beat a record
break a record

From that point on the question was not if he would beat the record, but by how much?

This beat the previous record by more than seven days.

In 1959 he beat the record for the distance with 55m 11s.

They beat the former record, 65, which had been shared by seven other players.

That beat the show's own record, set 11 months ago, by more than $100,000.

He has no plans to beat his record unless someone else does.

In doing so they easily beat the previous record of 24 days.

This now beats the record set by S0-2 of 16 years.

They have beaten the previous record, which had stood for 17 years, by over 15 days.

It beat the previous record held by a storm in.