Walking the line - stuntman relies on prayer

A daredevil tightrope walker, who became the first person to cross the Niagra Falls on a high-wire, has described how constant prayer kept him going during the amazing feat.

Stuntman Nik Wallenda,33, walked the 460 metres on a two inch wide steel cable, in just over 25 minutes.

But the funambulist, who is a seventh generation member of a well-known family of daring circus acrobats, had to brave high winds and blinding mists, and needed to carry a balancing pole weighing nearly 20 kilograms to keep himself steady.

And to cope with the mental and physical challenge which the crossing presented him with, the committed Christian turned to prayer.

“I really prayed non-stop,” he said. “The Bible says pray without ceasing and I’m always praying.”

An estimated 13.1 Million viewers tuned in across the USA to watch Wallenda attempt the feat, and could hear him saying ‘Praise Father God, Praise Jesus’ as he walked the wire.

Nik told afterwards, how the hardest part of the walk was when he walked ‘over the precipice’ of the Horseshoe falls, describing how his brain tried to stop him doing it.

He overcame his instincts by telling himself that walking a tightrope at 200ft, is the same as walking it at 1ft – and so he carried on, and prayed.

"Faith plays a huge role in what I do. I believe that God has opened many doors for me in my life and this is one of them," he said, during a post walk press conference.

He added: "Praise God here I am in one piece."

When customs officials greeted him at the end of his walk, and asked him ‘what is the purpose of your trip sir?’ He answered: ‘To inspire people around the world.’

For his next challenge, Wallenda intends to cross the Grand Canyon.