WJJQ LOCAL NEWS
71 year old sets planking record

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Stevens Point Native Betty Lou Sweeney broke the Guinness world Record for holding an abdominal plank for just a few seconds under 37 minutes. And she is 71!

The accomplishment capped off an amazing 2 year journey. In 2009 Sweeney was severely overweight and nearly died from complications from an infection that shut down her kidneys. She pledged to make a major life change after defying the odds by surviving.

She joined Anytime Fitness, and working out 6 day a week lost more than 100 pounds. She says her only goal when she began was to get off medication and live a healthy life. She is now medication free and a world record holder.

When she began, she didn't know what planking was, but she beat the previous record by over 3 minutes yesterday in Stevens Point.

Workers at Anytime Fitness videotaped her attempt yesterday and local police officers were on hand to verify the time. The record will need to be certified by Guinness before it can become official.

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