BRATTLEBORO — William “Real Bill” Kathan glowed with excitement as he came to announce a new first: walking backward up Mount Wantastiquet for two miles while balancing a baseball bat on one finger.
Kathan said his feat was witnessed and confirmed by Nadan Rathore, owner of the India Marsala House on Putney Road, as well as roughly six dozen students from western Massachusetts participating in the Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound program.
He also claims superiority in the categories of fastest walk up the mountain frontwards, in 2017. He cites recent records set for balancing a golf club, a tennis racket, a baseball bat, and a pool stick on one finger.
At age 47, Kathan was inspired after seeing a guest on Good Morning America who set a record for the most jumping jacks. By age 50, he had broken that record.
“People have known me for 20 years,” said Kathan, who has appeared on numerous news programs and in newspapers and magazines the world over. “I walked backward across America and was the very first man to do the Grand Canyon backwards from rim to rim.”
The sheer volume of coverage puts his achievements beyond dispute, Kathan said.
Kathan can often be seen on the sidewalks of Brattleboro on weekends, boom box at the ready, doing a methodical and disciplined routine that's seemingly part breakdancing, part boot camp. Messages hand-lettered on his vehicles proudly announce his recent breakthroughs.
“I dance on the street because it keeps me in shape,” he said. “And now a lot of people look at me. I'm not claiming to be the best dancer in the world or the best singer. Sometimes I sing because the kids just love to have me there.”
“I'm no longer the self-proclaimed world exercise champion,” Kathan said. “I am the world exercise champion.”