Ardblair Stones

Strength and endurance competition

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The Ardblair Stones is a strength feat, where nine reinforced concrete lifting stones of ascending weight are used.^[1]^[2] The 9 stones weigh 18 kg (40 lb), 32 kg (71 lb), 41 kg (90 lb), 50 kg (110 lb), 75 kg (165 lb), 107 kg (236 lb), 118 kg (260 lb), 135 kg (298 lb) and 152 kg (335 lb) respectively.^[3] The goal of the competition is to lift each stone sequentially from smallest to largest and place them on top of 4 ft 4 in (52 in) whiskey barrels as quickly as possible. The stones are named for Ardblair Castle located in Blairgowrie, Perthshire in Scotland, close to where they originated.

The stones were created by Charlie Blair Oliphant in 2008, based on World's Strongest Man competitions he had seen on TV as a child. Oliphant wanted to create an event that was accessible to all people, regardless of age and ability, and would be free to all. The stones made their debut in September 2012 at the Highland Games. Based on the success and interest of the event, the stones have since toured the United Kingdom.

World records

Men - 9 out of 9 stones in 21.81 seconds by Tom Stoltman in 2019
Women - 7 out of 9 stones in 37.14 seconds by Donna Moore in 2019

References

^ Crichton, Emma. "Man whose Ardblair Stones lift at Alyth show was seen by 40 million aims to reclaim world record in Kirriemuir today". The Courier. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
^ "Stones' record smashed as Invergordon brothers prepare for fresh tilt at mighty challenge". RossShire Journal. 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
^ Charlie Blair Oliphant (28 June 2020). "The Ardblair Stones". www.ardblairstones.com. Retrieved 3 July 2024.