Brantford man sets new Guinness World Record for stilt walking

History was made Saturday as Brantford’s own Doug Hunt set a new Guinness World Record for stilt walking.

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Also well known as Doug the Great for his juggling and magic shows, Hunt managed to take 14 continuous, forward steps atop stilts measuring 55 feet in height.

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“It was windy,” Hunt explained. “They didn’t want me to go up at first, but I was tied onto the thing.”

A pair of cables were strewn taut between two cranes from Craneway Equipment in Burlington to enable Hunt to be secured with safety straps, and allow him to hold on while he waited for wind gusts to diminish.

“I just needed a few seconds of no wind to get my balance,” said the stilt walker. “We got it on the last try before we almost called it.”

Hunt originally set the stilt walking record in 2001 in Brantford when he took 29 steps atop stilts that were 50 feet, 9 inches in height.

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That record was broken by an American in 2022 on stilts that were just over 54-feet tall.

Christine Taylor of Brantford was among those who came out Saturday to watch Hunt’s attempt to regain the record.

“We were part of the original team,” Taylor explained, wearing her father Ron’s embroidered denim jacket that was given to team members in 2001. “I was there when he practiced in the silo. I was probably about 13 at the time.”

She said that with so many world records being made nowadays, it may not be a big deal for some.

“Whether it’s big now to other people or not, it’s still big to me. It was important that I was here today.”

Hunt recalled how, prior to the pandemic he had thought about holding a wine and cheese party to mark the 20th anniversary of his world record.

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But stilt walking team manager Dave Levac had another idea.

“’Hell no, you’re getting back on the stilts,’” Hunt recalled Levac saying to him. “’I’m behind you, and we’ll get the steps in because I believe in you’.”

A former Brantford-Brant MPP and Speaker of the Legislature, Levac observed that the committee for this stilt-walking record attempt was one of the best he has been on.

“It was like an amazing orchestra that was really tuned in,” he shared. “It was easy to conduct it because they were all professionals and knew what they wanted to do.”

Levac added that the fundraising element was important as well.

“Every dollar past costs is a donation to Participation Support Services,” he noted. “We still have a few bills to pay but once that’s over we’re going to raise a reasonable amount of money for a fundraiser of this nature.”

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The team manager explained that the practice sessions in a silo at Brantwood Farms on Powerline Road were done with all the required documentation set out by Guinness World Records.

“In fairness and open honesty… we did set the record in the silo,” he shared. “The intention was to have that in our back pocket for inclement weather if we couldn’t get up at all.

“But since we were able to get up (Saturday), we were going to count whatever he got, and we got 14 steps officially today. In the silo, we got 16.”

Levac said Hunt gets in a certain rhythm atop the stilts, and in better weather would have achieved the 25 steps he was aiming for, despite only needing to do 10 for the world record.

“I really wanted to do 25, and if we had more time, we could have got it,” Hunt said. “With the wind, I’ll take the 14.”

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