Southern Alberta grandma breaks world record for longest plank

A southern Alberta grandmother of 12 and former principal set the Guinness World Record for the longest abdominal plank for females.

DonnaJean Wilde, 58, planked for four hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds last Thursday, at the Magrath Elementary School, where she previously worked as a principal.

This broke the former record set in 2019 by fellow Canadian Dana Glowacka by about ten minutes.

In a clip from the Guinness Book of World Records posted on YouTube, she said her love for planking started about twelve years ago after breaking her wrist.

“I love to work out I love all sports and to run, and I just found I couldn’t do that with a cast on. The family was doing little planking challenges for a couple of minutes, and, I tried it with my cast, and I could do it,” Wilde said in the video.

“And that was one thing I could do for the next six or eight weeks with a cast on, I realized that I could read and do things when I was planking and I fell in love with it.”

Her husband of 40 years, Randy Wilde, says she planks for up to three hours every day, and in preparation for this record attempt, she upped it to six.

“If I need to watch a movie, and she’ll watch a movie with me, then she’ll be in the plank position,” he explained.

Her daughter, Laura Stevenson, says Wilde did her “entire master’s degree while planking,” adding she would spot Wilde in the weight room planking at 3 a.m.

While in university, the former principal contracted transverse myelitis about 20 years ago, which is damage to nerve cell fibres caused by spinal cord inflammation, which causes pain to different parts of the body depending on what part of the spinal cord is damaged.

In Wilde’s case, she experiences chronic pain in her arms and hands. But the pain proved to be a boon rather than a bane.

“That chronic pain and numbness that she deals with every day has helped her to be able to plank through the pain,” Randy explained.

While the last hour was particularly tough, she drew inspiration from the supportive student audience and her grandchildren.

“The first couple hours went really well, but I feel like the last hour maybe I was just getting anxious and excited,” Wilde said.

“I just feel like the last hour was the most challenging just to … stay focused and keep my form.”

The attempt took place in the theatre at Magrath Elementary School, and she received the support of her husband, her children, and her 12 grandchildren.

When she achieved her goal, she said, “It feels like a dream and so I feel that way right now.”

She says whether you like sports or are in academia, “the more you practice, the better you get and the easier it becomes, and then you can help others around you.”