World record is plane sailing for the UK’s strongest couple
A CARDIFF couple have broken a Guinness World Record – by pulling a 48-tonne plane more than 20 metres in less than a minute.
Sam Taylor and Sue Taylor-Franklin broke the record this week after being approached by Guinness earlier this year.
The couple from Llanrumney, Cardiff, are officially the UK’s strongest couple as they both ranked 1st and 2nd place at the Brits Women Masters 2020.
The plan to pull a plane was an idea the couple mulled on three years ago in Dubai. But unsure how they would go about it, Sam and Sue moved on with their lives and decided to pursue other challenges.
Sam, 42, who works for Newport City council, said: “We were in Dubai three years ago and I made a random comment about how I wanted to be the first Welsh woman to pull an aeroplane. It was floating around but it’s not easy to arrange so we forgot about it.
“In January, Sue was contacted by the Guinness World Records and suggested pulling a plane and they had the exact same idea.
“It went from there; I don’t really know where they found us but it just moved from there. It was great to work together and who better to do something like that with than your wife.
“We always get asked who’s stronger so it was great to work together because you have to be in tune and know what each other are capable of, There’s no one better than Sue to do this type of challenge with.”
Preparation for the event was disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of gyms.
The couple haven’t been to the gym for months and were feeling nervous before the event.
But the pair still broke the record in the event filmed on Monday by S4C.
“Preparation has been affected massively – we haven’t been to the gym since before Christmas,” Sam said.
“We were panicking because we didn’t know how strong or weak we’d be. Plus how do you even train for pulling a plane?
“The weight of the plane changed a lot too, two weeks before we were told it weighed 38 tonnes. It changed closer to the event so we just had to accept it and work with it.
“It was good to rest but it was very much a case of turning up on the day and seeing what happens. Usually we’re really confident but this time we just didn’t know what to expect.”
The couple were told they had three minutes to complete the challenge but finished it much quicker than expected – in just 37.63 seconds.
They also became the first Welsh women to complete the challenge, something they are very proud of.
Sam said: “It was much easier than I thought.
“We had three minutes to do the pull and I told Sue that we need to do it ASAP because the lactic acid would begin to increase.
“There was a lot of adrenaline and people cheering and the hardest bit is to get the plane pulling. It was over in a flash and at the end, we just looked at each other confused.
“We’re super proud to be the first Welsh women to do this.
“We’re not egotistical, we’ve gone back to our day jobs but every now and then we look at each other like ‘we did that!.’”
The couple are unsure as to what the future holds due to the pandemic. They’ve been invited to the World’s Strongest Woman event in Florida in November.
Sam added: “The next event we’re attending is the Wales’ Strongest Woman in July which is what we’ve entered and depending on the outcome it’ll be the Britain’s Strongest Woman event next.
“Our entries from World’s Strongest Woman has rolled over and I keep telling Sue that’s when we’ll know who’s stronger.
“Sue has a deadlifting competition which if she wins she’ll have the record for the heaviest deadlift by a woman over 50 in the world.
“There are some great strong women at home who may have never tried anything like this, it’s supportive, friendly so come and join in the fun.”