Australians are inherently competitive, especially when it comes to sport.

The proof’s in the pudding at the nation’s most successful Olympic games in Paris with a record 50 medals — but we can’t all be Olympic athletes.

Victorian-based couple John and Helen Taylor have made a career out of giving everyday Aussies the opportunity to be the best at something — no matter how strange or small. 

The pair, who founded The Australian Book of Records (TABOR) in 2012 and the Singapore Book of Records (SBOR) in 2004, individually hold more record titles than any other person in the country.

Together, they’ve broken 88 world records.

Bizarre records

Since launching TABOR 14 years ago, the couple has helped almost 1 million Australians break bizarre records.

The pride at accomplishing a record is palpable, Mr Taylor says.

“The guy who was a burper, it’s the best thing he’s ever done in his life and he’s so happy about it,” he says.

“The excitement on people’s faces when they’ve achieved something that they never believed they could achieve is just wonderful to watch.”

Aged in their 60s, the Taylors attend festivals and events throughout the country encouraging eager would-be record-breakers to have a go.

Many records run in conjunction with a fundraising effort. 

For the past six years, the Taylors have travelled more than 2,000 kilometres to attend the Big Red Bash, a three-day music festival on the edge of the Simpson Desert in far-west Queensland.

Breaking records at the remote festival has become a popular fixture, with their tent attracting many curious passers-by who, within minutes, find themselves deep into a record attempt.

“It’s just something they don’t want to leave, they want to break a record,” Ms Taylor says.

Feats range from the five-minute Nutbush dance, to “the largest human image of a country”, building the tallest Lego tower in 30 seconds, or the fastest recall of saying the alphabet backwards.