A new record for the world’s largest Pilates class was confirmed last week, and it goes to…Spain! The official tally was 862 people, who came together for a May Pilates Day master class in Madrid, in conjunction with the Pilates Method Alliance.

Though Teaser reps had long been completed, the Spanish Pilates-for-health organization Fundación Pilates, which organized the event, finally earned official bragging rights last week, a near six-month wait. Guinness World Records awarded the class its stamp of approval on Oct. 21.

The record-breaker mat session ran for 40 minutes and was led by Mabel Cabrera, head of the teacher training program at Pilates Wellness & Energy® a Spanish Pilates studio chain. It was a part of a longer set of Pilates Day programming held in Madrid on May 9 that focused on bringing Pilates “to the street,” and spreading awareness of its health benefits. It seems that was successful—though 862 people participated in the mat class, more than 1,000 were on hand for the day’s events, which included demos, sessions for children, testimonials and some impressive choreography from the Wellness & Energy staff.

“It was very exciting to be at that Pilates Day event, knowing that they were going for a Guinness World Record,” said PMA executive director Elizabeth Anderson, who flew to Madrid to be on hand for the festivities. “The participation of the Madrileños was fantastic—whole families appeared ready for a really dynamic day, and they got one.”
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