Calgary duo go for world record for surgical needle piercings

Some people run until they throw up, butMatthewMenczyk prefers to get his endorphins another way.

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On Tuesday, he beat his own world record, set last year, for the number of surgical needles inserted into his skin. He got somehelp from his body-modification friend Russ Foxx, who was hoping to pierceMenczykover 8,000 times, but ended at 4,745.

"Matthew is going through a lot of pain to have these done, and I'm suffering in my own way doing the piercings," said Foxx, during a break in the effort earlier in the day on Tuesday."It's very much a test of endurance for us both."

The point of the exercise isn't just to set the record, but to raise awareness of homelessness and local agency Inn From the Cold.

"We figure if we're going to do something this extreme and push ourselves this hard, it should benefit someone else," said Foxx.

One of the major risks to Menzcykwasgoing into shock from so many little stabs of pain.

"Last year when we made it to 4,550 he was coming close to shock, so that's why we stopped," said Foxx."This year he's had a lot of time to prepare himself mentally and physically so we should be able to pass that."

Guinness World Records recognized that feat from Menczyk and Fox last year in Maple Ridge, B.C., which took just over eight hours.

Menzcyk was feeling the effects of his latest test on Tuesday afternoon when he spoke with CBC News,with2,247 needles already implanted in his skin.

"It is starting to get more painful," he said."It is like lightning bolts right now. Depends where he's doing it. If it was someone else doing it, it would probably hurt a lot more."

He endured for another 2,498 needles before calling it a day.It took nine-and-a-half hours to achieve a new benchmark.

The feat will have to be verified by Guinness as a new world record.