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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 4, 2012 · 22 By Brice Roy SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Oakville man breaks record for planking To most, breaking a world record would be the highlight of their day, but for one Oakville man the record was not as important as his reason for breaking it. Last month, Oakville resident Don Ross, 46, and his training partner Greg More, of Toronto, broke the record for holding the yoga `plank' position. The two men were attempting the record to raise money through a Plank-a-thon for a fellow athlete, Tracy Dort-Kyne who was injured training for a bicycle race. "Honestly, it feels great, but what really feels great is that through an accomplishment like this we could help somebody," said Ross. "It's a very draining thing to do, but we raised a lot of money for a good cause. It was a very successful night." About two years ago, Ross decided to start taking group yoga classes. Over time, he began expanding his training to include spinning, Pilates and cardio boot camp among others. Through his yoga classes and his instructor Lori Kirwan, Ross learned of the `plank' position and that there was a world record for holding it. "As the months went on, we started talking about of the idea of a world record and maybe beating it," said Ross. "At the time the world SUBMITTED PHOTO position. planking in: Don Ross of Oakville and Greg More broke the record for holding the yoga plank record was around 40 minutes and I can remember the first time I was able to hit 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then 30 minutes." Once they had set out trying to break the record they realized they had the opportunity to do more and maybe help somebody. That somebody turned out to be Tracey Dort-Kyne. Ross' trainer Kirwan suggested DortKyne and the idea of the Plank-a-thon. DortKyne was a former trainer herself until she suffered an accident in 2011 while training for a bicycle road race that left her a quadriplegic. With three sons to support the single mother was forced into months of rehabilitation and hospital stays. The courageous mother's fight was the perfect cause for the Plank-a-thon. "I didn't know Tracy but, I found the story so inspiring and emotional I thought `Ya, let's do it,' " said Ross. The men set about creating a website (http://www.poolofsweat.com/plank-a-thon) to receive donations, preparing for the event and, of course, training. However, during the course of the training the 40-minute planking record the men set out to beat was doubled to just over 80 minutes causing Ross to have doubts. Ross's training partner More's determination was paramount to his decision to push through. Finally, the night of April 2 arrived and the two athletes were ready for their challenge in front of a packed house. "The night was electric. There were a lot of people cheering," said Ross. Surrounded by judges, timekeepers, notaries and video cameras to document the record Ross and More had to concentrate on the goal to fight the pain as the minutes ticked down. "The last 10 minutes before we hit the record, I was in a lot of pain. Greg was stressed, but he was normal," said Ross. When the time had finally come and they broke the record the two men stayed up for over a minute afterwards bringing their total time to a record 81 minutes and 34 seconds. Then they were able to get their well-earned rest and applause. To date the efforts of the two men have raised more than $13,000, but Ross doesn't think he could do it again. "This is a one and done. I am officially retired from long planks," said Ross. Ross and More now must wait to hear back from Guinness World Records whether their feat is confirmed, a process that could take several months. At Interior Design House, we take a common sense approach to design. We believe that design should be an enjoyable experience. IDH offers a wide range of services and an extraordinary selection of furniture, fabric and accessories - all at attractive prices. Our design and sales team is committed to making your design dreams come true and will be happy to offer assistance with your projects. We invite you to visit our showroom so that we may show you just how easy and stress-free your design experience can be. Burlington 4047 Fairview St. Burlington, ON L7L 2A4 500 Speers Road, Oakville, ON L6K 2G3 Oakville 905.634.3439 www.interiordesignhouse.com 905.339.3439 Monday - Wednesday 10:00 - 5:30, Thursday - Friday 10:00 - 9:00, Saturday 10:00 - 5:30, Sunday 12:00 - 5:00