LIFT 3 - 139KG ‘BELAS STONE’ CARRY FOR 40m

The third challenge in the Gauntlet is the 139 kg Belas Stone, and unlike most named stones, this one isn't named after the person who conquered it.

It's named after Oli Belas.

Or, more accurately, it's named after his ongoing battle with it.

For what feels like forever, Oli has been locked in a war of attrition with this stone. Every session brings another attempt, another lesson, another near miss. It's become one of those stories everyone at London Stone Lifting follows, with every member hoping that today's the day he finally beats it. We've perhaps named it a little prematurely—but only because we know he'll get there eventually. And when he does, it'll make the victory all the sweeter.

The Belas Stone presents a very different challenge to the stones before it. At first glance, it doesn't look especially intimidating. Then you try to pick it up.

It's remarkably smooth, offering very little in the way of reassuring handholds. You quickly realise there isn't a perfect grip waiting to be found. At some point, you simply have to accept that your hands are in a bad position, commit to the lift and make it work.

Getting the stone into a secure carrying position is a challenge in itself. You might lap it. You might chest it. But settling it high enough, securely enough and tightly enough that you can wrap your arms around it and move with confidence is an entirely different problem. Before you've even taken your first step, the Belas Stone is already trying to escape.

Then the real work begins.

Forty metres.

It doesn't sound like much until you're walking as fast as possible with 139 kg crushing the air out of your lungs. Every step tightens the stone against your chest. Your grip slowly opens. Oxygen disappears. Your legs and glutes fill with lactic acid, and your body starts asking questions your mind doesn't want to answer.

The carry takes place over a 10-metre course, meaning three turns before the finish. Those turns are where momentum dies. Every change of direction breaks your rhythm, forces another adjustment and gives the stone another opportunity to slip lower in your arms. It's relentless.

The video features Darragh, one of our finest stone carriers. Even for him, the Belas Stone takes everything. By the finish he's on the verge of blacking out, collapsing into a heap on the floor with nothing left in the tank. If one of our very best ends up looking like that, it tells you everything you need to know about this challenge.

The Belas Stone isn't just a test of strength. It's a test of determination. It asks whether you can keep moving when your lungs are burning, your grip is failing and every instinct is telling you to put it down.

It's not for the faint-hearted.

But one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, it'll also be the stone that finally belongs to Oli Belas.