George Hood came up short in his bid for a 14th world record recently at Evolution Fitness Boca Raton on March 27.
Hood, a 63-year-old Marine veteran from Aurora, Illinois, had hoped to eclipse the record of 2,919 pushups in an hour. Hood, who holds over a dozen Guinness World Records, completed 1,775 pushups in one hour.
“I gave it my absolute best for the best of causes,” Hood said. “And for every right reason. You don’t walk out into these things to expect the world record.
“You expect to give your best and hope you win,” he said. “It’s not always the case. There is no shame in that. You are respected for stepping into the arena and doing battle with yourself. And that’s what I did.”
Hood earned his first Guinness World Record in 2011 with a plank that lasted one hour, 20 minutes and 25 seconds. Since then, he has adopted a more extreme training regime to build stamina and mental and physical strength. He said he’s in the best shape of his life.
Wade Waddick, owner of Evolution Fitness, called it a “spectacular day.” Over $5,700 in donations was collected for the North Palm Beach-based Wounded Veterans Relief Fund as a result of the event.
“The energy, the atmosphere, the cause, everything,” he said. “We have raised over $5,000 for the Wounded Warrior Relief Fund already, and we are still accepting donations. In order to do extraordinary things, sometimes you will experience setbacks. But the comeback will always be better than the setback.”
After returning home, Hood said he will take some time to rest, analyze what went well and what went wrong in this world record attempt.
“I’ll be back for another record attempt,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I come back? This is what I do. And as long as I am able to and blessed with good health, I will keep doing it. Not just for me but for those that I can help and inspire.
“Don’t let yourself stand in your way of simply just doing what you know you can do,” Hood said. “And just as important, don’t be afraid if you miss the mark. There is no failure. As long as you give it your best every single time, you are going to meet your mark. Remember, you are only competing with yourself.”
