Dinnie Stones

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+1⁄2 in (5.22 m), in 1860.

Picking up of the stones this way is more challenging than the original method because it makes the range of motion of the lift longer and takes the wider sumo stance out of the equation.

This record, with the original stones, is held by Laurence Shahlaei, who carried them a distance of 22 ft 4 in (6.81 m) in 2023.

[7] The record for lifting and holding the stones up unassisted (which is regarded as a world class feat of grip strength) for the longest time is 46.30 seconds, set on 18 May 2019 by Mark Haydock of England.

[note 1][11] David Prowse was the first to do so assisted (with straps) in October, 1963, followed by Charlie McLaggan, Ken Morrison and Bill Bangert (1971).

The first was Jan Todd in 1979, a feat which was not matched by any woman for the next 39 years until Leigh Holland-Keen in 2018 (both assisted with straps).

[13] In June 2019, Annika Eilmann lifted the stones without straps and also held them, making her the first woman to do so.

[14] In May 2019, Kristin Rhodes became the first woman to lift the Rogue replica Dinnie stones unassisted.