OWENSBORO, Ky. — A group of women in western Kentucky have done what some may deem a challenging task: breaking the four-hour push-up relay world record.

Competitor Sarah Hayden, who competed in the relay, said she spends several hours of her week pumping iron. 

“There is nothing more rewarding, at the end of the day, than muscle fatigue and that physical tiredness of a hard day’s work," Hayden said. 

She, along with several other workout gurus, put their athleticism to the test, attempting the world record in the four-hour push-up relay. Coach Bob O’Brien had been training them months, often doing more than 1,000 push-ups during practice.

“We did crazy things to keep them motivated, to keep them going, to keep them not knowing what’s going to happen," O'Brien said. "The day of the event, you never know what’s going to happen.”

For the first couple of hours, each of the competitors averaged eight push-ups every 35 to 40 seconds. It took two long hours before fatigue started kicking in.

“At that point, it had become a mental thing," said Helah Pettigrew, one of the competitors. "I was really in my head, trying to push through.”

After four hours of straight relay push-ups, the women set a new world record of 15,908 total push-ups in four hours. They can now relax after months of hard work.

“It feels good to have it passed you, but we’re definitely paying for it these past few days," said competitor Megan Durham. "I think we’re finally getting over the soreness part of it, and it’s finally able to sink in how awesome it will be once those results are official.”

O'Brien said he's proud of his team after setting a difficult standard. 

“Goal accomplished; we did what we set to do," he said. "And now ... we’ve set the bar farther for anyone else who wants to come and try it.”