Man comes down from pole after 78 days in a barrel

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A South African man who broke his own Guinness World Record for staying in a barrel atop a pole finally returned to solid ground after 78 days.

Vernon Kruger descended from the 82-foot pole in Dullstroom after spending 78 days, 23 hours and 14 minutes in the 132-gallon barrel at the top of the pole. He was air-lifted from his perch via helicopter.

Kruger first set a Guinness World Record for the feat in 1997, when he spent 67 days in a barrel affixed to the top of a pole, and this time around he stayed in the barrel for 11 days after breaking his own record.

The man said he stayed for the extra time to make the record more difficult for the next person to break. He said he does not intend to attempt to break his own record again.