Alex Fisher
UPDATE: New World Record for Hula-Hooping Set by Jenny Doan in Chicago Next week, Wicker Park resident Jenny Doan plans to hula-hoop for 100 hours. “I always enjoy the expressions on people’s faces when I tell them,” said Doan, 29, who plans to start the challenge Tuesday in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon hula-hooping session. The current record – 74 hours and 54 minutes – was set in 2009 by Aaron Hibbs in Columbus, Ohio. “Part of it is the spirit of the event, going as hard as you can go … and always upping the game for the next person,” Doan said, laughing. Doan, who works as an analyst for Uber Freight and is originally from Perth, Australia, flirted with the idea of attempting to break that record five years ago.
Doan practices with five hoops of different sizes and weights during the week, focusing on cardio and interval trainings. She’s already weaning herself off coffee to try to keep those bathroom breaks to a minimum – and avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms during her world record attempt. As for meals, Doan plans to eat starchy foods and basic carbs throughout the day, like bananas, chips and muesli bars. She plans to hula-hoop for roughly 10 hours at a time and bank her breaks, so she can take a 10- to 20-minute break at the end of the day and sleep for one-and-a-half hours wearing a pair of recovery boots meant to push lactic acid out from her legs.
“For marathon hula-hooping, you have to be good at it, and there’s a component of sheer resilience and grit,” Doan said. Doan will begin her attempt at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at District Brew Yards, 417 N. Ashland Ave., where she’ll be throughout the entirety of this challenge.
Per Guinness rules, Doan is seeking volunteers to serve as timekeepers throughout her attempt. To make a donation or watch Doan via livestream, visit her Tiltify page.
