Hundreds bid for record-breaking workout session

John Laurie and Paul Duffy mounted a challenge to get more than 200 people on to a football pitch for a gruelling two-hour session at Inveralmond High School in Livingston yesterday.

Although the event still has to be formally considered by Guinness, the pair managed to rope in 206 adult participants, which they believe has set a new record.

They will now send evidence of the event – including video coverage and statements from former FIFA referee Keith Sorbie, who acted as an observer – to Guinness in order to get included in the record book.

The instructors, who run Burn It Bootcamp across Scotland, discovered the record had been attempted in the United States and Australia but classes there had never managed to hit the target.

Mr Laurie, 36, and Mr Duffy, 25, visited schools and hospitals around Livingston and rounded up all of their customers to take part.

Mr Laurie said: “We were in the car one day and we heard about a not dissimilar Guinness world record attempt on the radio.

“I wondered if there was one for the largest boot camp and found out it has never been set before, and set about trying to find out.

“We’ve been to all the local schools, hospitals and roped all our customers in for the challenge.”

Following yesterday’s event, which also attracted a strong turnout of children that were not included within the participant numbers, Mr Laurie said: “The weather held out and we had a nice bright day for it and people of all levels of fitness came along. It has been great to get the world record but it was also great getting people out on a Sunday morning getting active.”

Mr Laurie and Mr Duffy set up Burn It after an American firm in Livingston asked the gym where they worked if it could host a boot camp event for its staff last year.

As the gym couldn’t offer a class the pair set up a firm to host mass fitness events.

The model has proved popular and Burn It has expanded from West Lothian to across Scotland.

Mr Laurie said: “The very first class we had four instructors and three customers.

“But now we have an outdoor fitness programme and run 30 camps each week across Scotland.

“Our message is, it’s easy to stay active and you don’t have to go to a gym to do that, and there’s not a big boot camp wave across Scotland.

“You can imagine outdoor fitness isn’t as big in Scotland as it is in Australia, but hopefully we’ll manage to make a big statement.”