He’s on your heels… on stilts! Belgian runner breaks marathon record a metre above ground

Imagine racing your way through a half marathon, sweat dripping down your neck, when suddenly you hear it – the thwack-thwack-thwack of stilts hitting the ground behind you, ridden by a man roughly 8 ft (2.4 m) tall. 

And no, the carnival isn’t in town… though Jonathan Engels (Belgium) is!

This 26 April, the determined 32-year-old competed in the Skylux Half Marathon in Kortrijk, Belgium, while wearing a pair of 3 ft 1 in (93 cm) stilts strapped to his feet. 

Finishing with an impressive time of 2 hr 30 min 44 sec, he officially took the Guinness World Records title for the fastest half marathon on stilts – a result that came after seven months of specialized training, a lot of grit, and a very sturdy helmet. 

“I have two big passions in my life: running and stilt performing,” said Jonathan to GWR. 

“... actually, three if you count in my family!” he joked.

Since Jonathan was 16 years old, he’s been an active stilt-lover – later joining a street theatre group in Belgium called ‘Gusta Straattheater’ where he could perform on the poles for various festivals, weddings, and corporate events. 

“I still really love it,” he said. 

He’s also an avid trail-runner – taking on long routes with friends, particularly through the Alps mountain range, where he could truly stretch his legs and enjoy the journey.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t until summer of 2025 that Jonathan realized he could claim a record for his two great loves. One fateful evening, he was joking around with his buddies, when they wondered if a “regular guy, living in a small town in Belgium” could really take a title. 

Turns out, you can – especially if you’re a speedy stilt-master.

“I did some first trials and immediately got motivated to train harder,” Jonathan remarked. “It was not impossible in my mind.”

Read more stories about record-breaking athletes in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section!

Preceding the event, he also set up a charity to fundraise for during the race – allowing him to spread goodwill along with all of the publicity. He named the movement “To Walk Again”, and organized over €2,000 (£1,718; or $2,282) in funds for paralyzed individuals to get the chance to train with exoskeletons in order to regain their walking skills.

And finally, after seven months of hard work – spanning roughly 143 mi (230 km) of training ground –  Jonathan was ready to take on the challenge in spring of this year. 

The race officially kicked-off at 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, and Jonathan’s head towered over the other runners at the starting line, distinctly taller in size but burdened by the pair of stilts attached to his feet.

Inspired by the cheering crowds, Jonathan’s starting pace was a speedy 6:45 min/km, an average that he struggled to maintain for the rest of the race. 

Throughout the half marathon, he had to fight various obstacles – like weaving runners interrupting his path, low bridges requiring him to duck, and aching feet – to preserve his speed for the full 13.1 mi (21.1 km). 

“After 5.5 mi (9 km) I was doubting if I could continue my fast pace and thought: yeah, why not?” said Jonathan. “I only have a one-time chance to break the record, today is the day!”

And despite the pain in his legs, and the weariness in his body, as Jonathan crossed the finish line he was thrilled with his final result of 2 hr 30 min 44 sec.

He described finishing the race as an “overwhelmingly euphoric feeling”, regardless of the fact that “all muscles hurt like hell.”

“I’m very proud of myself, [this] was a day I will always remember with a great atmosphere and so many kind people cheering me on!” he said.

So congratulations to Jonathan and his flying stilts – you are Officially Amazing!