Indian expat in UAE, 23, rows 84 hours with no sleep in Guinness World Record bid

Dubai: A 23-year-old Indian expat in the UAE has completed an 84-hour non-stop indoor rowing challenge with no sleep, a single shower, and two hallucinations along the way.

Daksh Chahal, a strength and conditioning coach in Dubai, achieved the ultra-endurance feat in what is described as a first-ever attempt in this category under official Guinness World Records guidelines.

Speaking to Gulf News, he said he started rowing the Concept2 rowing exercise machine at 8.20am on Wednesday morning at Danube Sports World and stepped off the indoor rower (RowErg) four days later, at 8.20pm on Saturday.

“This was about proving that limits are mostly mental... I wanted to show young athletes in the UAE and around the world that with preparation, structure, and belief, we can push far beyond what we think is possible,” Daksh said.

Hailing from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Daksh has been into sports since his childhood. He moved to Dubai five years ago as a personal trainer, later pivoting to strength and conditioning coaching and competitive obstacle racing.

He said he represented India and finished seventh in his category at the Abu Dhabi Spartan World Championship in 2024.

The idea for the rowing record came to him one night as he was falling asleep one day after he left the job as a personal trainer in a studio. “I was wondering what next and how I can stand out with an achievement. That is when I checked the world record for this machine that I had been using daily for years.”

Daksh said he chose the Concept2 rowing machine because it is one of the hardest cardio machines in any gym. "It engages the legs, arms, back, core, heart and lungs simultaneously."

With no existing Guinness category for this feat, Daksh said he had to wait for up to 10 weeks to get an entirely new category created, along with its rules and guidelines. The threshold they set was 80 hours, but Daksh did 84, deliberately going the extra distance to leave a clear margin.

He clarified that it is a separate and distinct category from the Concept2 machine's own internal records, which allow ten minutes of rest after every 50 minutes of rowing.

Under the Guinness rules, Daksh earned just five minutes of rest for every completed hour, which means he had to row for three hours straight to bank a 15-minute break.

He averaged 7 to 8 kilometres per hour throughout, above the 5km/h minimum required by Guinness. In total, he burned approximately 29,200 calories and lost 4kg in body weight during the challenge.

The attempt took place with official timekeeping, continuous video documentation and witness verification all in place to meet Guinness requirements.

Daksh trained for five to six months leading up to the attempt, including regular six to eight-hour rowing sessions each week, mobility work, weight training, plus meditation and manifestation.

In the two weeks before the challenge, he also deliberately cut his sleep to two or three hours a night to condition his mind for the deprivation ahead.

He even prepared himself to face the moment when his body would give out.

The first 24 hours were manageable, but the second night was not, he admitted, calling it the toughest part of the challenge.

"I knew, at one point, the body is definitely going to give up. But it will always be my mind, which I have to train," he said.

During the second night, sleep deprivation brought on two hallucinations: a woman with her back turned standing where the camera was, and what appeared to be a gorilla or chimpanzee lurking behind the witness seated in front of him.

That was an indication for Daksh to stop the music he had been listening to, remove his earphones, and start talking to the witnesses to stay grounded in the present.

He said he also experienced heightened hearing sensitivity in the days after the attempt. He was able to pick up distant sounds and conversations with unusual clarity while his voice dropped to a near-whisper from sustained effort.

However, the event was not without medical oversight. A doctor was present for the last two days of the attempt, monitoring his blood pressure and oxygen levels throughout. “Everything remained within range, and the doctor was surprised,” he said.

Addressing the health realities of what he had done, Daksh said candidly: “To be honest and realistic, it is not healthy at all to stay awake and exert yourself like this... But to break records, you always have to push the limits of human capability," he said.

He had a big group of supporters including friends and fitness trainers certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED), who were present throughout, and the venue's facilities were available at all stages.

Daksh took just a single shower during the entire 84 hours, using a 20-minute accumulated rest window after the second day. His rest breaks were otherwise spent with eyes closed, focusing on mental recovery rather than anything else. "More than taking the shower, what was important is to let the mind be in a good condition," he said.

All documentation is currently being submitted to Guinness World Records for official verification.

“I have to submit all the data from the machine, CCTV footage, witness statements, video evidence and timekeeping records as part of official submission to Guinness World Records for verification,” said Daksh.

If verified, his endurance row will mark a new benchmark in ultra-endurance indoor rowing.

Whether he becomes “Officially Amazing” with a Guinness World Record or not, Daksh is already thinking bigger. He plans to attempt a 100-hour rowing attempt later this year and explore the possibility of a Netflix documentary on it. “I also hope to link my attempt to any charity initiative which I couldn’t do this time due to some unforeseen reasons,” Daksh added.