At 71, Plover woman holds plank position for a record 36 minutes, 58 seconds

In a record-setting effort on Wednesday, Betty Sweeney exemplified the transformative effects of exercise and the power of persistence.

The 71-year-old from Plover once weighed a debilitating 235 pounds, and followed a path of physical recovery that led to a stunning feat of strength. She held the plank position, balanced on her toes and forearms, for 36 minutes, 58 seconds during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the pose in the Anytime Fitness Club in Stevens Point.

The previous mark was 33 minutes, 40 seconds, set by an Australian man. Sweeney and her witnesses will submit the record-breaking details to Guinness for certification.

Those who incorporate the plank position in their regular workout routine will find Sweeney's ab-busting endurance remarkable. For most, holding the plank for two minutes is torturous.

"I'm very happy and excited," Sweeney told the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune. "I was just very calm about it. I put everybody else on hold and just concentrated on Dave (Candra, her trainer at Anytime Fitness in Stevens Point) and what I was doing. The way I felt at 20 minutes, I knew I was going to do it."

The Tribune story details Sweeney's resurgence from obesity that severely damaged her health. She lost roughly 110 pounds over two years.

"When I started (working out with Dave), I just wanted to be able to do one pull-up," she said. "What we've done so far has just blown me away. If you'd have told me two years ago that today I'd have broken this record, I'd have wondered what you were on."