Some people break world records and others shatter them. Gabi Ury falls into the latter category after her recent attempt to take the Guinness World Record for the Longest Time in an Abdominal Plank Position by a female.
On the Saturday after her 16th birthday, Ury held a plank position while resting on her forearms and toes for 1 hour, 20 minutes and 5 seconds, completely smashing the previous record of 40 minutes and 1 second held by Eva Bulzomi, who was more than happy to get beat. Although Ury’s attempt was successful, the people at Guinness are still reviewing her submission before giving her the official stamp of approval.
Her achievement is all the more impressive because she was born with VATER syndrome. According to her website, the disease affects her spine, muscles and limbs. She lives with scoliosis and is missing muscles in her calves, glutes and part of her abs.
Ury took on the planking challenge to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., which helped her overcome her VATER syndrome.
According to her website, Ury has dreamed of breaking a Guinness World Record since she was in the fifth grade. She’d made previous attempts at the records for Longest Hopscotch Game and for Most Socks on One Foot. However, the longest abdominal plank for a female is the first one she’s successfully completed.
While attempting the record, Ury says that what got her through the pain and fatigue was the general atmosphere of positivity and fun that surrounded her. After the first 35 minutes she realized her typical distraction method of watching TV on her phone wouldn’t work this time. That’s when her family and friends began sitting with her, telling stories and singing songs.
“After I hit the wall and got back into it, I had fun with it because people were having fun around me,” she said.
