Chicago Woman Hula Hoops for Over 75 Hours in Attempt to Break World Record — and She's Still Going
One Chicago woman is on a mission not only to break the Guinness World Record for marathon hula hooping, but to surpass it by several hours — though her quest may have already been foiled.
As of Friday afternoon, Jenny Doan, originally from Perth, Australia, had been hula hooping for more than 83 hours, putting her close her goal of hitting 100 hours and past the previous record of 74 hours and 54 minutes, The Chicago Tribune reported.
But a slip in hour 58 could cost Doan the official world record title.
As seen on Doan’s Twitch live stream of her attempt, the hula hoop drops to the floor unintentionally at about 58 hours, 24 minutes — much to Doan’s incredulity, as she can be seen covering her mouth with her hands in shock at the mistake.
Doan told the Tribune that she plans on attempting to use one of her accrued five-minute breaks, of which she earns one for every hour of hula hooping, to cancel out the hoop’s fall.
But a spokesperson for Guinness World Records North America told the outlet that using a five-minute break for the drop would be bending the rules.
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“After reviewing the guidelines for the Guinness World Records title, longest marathon hula hooping, the individual cannot drop the hula hoop and then proceed to request the use of the 5-minute break,” said public relations manager Rachel Gluck.
In other words, Doan would have had to request her break before the hula hoop dropped for it to count.
Still, Doan plans on submitting her attempt — after she hits the 100 hour mark. To do so, she will have to provide the Guinness Record Management Team with documentation and witness statements of her attempt.
Doan’s roommate, Chris Vellucci, told the Tribune that it will be “interesting” to see whether or not the hoop’s fall does indeed end up counting against her.
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“I’d understand if she didn’t have breaks accrued, then absolutely, it’s a failed attempt. But having break time, that was her break,” Vellucci said, adding that Doan “had banked time to take a break, which involves dropping the hoop. Sometimes she’d catch it and throw it down (to start her other breaks).”
So, why go above and beyond the already prolonged hula-hooping session to reach 100 hours?
“It was something I wanted to do, like on a bucket list,” Doan told the Tribune. “The fixation and intensity of it is really appealing to me.”
She added that hula-hooping is “sufficiently obscure,” meaning that hopefully, not too many people will follow her attempt any time soon. “So if I was to hold (the record), I’d hope to hold it for a while, for the same 10 years, if not longer.”
Doan is using her stunt to raise money for Mental Health America and as of Friday, had brought in more than $3,500, the Tribune said.
