The meat had been cooked, the sandwich almost assembled and assorted Guinness Book of Records dignitaries were patiently waiting by to give it their official stamp of approval.
But cooks in Iran were left in despair after their bid to create the world's longest sandwich failed when the crowd started eating it before it could be measured.
Event organisers had planned to stuff the 1,500-metre-long sandwich with 700 kg of ostrich meat and 700 kg of chicken, and display it in a park in the capital Tehran. But as the sandwich was being measured, chaos ensued.
The giant snack was gone in minutes, leaving the three Guinness representatives with a problem.
One of the event’s organisers said video footage of the sandwich would be sent to Guinness officials.
"We still think the sandwich will be recorded in the Guinness book because of all the evidence and footage that we will send them," claimed Parvin Shariati.
The stunt had been organised to encourage Iranians to eat a healthier diet.
Ostrich meat is far leaner than much of the Iranian diet with as half as much fat as chicken, lots of iron, and very little cholesterol - as well as being extremely tasty.
This bundle of blubber may only be 11 months old, but he is already the size of an eight-year-old.
The giant baby tips the scales at a whopping 61lbs 12oz (28kg) and stands four and a half stone larger than his older brother. Due to his hefty frame the toddler also has to wear huge nappies.
His mother, Milena Orosco de Agudelo, said her son started ballooning at just two months old. The baby has had undergone a number of medical examinations which suggest he may have a problem with his endocrine system.
Ms Orosco said: 'He had some tests done and the results show that he has a thyroid malfunction.
'Then, he had a cardiogram test done and that test shows that he has the bones of an eight-year-old boy, but they have not told me where that came from.'
The normal weight for a boy his age is between 13lbs 4oz and 15lbs 7oz (6-7kg) and now baffled doctors in Colombia are trying to work out how he became so big.
Doctor David Dias, of the Barranquilla Pediatric Hospital, said: 'The baby will undergo more tests to see if he's obese or we're dealing with hyperthyroidism.'
