

“We always wanted to break a world record, and it has been on my bucket list,” Diaz de Leon said. “But we also did this to celebrate and bring exposure to the Colorado startup scene, and to thank the Colorado community for taking interest.”

The two researched which record was the most vulnerable, and attainable, and handshaking was within their grasp. Holmes is the founder of Handshakin.com – a video series that provides niche advice for startups from some of the top entrepreneurs and investors in the country.

Diaz de Leon and Holmes live in Denver, and they grabbed for the record on Jan. 31 at Redford’s Tavern. Diaz de Leon and Holmes were allowed to take five-minute breaks every hour, but with the five minutes were deducted from their time. As a result, the two took very few breaks.

The Guinness Book of World Records is in the process of verifying the information before it officially names Diaz de Leon and Holmes the new record holders.

There are two ways to break a Guinness World Record. Diaz and Holmes chose the most common method, which is self-submission. The guidelines call for constant video monitoring, two professional time-keepers at all times, two people to log and document as well as testimonials from guests.

“We submitted our evidence to Guinness, and we expect to hear back from them soon and officially be marked as record-holders on their website,” said Diaz de Leon.

Diaz de Leon graduated from CSU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is now working on a dating app that he expects to launch in the summer called “Seeabouts.”

For more information on his startup, follow his handle @seeaboutjuan on social media.