Dinnie Stones

The Dinnie Stones (also called Stanes or Steens) are a pair of Scottish lifting stones located in Potarch, Aberdeenshire. They were made famous by strongman Donald Dinnie, who reportedly carried the stones barehanded across the width of the Potarch Bridge, a distance of 17 ft 1.5 in (5.22 m), in 1860. They remain in use as lifting stones.[1]

The Dinnie Stones in 1995

The stones are composed of granite, with iron rings affixed. They have a combined weight of 332.49 kilograms (733.0 lb), with the larger stone weighing 188.02 kilograms (414.5 lb) and the smaller stone weighing 144.47 kilograms (318.5 lb).[2]

The stones were reportedly selected in the 1830s as counterweights for use in maintaining the Potarch Bridge.[1] They were lost following World War I, but were rediscovered in 1953 by David P. Webster.[1]

Replicas of the Dinnie Stones have been used in international competition.[3]

Records

As of June 2019, 106 individuals have managed to lift the stones, including four women. Jan Todd in 1979 and Leigh Holland-Keen in 2018 were both assisted with straps. On 19 January 2019, Emmajane Smith lifted the stones without straps, making her the first woman to do so.[4][5][6] On 10 June 2019, Annika Eilmann from Finland became the first woman who has successfully fully lifted and held the stones for over ten seconds in an unassisted manner.[7][8]

The current record for holding the stones up unassisted is 41.00 seconds, set on 21 January 2019 by Mark Haydock of Lancashire, England.[9] Five individuals, all men, have been recorded as matching Dinnie's carrying feat, including his father.[10]

The current record for carrying the stones in a "farmers walk" style is held by Brian Shaw of the US, a four-time World's Strongest Man, who carried the stones 11 feet 6.5 inches (3.52 m).[11] This was achieved on the 18th April 2019 and featured in the History Channel show The Strongest Man in History.[12][13]

References
  1. Shanks, Steven. "The Dinnie Stones: The Ultimate Challenge". DinnieStones.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. "Gladiators star smashes Dinnie Stones record". BBC News. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  3. Dingwall, Blair (18 January 2017). "Dinnie Steen challenge to take centre stage at Arnold Schwarzenegger's US strongman festival". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  4. "Listed below are the names and details of lifters who have put the wind under the stones unassisted". DinnieStones.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  5. Saner, Emine (August 7, 2018). "A short guide to becoming seriously strong – by the woman who just lifted 332.5kg boulders". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  6. http://www.thedinniestones.com/Lifters%20Pages/Emmajane%20Smith.html
  7. Annika Eilmann Dinnie Stone Lift, retrieved 2019-08-22
  8. First women in the world who take... - Strongwoman Annika Eilmann, retrieved 2019-08-22
  9. Athey, Neil (6 June 2018). "World record Dinnie Stone lift smashed by strongman". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  10. "Listed below are the names and details of lifters who have carried the stones unassisted". DinnieStones.com. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  11. "The Dinnie Stones". The Dinnie Stones. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  12. "Stronger than a Scotsman Full Episode". HistoryChannel.com. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  13. Athey, Neil (6 June 2018). "World record Dinnie Stone lift smashed by strongman". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
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