DonnaJean Wilde completes five-hour plank as Guinness review continues
The Canadian grandmother completed a five-hour plank in Utah, but Guinness World Records had not yet approved it as a new title.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
2 min read
DonnaJean Wilde completed a five-hour plank at the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah, exceeding her existing Guinness World Records mark, though the organization had not yet recognized the performance as a new record. The DonnaJean Wilde five-hour plank attempt drew attention because the 61-year-old Canadian grandmother of 12 had set the previous official women’s mark in 2024.
Wilde, who lives in Alberta, held the position on Oct. 6 during the games in St. George, Utah, according to ABC News. Guinness told ABC that it had received an application for the attempt and would examine the evidence before deciding whether to award a new title.
Has Guinness approved DonnaJean Wilde’s five-hour plank?
Not at the time of ABC’s Oct. 8 report. Guinness confirmed that Wilde’s current recognized title is 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds, achieved on March 21, 2024, and said the five-hour performance was under review.
The Huntsman World Senior Games and posts shared from the event described the result as a world record. But that characterization was ahead of Guinness’s verification process. A Guinness title is official only after the organization reviews the submitted evidence and makes its decision.
World Senior Games said Wilde began at 3:03 p.m. Mountain Time and finished at 8:03 p.m. Judges rotated at hourly intervals during the attempt, ABC reported. The senior games are an event for athletes aged 50 and older, according to TODAY.
What drove Wilde to attempt five hours?
Wilde told ABC she had long wondered whether she could reach the five-hour mark. She said she considered stopping near the end, but audience members urged her on through the final 10 minutes.
Her preparation included planking while her 3-year-old granddaughter, Rose, lay on her back, ABC reported. Wilde then ran a 3,000-meter race the morning after completing the five-hour hold.
A successful Guinness ruling would be Wilde’s third title, according to ABC. She already holds the women’s one-hour push-up record with 1,575 repetitions. Wilde told ABC she hoped to attempt at least 1,600 push-ups in an hour in a future effort.
The result at the Utah event is clear: Wilde held the plank for five hours. Whether it will replace her 2024 Guinness record remained unresolved pending the organization’s review.
This story draws on original reporting from TODAY.com.