Milwaukee man plays pinball for 30+ hours, setting record while raising money for Children's Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man set a new world record -- playing pinball for more than 30 hours straight.

He started Friday morning, Nov. 1, and finished Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2. Ryan Clancy's effort then had to be officially certified by Guinness World Record officials.

Ryan Clancy



Clancy had to stand behind a pinball machine for more than 30 hours -- raising funds through Extra Life to benefit Children’s Wisconsin, where his son Alex was treated for kidney failure.

Before the official start, he talked about the preparation.

"I've been playing a lot of pinball," said Clancy. "I took the last couple of days off, and I haven't been playing at all in hopes I can kind of stretch out the number of hours that I can do. I brought some gloves I may try on as we go. I'll have some different strategies."

There were very specific rules. His fingers had to stay on the flippers at all times except to eat or drink. He was allowed a five-minute break for every hour of play -- and there were cameras all around the machine to keep watch.

There was also always an official witness on hand.

Bounce Milwaukee



"We're taking notes. We're making sure that the score is recorded appropriately, the time," said Jonathan Brostoff.

The long hours were for more than a new high score. Clancy said he wanted to make sure all kids have a chance to play pinball for as long as they want.

"(Alex) made a full recovery, but we wanted to make sure that other kids in Wisconsin get that same level of care," said Clancy.

He started Friday morning at 9 a.m., and finished Saturday afternoon around 3:15 p.m.