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DonnaJean Wilde holds five-hour plank, beating her own record, pending Guinness approval

DonnaJean Wilde, a 61-year-old Canadian grandmother, held an abdominal plank for five hours at the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah, beating her own record by nearly 30 minutes. Guinness has yet to approve the new mark, according to Fox News.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Fox News
Image: New York Post

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 2DonnaJean Wilde, a 61-year-old Canadian grandmother, held an abdominal plank for five hours at the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah, beating her own world record by nearly 30 minutes. Right · 1Fox News, citing Storyful, reports the attempt took place on Oct. 4, running from 3:03 p.m. to 8:03 p.m., with several judges rotating in and out of shifts, according to a spokesperson for the World Senior Games. Right · 2Her previous mark was 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds. The New York Post says she set it in 2024; Fox News gives the date as March 21, 2004, at the Canadian high school where she once served as vice principal.

Right · 1Fox News says the new record is pending review and approval by Guinness World Records. Right · 1Under Guinness rules quoted by Fox News, the challenger's forearms and toes must touch the ground at all times, and the rest of the body must be lifted off the ground and kept straight. Right · 1Wilde told Guinness the first two hours went by quickly, the next two were much harder, and the last hour was the most challenging, requiring focus to keep her form; in the final 30 minutes she concentrated on breathing, staying calm and not shaking.

Right · 2Accounts of how she started planking differ slightly: Fox News says she added it to her routine after breaking her wrist, since she could do it in a cast, while the New York Post, which describes her as from Alberta and a retired school teacher, says she discovered it in 2013 after breaking her arm and began targeted record training in 2023. Right · 1The New York Post, in copy credited to News.com.au, adds that Wilde set the female record for most push-ups in 60 minutes in 2024 with 1575 reps, and says she wants to attempt at least 1600 in an hour next.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets run a feel-good human-interest piece on a grandmother's endurance feat. Fox News gives the logistics and Guinness rules, while the New York Post stresses awe and social-media praise.
Emphasis
Fox: timing, judging, Guinness rules, her quotes on difficulty, and approval still pending. Post: her age-defying story, background training and online reactions.
Leaves out or plays down
The Post does not mention that the record awaits Guinness approval or give the date of the attempt. Fox does not mention her other push-up record.
Charged language
“mind-boggling”“superhuman feat”“demolished”“smashing”
For example
“smashing her own Guinness world record by nearly 30 minutes.” — Fox News
“proved age is just a number after holding an abdominal plank for a mind-boggling five hours straight” — New York Post