40 before 40: 40th birthday Guinness World Record attempt

The back story
After thinking she'd never make 40, Jackie Scully is determined to turn her big birthday into a big opportunity to raise money and awareness for four amazing charities.

So, on her actual birthday, 4th December, she and a team of 16 other challengers will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest static cycling class in the world. The record stands at 28 hours. They are going for 29.

And if that's not enough, the 40 days leading up to the big attempt are going to be a mass fundraiser where Jackie is encouraging as many people as possible to join her by contributing their exercise KMs (be that running, cycling or swimming) to a 40,000KM goal, which is one turn round the world.

40 days, 40,000KMs and £40,000 for the incredible child exercise and mental health charity Mintridge, breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel!, Mind and NHS Charities Together.

Why? Because 40 is a birthday she never thought she'd see, after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 32. And, attempting huge endurance challenges makes her feel alive, particularly after having her hip rebuilt in her 20s.

Thank you for supporting this party with a purpose. Your money will genuinely change lives for the better.

Meet the team
This event is a chance for 25 challengers to attempt the impossible as a way of working out what really is possible. More than a birthday party, this is a massive team challenge and each individual has their own brilliant and inspiring journey.

Let's meet some of them...

Alex Wallace
Sheer grit, determination, resilience and tenacity will get people through this challenge and that is why I want to be on this team! I’m Alex and I am the Founder of the Mintridge Foundation, one of the chosen charities of this challenge – using sport as a tool to promote key life messages is exactly what this challenge is all about!

Annick Simon de Froimon
As the person being held responsible for making Jackie do these ridiculous challenges, I felt it only right that I join in and support her lunatic endeavour. At 59 I should know better and act my age not my shoe size, but being almost as bonkers as Jackie, I don’t and doubt I ever will!

Graham Twigg
Graham has taken on various endurance events for charities over the years, enjoys pushing himself and is really looking forward to being part of this epic challenge

Aileen Rice-Jones
Aileen is a keen cyclist, but mainly on the road. Having recently ridden 205 miles before sunset, she's looking forward to the challenge of riding inside for a very long time!

Anna Vassallo
Anna likes to keep active and loves going to weekly spin classes with Jackie. She has done a variety of (much smaller) charity challenges over the last few years, but this is definitely the biggest one to date. She is looking forward to a 29-hour party, while raising money for some great charities.

Bernie Rowell
Hi there, I'm really excited to be part of this team and together take on what is an awesome challenge, hoping to raise money for some very worthy charities. Jackie is truly inspirational and her ability to turn significant personal challenges into a driving force for positive change is something we should all take a moment to reflect on in our own day-to-day lives. This GWR attempt for the longest static cycle class is – quite frankly – bonkers, but sometimes we all need to push outside our comfort zone and find some new edges.

Heather Fell
Heather is always up for a challenge, anything that really tests her limits. She believes that pushing herself out of your comfort zone is important for feeling alive and grateful. This GWR attempt ticks those boxes.

Cameron Sharpe
Cam did the London Marathon in 2016. He’s never done a proper spin class before, so why not make your first one the longest one! Very excited for the food it’ll allow him to consume during the challenge!

Paul Lincoln
I have worked with Jackie for over a decade. I’ve been inspired by her resilience to overcome the challenges she’s faced in her lifetime. She’s an inspiration to so many people. As soon as I heard about the challenge I had to join in. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help Jackie celebrate her birthday in style and raise money for some truly amazing charities. I’m a keen cyclist and have taken part in several sportives and some longer distanced rides, but this challenge is something completely different. Honoured to be part of an amazing team.

Claire Turner
I'm a fitness enthusiast and I love competing in endurance events from running ultra races to swimming-based events and triathlons. Also, having worked in the health and fitness industry for 8 years, I am passionate about all forms of fitness, mental and physical wellbeing. This challenge spoke to me on a number of levels and I am so excited to be part of the team!

Michael Long
My name is Michael and my pronouns are he / him / his. Typically I am a runner doing marathons, half marathons and the occasional triathlon so this is certainly going to be a physical challenge for me! Why am I doing it then? If you don't try then you never know if something is possible so I am keen to give it a go! In addition to that I want to help Jackie celebrate her 40th in the most unique way possible (hoping to get a World Record along the way) as well as raising funds and awareness from some amazing charities.

Tom Fountain
Tom has worked with Jackie for 10 years and is not one to miss out on a challenge. Whilst he hasn’t done anything this crazy, he loves all sports and being active and loves a goal to keep him out of the pub! A number of the charities are close to his heart and he can’t wait to start!

Jemma Rix
After being introduced to Jackie, I couldn’t not say no to this mega challenge. Jackie’s enthusiasm is totally infectious, and her story is truly inspirational and more. I am so excited to be part of the team and help celebrate Jackie’s birthday. Personally, I love crazy challenges and pushing myself to go outside my comfort zone and see what is possible both mentally and physically. So this challenge is right up my street and I’m incredibly grateful to Jackie for inviting me along. What a party its going to be!!

Pete Mchugh
As the great philosopher – Roy Castle – famously said “...dedication's what you need...”; what he didn’t mention was that you also need legs of steel, the heart of a lion and a spoonful of cement in your bidon to ensure you harden up fast. Go Team Scully!

Emily Grant
I'm inspired by the rest of the group and the wonderful charities we're fundraising for, I'm physically reasonably fit but really want to put my mental toughness to the challenge in a way I've never needed to before.