The lying down competition started on August 18th in the Montenegrin Ethno Village of Brezna with 21 contestants. Yesterday, more than a month later, there were only four contestants remaining with the goal of winning a prize of 1.000 euros.
Two women and two men do not want to give up because victory is so close. Mico Blagojevic, the owner of the mentioned Ethno Village, started this unique event.
“This is now the 11th year. We tried to turn the myth that Montenegrins are lazy into a joke and present it in a humorous way. The first year we thought the competition wouldn’t last long, and it lasted 36 hours, then 52, and then the rules changed a little so now there is a 10-minute toilet break every eight hours. The record was 117 hours. However, this year they exceeded all records. More than a month has already passed,” Mico said and added that he expects that next year this will be a big event filmed with cameras.
Among the last remaining “lazy people” is Lidija Markovic (23), a beautician from neighboring Niksic.
“I have a beauty salon. I came here to rest and win. I didn’t expect it to last so long. I wanted to break last year’s record and here I am. I’ll get up when I’m tired of lying down, but I don’t know when that will be. I’m not here for the money, but for myself, to win and show character, when I say I’ll stay until the end, that’s how it will be, no matter when it will be,” she emphasized.
Gordana Filipovic (36) from Niksic, is a wife and mother of two children. She primarily applied because of the prize, which sounded tempting to her.
“Admittedly, I thought everything would last five or six days. After 10 days, that reward lost its meaning. Now I’ve already lost my salary, so I’ve actually lost money, but endurance and grit keep me going,” she explained.
She emphasized that the whole family supports her and visits her every day, which gives her the strength to endure until the end.
“I have the full support of my husband and sons. They told me that after 16 years of marriage and children, I should come here on vacation. I am really resting here, I have no obligations and no problems. This is a real vacation for me,” she added.
Jovan Crncanin (33) from Krusevac said that he signed up for the competition because of the prize money, but also to prove by his example to the football players of the Napredak club that anything can be overcome with perseverance. He is part of their marketing team.
“They have bad results now, so I want to motivate them. Admittedly, I didn’t expect the competition to last this long, so now my motives are a little different, it’s more about proving to myself that I can do this,” he said.
Student Filip Knezevic (23) from Mojkovac in Montenegro applied because he had a busy summer and saw an opportunity to rest here.
“I was motivated by the fact that my folks kept telling me that I would not achieve anything in life by lying down, so I signed up to prove them wrong. I spend my days on my cell phone, talking to other contestants, watching movies, and even studying for my college exam. If I win, I’ll buy a nice bed to rest after this,” Knezevic stated, Klix.ba reports.
Photo: Pixsell/Matko Begović
