A woman spent 16 hours and six seconds hugging a tree to be the first to break the official record of its kind.
Environmental activist Faith Patricia Ariokot wrapped her arms around the trunk to set a world record for the ‘longest time to hug a tree’.
She said she attempted the challenge to encourage other people to plant trees and highlight the need for their protection.
The 29-year-old told Guinness World Records: “They are the greatest soldiers in the fight against climate change.”
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“The tree chose me, and it was like love at first sight,” she explained. “When I saw the tree, I knew it was the one I would go for.”
Faith likened choosing the right tree to hug was the same as picking a wedding dress.
There are various types of ‘longest’ records, and this one differed from other marathons where challengers accumulate five minutes of rest time each hour. These marathons are only classified when they exceed 24 hours.
That means Faith wasn’t allowed any breaks when she set down to hug a tree for 16 hours, and her arms couldn’t be released at any point or it would fail. She also had to stand for the entire time.
“My feet for over 16 hours straight were killing me,” she said.
“The tree with its rough surface cut into my skin and caused a lot of pain to say the least, and yet I had to keep holding on.”
However, this wasn’t the first time she attempted it. The first time, her camera failed to record and her second had to be cut short because of a thunderstorm. 60 minutes to the record attempt this time, she considered giving up.
She admitted she started to break down during the ninth hour and wanted to give up. But she said the tree helped her get through it.
She said: “I believe trees really have feelings and can sense what we are going through. It gave me the comfort I needed to keep going.”
