Forget track spikes. Jonathan Engels strapped 3-foot-1-inch stilts to his feet and obliterated the previous benchmark for the fastest half marathon on them. The 32-year-old Belgian crossed the line in Kortrijk on April 26 with a time of 2:30:44, a number that now sits firmly in the Guinness World Records books. It wasn't just a run; it was a 21.1-kilometre dance on legs twice the normal length.
The path wasn't exactly smooth. Engels started at a blistering 6:45 minutes per kilometre pace, but the race threw curveballs. Low bridges forced him into awkward ducks, while casual runners kept cutting across his path. By the 9-kilometre mark, the doubt set in. He questioned if he had the legs left. Then he realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime shot and forced his body to keep moving.
Behind the time is seven months of grinding work. Engels logged roughly 230 kilometres of training, blending his two obsessions: stilt performance and trail running. He’s been on stilts since he was 16, performing with the Belgian street theatre group Gusta Straattheater at weddings and festivals. The idea to merge these worlds hit him in summer 2025. He talked it over with friends, dismissed the idea as "impossible," and then went to work anyway.
Finishing felt like a physical and emotional crash. Engels described the post-race sensation as "overwhelmingly euphoric," even as his muscles screamed in protest. For a guy who usually performs for crowds at corporate events, this was the ultimate stage. No script. Just gravity, balance, and pure will.