Tree-hugging world record attempt: Woman doesn’t let go for 48 hours

Truphena Muthoni has attempted a new world record with a tree-hugging marathon. The 21-year-old hugged a single tree in a public park in downtown Nairobi, Kenya for almost 48 hours. She is waiting to hear if she has set a new Guinness World Record.

The Kenyan revealed that she wants to set the record to help others understand the link between nature and good mental health.

Tree-hugging has been a protest activity by environmentalists for almost 300 years, and there are now even world championships in the pastime.

The Kenyan tree-hugging record was to raise awareness of mental health

While most young adults might have been hitting Nairobi’s bars and clubs on a Friday night, Muthoni started a world record attempt under the night skies.

Muthoni began hugging the tree at 6.10pm and managed to hold the same standing position for 48 hours. She believes she has beaten the previous record by 24 hours.

A crowd of friends and well-wishers were in the park to cheer the young woman on. As the moment approached that Muthoni was about to complete her world record attempt, her supporters counted down the final minute.

Muthoni first began hugging trees to help her with mental health challenges, and says she finds solace and “peace” in nature.

“I want to encourage people to embrace tree-hugging because it helps boost mental health and allows us to recharge ourselves,” Muthoni told local media.

Tree-hugging is often seen as a meditative practice, with the Japanese practice of ‘shinrin yoku’ or ‘forest bathing’ gaining popularity in the 1980s. There is even scientific backing for the practice: several studies have shown how it can improve mood, with two key 2012 studies demonstrating that hugging a tree improves cognitive function, creativity, overall mental wellbeing, and even blood pressure.

This world-record attempt continues the tree legacy of a great Kenyan environmentalist

Muthoni, who describes herself as a sustainability musician, also highlighted the land conflict between humans and nature as another reason for her endeavour: “Urban development is destroying natural resources, so I want people to reconnect with nature because it has real healing power.”

Ababu Namwamba, the permanent representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), congratulated Muthoni on X, saying, “Your historic feat has drawn global attention to the phenomenal power of the youth to be champions of climate action, sustainability, and using nature for mental health and wellness.”

Namwamba went on to say that Muthoni inspired others to “make the earth better, safer, and more sustainable,” and that she had “Wangarĩ Maathai spirit”.

Wangarĩ Maathai was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, after founding the 1977 Green Belt Movement, which planted trees across Kenya and focused on women’s rights, poverty alleviation, and environmental conservation.

Government agency Kenya Forest Service said that Muthoni was an inspiration, noting that small acts “can spark healing and hope” and remind us “to embrace and protect nature every day.”

Embarking on a tree-hugging marathon required training

A world record achievement is only verified by Guinness World Records, the ‘global authority on all things record-breaking’, if there is comprehensive evidence. This includes signed witness statements from independent observers, high-quality video footage, detailed documentation, and official measurements or timekeeping data specific to the record in question.

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Local TV and radio stations live-streamed the full 48-hour event to meet these rules, however the Guinness World Records has told Euronews Green that Muthoni’s attempt so far “isn’t a confirmed record”.

While the act of tree-hugging is simple and open to anyone, tree-hugging for long periods of time required over five months of physical and mental training, Muthoni revealed. This training included changing eating, sleeping and toilet habits.

The world record attempt required Muthoni to cope with standing upright while battling with mosquitoes and other bugs overnight, then having to cope with scorching heat during the day.

“I have trained myself to stand for long hours, go without food, and even fast for extended periods. Sometimes, I would have just one meal a day. I have also conditioned my body to go without using the toilet for 48 hours. I know it’s all in the mind,” she explained.

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The regulations allowed a rest window of two hours after 24 hours to avoid sleep deprivation, however Muthoni chose to hug her tree non-stop for the entire 48 hours.

After accomplishing her record, St John Ambulance were on hand to check vitals and confirm that Muthoni remained in good health.

Tree-hugging records are on the rise as a movement blossoms

Tree-hugging world record attempts have been on the increase in recent years.

29-year-old Ugandan activist Faith Patricia Ariokot was the first ‘official’ holder of the record in February 2024 when she wrapped her arms around a tree trunk for 16 hours and six seconds.

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Ariokot told the Guinness World Records that selecting the tree “felt like picking a bridal dress,” adding that trees are “the greatest soldiers in the fight against climate change.”

This record was quickly smashed a few months later in May 2024 when Ghanaian Abdul Hakim Awal hugged a tree for 24 hours and 21 minutes, to promote nature conservation, the record that is still held by the Guinness World Records.

In April 2024, a record for hugging the most trees was celebrated when Ghanaian-born Abubakar Tahiru hugged a total of 1,123 trees in Alabama, USA. This averages out to nearly 19 trees every minute.

Tree-hugging has been a long-standing form of protest. The activity was first recorded in 1730 when the Bishnois, a nature-worshipping Indigenous peoples in India, hugged trees to prevent foresters from felling them for Rajasthan’s expanding palaces. This laid the roots for the 1970s ‘chikpo’ (hug) movement in India when local villagers, mainly women, embraced trees to prevent mass deforestation in their region.

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Now, there’s a Tree-Hugging World Championships, which started in 2020 and takes place in a forest in the Finnish Arctic.

Treehuggers from around the world compete to receive the honour of being named the ‘Tree-Hugging World Champion’ – with categories including ‘speedhugging, dedication, and freestyle’. In the lead up to the main event, some local championships are now being independently organised.