Canadian grandmother, 61, holds 5-hour plank to top her own world record

A 61-year-old Canadian grandmother says she surpassed her own world record for the longest abdominal plank by a woman, holding the position for five hours at the Huntsman World Senior Games.

DonnaJean Wilde performed the plank Tuesday in conjunction with the games’ opening ceremonies, KSL-TV reported. Her time beat her previous mark of 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds by just under 30 minutes.

Her plank began at 3:03 p.m. and ended at 8:03 p.m., with several judges rotating through shifts, a games spokesperson told the video agency Storyful, according to Fox News. The new time is pending review by Guinness World Records.

Wilde set the earlier record on March 21, 2024, in Magrath, Alberta, according to Guinness. Under the Guinness rules, the participant rests only the forearms and toes on the ground, and the rest of the body must stay lifted.

Kyle Case, chief executive of the Senior Games, said Wilde told organizers about six months ago that she wanted to top her record at the event. They paired the attempt with the opening ceremonies, he told KSL.

Case said the feat captures “the whole point” of the games, which are open to athletes 50 and older and run Oct. 5 through Oct. 17. A video of the moment she reached five hours has drawn more than 4 million views on social media, KSL reported.

Wilde, who has 12 grandchildren, took up planking after breaking her wrist about 12 years before her 2024 record, when she could not run or lift weights in a cast, Guinness said. She has said she “fell in love with it” after realizing she could read and work while planking. Guinness says she planks two to three hours daily, and Fox News reported in 2024 that she raised that to six hours before her first record attempt.