I don’t regret many things in life but each time I cut my beard I instantly wish I hadn’t…

Thankfully, lock down and wearing masks presented an ideal opportunity to let it to grow without fear of looking unkempt or ‘unprofessional’!

I understand that the average growth rate is about half an inch or 12.7mm a month so growing a 40mm beard should take about 4 months.

Now I was under the impression that each strand of hair would have to be at least 40mm long to be able to say I had grown a 40mm beard and it seemed to be taking a log time to achieve that – was I trimming it too much too often?!

I stopped cutting my facial hair during Ramadan 2021 (which ended mid-May) and since then I only trimmed it occasionally in an attempt to maintain some semblance of control. At the time of posting this blog it’s mid-October 2021 and that equates to 5 or 6 months growth but only now do the individual strands seem to be comfortably above 40mm to claim it.

Theoretically, my beard should have reached somewhere between 63mm and 76mm in that time but with all this confusion regarding how to ascertain the correct length, I wasn’t sure how to measure it properly!

Thankfully my Mother referred me to the good old Guinness Book of Records. According to them, the longest beard measures 2.495 m (8 ft 2.5 in) and belongs to Sarwan Singh of Canada!

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-beard-living-male

This led me to read up on the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Unsurprisingly, there are rules in place and these determine that beard length should be measured from the lower edge of the bottom lip to the end of the beard below the chin, without stretching any hairs.

https://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/categories

So how did I do?

Applying these rules, meant I had actually grown a 2.5 inch or 65mm beard in 5 or 6 months so on the slower side of the average but definitely well over 40mm (may be I did trim it too much, to often?!).

In retrospect, I wish I had documented the growth day-by-day and had photographed it so I could create a time-lapse but will everything else gong on that kind of commitment is for another time…

I really enjoy having a beard, it keeps my face protected from sun and wind and I swear kept me warmer during the Ironman.

I didn’t ever find any cornflakes in it but it did get a bit matted on occasion and was difficult to keep clean when on the bike part of the Ironman. It’s also strange to feel it flopping about during a swim, especially when I turn in the pool.

Probably my greatest surprise was just how red it grew; I have a new found appreciation for all the ‘Ginger T*sser’ jokes…

• Forty Ninth of 40 Donations
• Manual 40 Feet Down 40 Street
• Forty Eighth of 40 Donations
• Drink a 40
• Forty Seventh of 40 Donations