WICKER PARK — The Wicker Park woman who hula-hooped for 100 hours inside a brewery last month is waiting to find out whether she broke the Guinness Book of World Record for marathon hula hooping.
Jenny Doan, 29, had planned to set a new Guinness Book of World Record for consecutive hooping.
Doan was aiming for 100 continuous hours, with the allotted breaks in between. But a drop at the 58-hour mark may have ruined her chances of setting the new world record.
This current world record of 74 hours, 54 minutes was set in 2009 in Ohio by Aaron Hibbs.
Doan told Block Club in an email that she is reviewing her paperwork and evidence and plans to submit her application, regardless.
It will take up to 16 weeks for a decision to be made, she said. An $800 fee could speed up the process, but Doan plans to wait it out.
“The price is a bit steep for me, so I don’t intend to pay extra, but will wait patiently once I submit my evidence,” Doan said.
She hopes she can convince Guinness that her “drop” was actually her using one of her 5-minute breaks, which are allowed hourly during the marathon attempt.
When the hoop fell, Doan had skipped several breaks, therefore banking up time.
A second option for Doan would be to contact the records manager assigned to her attempt. Without paying the $800 fee, that process could take two weeks.
“… This channel is difficult to communicate in, since the question at hand is so complex,” Doan said.
According to the official Guinness rules provided by Doan, “if the hoop passes below the knees and/or touches the ground, the attempt is ended.”
Rachel Gluck, a public relations manager for Guinness World Records North America, clarified the rules to the Tribune:
“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,” she said.
During a Tuesday-Saturday stretch in November, Doan hooped, ate and slept inside District Brew Yards, at 417 N. Ashland Ave.
As the Wicker Park resident hula hooped, she hoped to raise $10,000 for Mental Health America, an organization that is close to her heart.
According to the donation page, Doan raised just shy of $5,000.
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