VEAZIE, Maine: Sarah Whitty of Veazie set a new North American record for the largest marrow, joining a string of viral record-breaking achievements, commonly known as a zucchini, when her 170-pound specimen named Secretariat hit the scales on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
The official weight was recorded during a weigh-off associated with the New Hampshire Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. Whitty, who shares her growing progress online as Pumpkinista, announced the result with a video, as reported by People.com of the dark green vegetable beside a display board showing 170 pounds and the association’s logo.
“Secretariat is the new North American record marrow (zucchini)!!!”
she posted alongside the footage.
The announcement spread quickly on TikTok, covered by Yahoo Style. Within about 13 hours the video collected more than 254,000 likes, nearly 6,000 comments and over 14,000 shares, according to the platform’s public counts. Viewers who had followed the marrow’s development for months reacted with relief and excitement. One wrote that she screamed the news to her husband. Another said it was exactly the update needed that morning.
Whitty, 37, has grown giant vegetables for more than a decade on her 0.15-acre property in Veazie. Her interest began in 2012 after she moved into the house and discovered a pumpkin vine sprouting from a compost pile left by the previous owners. That chance plant led her to try larger varieties.
She serves as president of the Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization and regularly documents her work on TikTok and a YouTube channel that has grown past 130,000 subscribers. Her pumpkins have exceeded 1,400 pounds in past seasons, and she has set multiple state records, including a 60.5-pound marrow in 2023.
Marrows remain among the most difficult giant fruits to keep intact. In 2025 Whitty produced a 162.5-pound marrow that exceeded the U.S. record by 10 pounds and came within half a pound of the then-North American mark, yet a tiny blossom-end split disqualified it from official recognition. She has described the constant risk of cracking as a source of high anxiety throughout the short growing season.
This year she named her leading contender Secretariat after the Triple Crown racehorse and tracked its progress publicly. Earlier estimates placed it above the previous record, and the final official weight confirmed the new mark. Two large pumpkins still awaiting weigh-ins, named War Admiral and Seabiscuit, continue the horse-racing theme.
Whitty has said she enjoys testing the limits of what the plants can achieve. Local coverage and her own posts show her checking fruit daily for signs of stress, managing soil nutrients, and protecting plants from frost. The educational tone of her content has drawn followers, part of a wave of creators turning niche expertise into audiences who treat the seasonal updates like a continuing series.
With Secretariat now the North American record holder, Whitty adds another milestone to a growing list of oversized produce achievements from her small Maine yard, echoing other viral record-breaking moments online.
