A grandma set a Guinness World Record for the longest duration in an abdominal plank posture (female).
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On March 21, 58-year-old DonnaJean Wilde of Magrath, Alberta, Canada, accepted the challenge at Magrath Elementary.
“It was super exciting,” she remarked. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Wilde planked for 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds, slightly over 10 minutes more than the previous record set by fellow Canadian Dana Glowacka in 2019.
Wilde shattered her wrist 12 years ago. Lifting weights became difficult with a cast, so she tried planking instead. She gradually included it into her fitness routines, and it soon gained popularity among her family members.
“During COVID, my own children wanted to do a family planking challenge – they knew I planked a lot,” she recalled. “That was really the first time I realized I could go a couple of hours.
“After that, they started saying, ‘Mom, you should think about it’ and I kind of put it out of my mind for quite a while and then about a year ago, with their encouragement, I thought, ‘I guess if I’m going to go for it, now is the time.’
“And so I did.”
In January, Wilde learned she would have her attempt in March and increased her training – spending between five to six hours a day planking.
On her attempt day, Wilde says the first two hours went by quickly, but the remaining time took a lot of perseverance and motivation.
“The last hour, I really had to think about just concentrating more, breathing, trying to relax and think about some of the things that I’ve read to get me through,” she said.
After breaking the record, she posed with her children and grandchildren.
Wilde says the support she received from her family and the community was a key part to her success.