Geoff Capes, a herculean wonder from the English countryside who, in addition to winning the World’s Strongest Man competition twice, was a champion breeder of parakeets, an activity that provided an escape from stunts like bending steel bars around his neck, died on Oct. 23 in Lincoln, England, in the East Midlands. The death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his son, Lewis Capes, who did not specify a cause. At 6-foot-6 and 365 pounds, Mr. Capes was a crushing Adonis whose daily diet consisted of seven pints of milk, two loaves of bread, a dozen eggs, two steaks, a jar of baked beans, two tins of sardines, a pound of butter and a leg of lamb. His gargantuan caloric intake powered his extraordinary feats in strongman competitions: pulling 12-ton trucks uphill, flipping cars, tearing London phone books in half and tossing five-pound bricks as if they were Kleenex boxes. He could run 200 meters — nearly the length of two American football fields — in under 25 seconds.

Source: The Times November 08, 2024 10:24 UTC