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Tall order: Minnesota family sets Guinness record as world’s tallest

A northeastern Minnesota family has soared to record heights.

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The five members of the Trapp family have been confirmed as the world’s tallest, Guinness World Records announced Wednesday.

The family, from Esko, has an average height of 6 feet, 8.03 inches, according to Guinness.

Adam Trapp is the tallest family member, standing at 7 feet, 3 inches tall, the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported. He is a foot taller than his mother, Kristine Trapp, who is a (relatively speaking) small 6-foot-3.

Other family members include Adam Trapp’s siblings, Savanna Trapp (6-8.1) and Molly Steede (6-6) -- and their father, Scott Trapp (6-8), the newspaper reported.

“When I was in the first grade, I was taller than my teacher,” Scott Trapp told Guinness.

“I don’t feel that tall because I’m not the tallest in the family,” Kristine Trapp says in a video introducing the family.

The family’s combined height is equal to the length of half a tennis court, according to Guinness.

“I love saying I’m the shortest person in the world’s tallest family,” Kristine Trapp told WCCO-TV.

All three Trapp children played sports at Esko High School. Adam Trapp played basketball and will graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering in May, the Star-Tribune reported.

Steede signed on to play NCAA Division I volleyball at South Dakota State University, but pivoted to the University of Wisconsin-Superior, according to the newspaper. Savanna Trapp, recruited to play Division I basketball at UCLA, had to cut her career short because of concussions, the Star-Tribune reported.

“Coaches always said to us, ‘You can’t teach height. You’re either tall or you’re not,’” Steede told WCCO.

In December 2020, the family went to an orthopedics doctor to be measured, Guinness reported.

Each family member had to be measured three times throughout the day, both standing up and lying down, the website reported. This average of these measurements is used to calculate their height.

Even though the Trapps are tall, they do not look down on other people.

“Being able to meet new people when they come up and ask me questions about my height is something I like the most,” Adam Trapp told Guinness. “I still put on my pants one leg at a time like most people. They’re just really long pants.”