VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two Virginia Beach veterans are proving that "old man strength" is a real thing.
Breaking a Guinness World Record may seem unachievable to most, but 61-year-old Rodney Hahn and 67-year-old Dave Stephens are attempting to do just that.
“That’s why it’s called ‘60 Strong.’ We talked about seniors, but he didn’t like the word,” Stephens laughed.
Hahn and Stephens are trying to break the records for most pull-ups in 24 hours and longest continuous battling rope exercise, respectively.
Hahn is a personal trainer and fitness director at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club. Stephens is one of his clients, and the two have been training together for years.
Hahn, a Navy vet, held the 24-hour pull-up record in 2016, with 6,844 pull-ups. The title is currently held by an ex-Army Ranger, with 7,715 pull-ups.
“The Army currently has it – one of the Army Rangers. I’m taking it back from the Army. I’m bringing it back to the Navy," Hahn laughed.
Hahn is looking to reclaim his title with a goal of 8,000 pull-ups in one day.
"I'm better prepared this time than ever before," he said.
Years ago, Stephens attempted a pushup record but missed it by only two. Now, he has his eye set on a different record.
"I've had this burning desire to try something else," Stephens said.
He's going for the continuous battling rope exercise record. The current record is just over an hour and Stephens is shooting for 180 minutes.
But the two men aren't just competing for the glory. They're doing it to raise donations for Alzheimer’s research -- a disease that's impacted both of their families.
“Because of my history with my father and grandmother having Alzheimer’s… and recently, [Hahn’s] wife’s mother has been diagnosed. It just seemed like it made sense,” Stephens said.
The duo hopes to raise at least $10,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.
While it may be weeks until the duo knows if they’ve broken the record, they’re just glad to have a strong support system cheering them on.
“We feel like we’ve got a huge support team in just about every way, so we can't let them down,” Stephens said.
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