Couple Take a 29-Hour Buss Ride to Paris

NEW YORK — A Michigan couple won a contest Thursday to establish a record for the world’s longest kiss, outlasting eight other couples by locking lips for 29 hours without a break.

Roberta and Mark Griswold’s closest competition dropped out 22 minutes before the winners gave it a rest. The runners-up, Chike Lamar Carter and Menthia Clark of New Orleans, finally gave in to nature’s call to the bathroom.

Under the rules, the couples’ lips had to touch constantly, they had to remain standing and no breaks were allowed.

Griswold said the key to their success was “comfortable underwear.” “And we’ve been practicing for 16 years,” his wife added.

Contestants who dropped out earlier complained of aching feet and nausea. Stephanie Necaise of Denton, Texas, said her chin was rubbed raw by the stubble of her husband Scott’s beard. They dropped out after 11 1/2 hours.

The top prize in the kiss-a-thon, was a weeklong trip to Paris. Surprised that the final two couples lasted so long, the sponsor opted to give the trip to both.