Heather MacDonald took pedal to the medal.
The North Vancouver resident now holds the Guinness World Record title for completing the most spin classes in just under a year.
She took 642 spin classes between Sept. 15, 2023, to Sept. 1, 2024, smashing her own goal of 600. Before MacDonald, the previous record was 585.
MacDonald said she was shocked when she saw the Guinness email pop up on her phone.
“I started to shake. It was so surreal,” she said.
MacDonald got on the stationary path to a world record after accepting a much smaller challenge to take 18 rides in 28 days at the local Spin Society she goes to.
That triggered a competitive side to her to take on more.
“I didn’t tell a soul. I just sent an application off to see if I could do it for 600 and they approved it,” she said. “So, it just kind of went from there.”
The hairstylist held a strict routine to beat the world record – three 50-minute spin classes on Sunday, four on Monday, two on Tuesday and Wednesday, one on Thursday and three on Saturday.
It was a hefty process to prove she beat the world record, MacDonald said. Every session, she had to record a two- to three-minute video of her on the bike and keep a handwritten logbook recording every single class she’s taken, signed by an employee.
But that’s not all, she also needed two independent witnesses watching all the recorded videos to verify it was MacDonald and copies of her instructors' teaching certificates to show Guinness World Records.
Anticipation grew after MacDonald sent all her documents in, waiting to hear back from the record organization. She found out she won the record in late February and couldn’t believe it.
“I just kept going on Guinness World Record, and it would just keep saying 'pending,'” she said. “I knew I had beat the record, but I was questioning myself. Were the videos good enough? That was my biggest concern.”
People in the community celebrated along during her journey. When she reached 586 classes, instructors and others in the spin studio threw a party with champagne for her to commemorate the milestone.
As she shared her challenge and progress on social media, she found it gave her a platform to talk about mental health, including her own bipolar disorder.
“It sort of opened the door for me to talk to people about what I have, this is how I manage it, this is how fitness has helped me, and to talk about body positivity,” MacDonald said. “All bodies are fitness bodies, and we can all do great things if we want to.”
MacDonald said she hopes her journey encourages conversations about mental health, and the role exercise can play in managing challenges.
“I learned that I’m stronger physically and mentally than I thought,” she said. “It’s amazing when you set a goal and you accomplish it, how good it feels.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
https://bsky.app/profile/abbyluciano.bsky.social
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