u/crawfordov24

As part of one of the first seated adaptive lifter stone tours. The lifter is Gary Clarke (strongmangary on the socials)

Congratulations to @seanurq for becoming the 3rd person, on record at least, to take the 410lb Ultach Alasdair Mhòr (aka Ultach na h airde a glaise)
to chest.

One of the most fascinating things about this stone is that the three recorded chest lifts were solved differently. That is part of the magic of stonelifting: different body types and approaches but still solving the puzzle.

As for “On record”. It is all we can honestly say.

I do not like the idea that modern feats mean less because they did not happen in the half-mythic past. Adding a new name to the story of an old stone is not disrespectful. It is how the story keeps living. There can be a real antiquity bias in stonelifting, where something feels more valid simply because it is older. The past is important, but modern history is still history.

Claims should make people curious, not dismissive. If someone claims a first, or one of only a few, the useful response is not “you can’t know that”. Ask around. Check old posts, videos, witnesses, buried comments, whatever exists. If the claim is wrong, respond with evidence respectfully.

The idea that we should stop recognising these feats because we can never know with perfect certainty is reductive. It treats uncertainty as a reason to say nothing, when it should be a reason to look harder. No record works from perfect knowledge. We work from the best evidence available, while staying open to correction. Could someone have done something incredible in private and never told anyone? Yes, maybe. But we cannot build a meaningful record around invisible performances.

@willholliday is why this is worth doing. Of the three lifts we know of to chest this stone, his was the most effortless, yet he is sadly the least known. He is criminally underrated, and any stone lifter is missing out if they have not seen that lift. I made a meal of this stone. Sean did a great job. Will made it look most easy, like there was another gear there if he needed it.

Recognising his place in the history of this stone means more people might go and watch, appreciate and savour what he did. That is the value of a ‘claimed record’. It preserves lifters and the stories that might otherwise be missed.