Stilt walker set to reach new heights

Doug Hunt has changed his training regimen as he prepares to set a new stilt walking world record on Saturday.

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Hunt, also known as ‘Doug The Great,’ has moved from the Gretzky Center to an 80-foot silo at a local farm.

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“I’m 67 and my coach Tom Rollins was a little bit concerned about my age and tweaking something,” Hunt said Monday during a break from training. “We didn’t want me getting hurt so we have spent the last three months at the Gretzky Center to make sure that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the weight of the stilts.

“So we’ve been doing a lot of weight and endurance training.”

Part of the training includes adding extra weight to his training stilts to make sure Hunt won’t be overwhelmed when he attempts his record-setting walk.

Hunt said he learned a couple of things from his earlier unsuccessful attempt to set a record more than 21 years ago – the right equipment is necessary and practice is essential.

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The silo gives Hunt the opportunity to practice ahead of Saturday. It’s the same place where Hunt practiced before setting a Guinness Book of World Record for stilt walking on Sept. 14, 2002.

Hunt, on that day, walked on stilts measuring 50-feet-nine-inches.

The record stood until June 2022 when an American used stilts measuring 54-feet-one inch.

When Hunt attempts to set the new record on Oct. 21, he’ll be on stilts measuring 55-feet. His attempt is taking place as part of the 10th anniversary of the major renovation of the Gretzky Centre.

Hunt will be wearing a Brantford Bulldogs jersey with the number 55 on it when he makes his attempt.

The celebration begins at 10 am and continues to 6 pm It includes, among other things, a Ferris wheel, free public swimming and skating and a chance to meet Paw Patrol characters Skye and Chase.

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“We’re really looking forward to the weekend and I hope that the celebration will draw a big crowd,” Hunt said. “It’s important to remember that we’re doing this for a cause – that is we’re raising money that will be used to help Participation Support Services.”

Hunt said he is being supported by an extensive team that handles a lot of the details including equipment, the logistics, fund-raising.

“We’ve got more than 20 people with different abilities and skills that we need to help pull this off,” Hunt said. “There are a lot of people working behind the scenes on this taking care of all of the details.

“There’s more going on than most people can possibly imagine.”

Many of the contributions are in-kind donations of equipment that, in dollar terms, would be in the thousands of dollars.

“You can do amazing things, when you’re inspired by amazing people and surrounded by amazing people,” Hunt said.

For a complete list of Saturday’s activities visit waynegretzkysportscentre.ca/10thAnniversary.

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