9-Year-Old Mailey Treftz Breaks Burpee World Record

When Mailey Treftz asked her dad to grab his phone and start recording, he had no idea his 9-year-old daughter was about to make history.

The Andover, Kansas elementary schooler had been asking her dad Gabe about world records lately. But she didn't just want to talk about them. She wanted to break one.

"I thought it was really cool that she took the initiative to find out this stuff and was like, 'I'm going to break a record,'" Gabe said. "And I was like, 'Yeah, you should.'"

After discovering a Kids World Records website, Mailey started experimenting with different challenges. She tried 100 jumps first, but it didn't click. Then she spent a few days attempting jumping jacks in one minute.

Then she spotted the burpee record. The standing mark was 15 burpees in 30 seconds, and Mailey knew she could take it down.

On her very first attempt, she knocked out 16 burpees and broke the record. But Mailey wasn't satisfied. She hit record again and pushed herself to 17, cementing her place in the record books.

Her parents couldn't be prouder. "I think it's great because she put her mind to something and we told her if she's determined that it can be accomplished," her mom Adrian said.

Why This Inspires

Mailey's story shows what happens when kids are encouraged to dream big and try hard things. Her parents didn't dismiss her curiosity or tell her to wait until she was older. They handed her a phone and said go for it.

The fact that she failed at her first two attempts makes the victory even sweeter. Mailey learned that setbacks aren't stop signs. They're just detours on the way to something great.

And now she gets to carry this achievement for life. "One of those fun facts you can tell people 20 years down the road, 'I hold a world record,'" Gabe said.

As for what's next, Mailey says she's enjoying her competitive burpees retirement for now, but she'll come back if someone breaks her record.