Former Marine Earns 'Planking' World Record

Photo screenshot of YouTube video posted by aloha8scooby

By Mirna Alfonso (Patch Staff)

Though it was for charity, George Hood also did it to accomplish his own personal best in Oceanside Saturday, setting a new world record for abdominal “planking,” or holding his position horizontally, lying only on his arms and his toes for five hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The previous record was set at 4 hours 26 minutes and was achieved by Mao Weidong in Beijing, China in September 2014, according to the Guinness World Records site.

According to the UT San Diego website, Hood was cheered on throughout the day by hundreds of supporters who gathered at the Oceanside Pier Bandshell to watch him hold his position for hours.

He achieved the record a little after 2 p.m., having previously set the Guinness World Record for the prone hold, or plank at three hours, seven minutes, and 15 seconds set in April 2013.

To read his comments, please click here.

According to Wikipedia, George E. Hood is an ultra athlete, certified personal trainer (NESTA) and a Group-X instructor.

He owns and operates a business known as Oceanside Paddleboard and lives in Carlsbad.

Wikipedia notes that Hood is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and recently retired as a Supervisory Special Agent from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who lives in Carlsbad.

He also graduated from National University in San Diego, with an MS in Forensic Science.

Hood’s Guinness World Record attempts have raised more than $100,000 for charities and organizations, including the family of Gunnar Hotchkin, a young soldier killed in Afghanistan; the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund; Fox Valley United Way; Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS); Kiwanis of Willowbrook Burr Ridge; and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign in Naperville.

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