‘Strongman’ candidates compete in national qualifier

PALMER — Last Saturday, 15 strength athletes from across the state competed in the 2017 Alaska Strongman Competition. This event was sanctioned by the Alaska chapter of the Strongman Corporation and took place at the sponsor gym, Masters of Iron. The event is a qualifying match that allows winners to move on to the national circuit.

Men and women Strongman competitors performed feats of strength including the truck pull, keg toss, axle pres, 18-inch deadlift and Atlas stones. The event is a level 1 national qualifier. According to Garry Lodoen, Strongman Corporation chairman for the Alaska division, the competition is an opportunity to “show off strength that you normally don’t see everyday.”

According to first time contender, Kody Becker, the event is becoming more popular and “picking up a lot of momentum.”

National contender and United States Strongman Alaska State Representative, Cristina Crass has competed in nine shows since 2014. She said she is the most competitive person she knows. She also enjoys the community of fellow athletes.

“I love it. Strongman is a lot of fun. You’ll never meet a greater group of people,” Crass said. “I look forward to taking the reins and continue the growth of U.S. Strongman in Alaska.”

Another national contender, James Hendrickson, also enjoys the “friendly rivalries” in the strongman community, but added, “it’s mainly for me.” According to Hendrickson, the strongman competitions have roots in the old carnival sideshows where muscular men would carry refrigerators on their backs and perform other novel acts of might. He said it was those “odd tests of strength” that initially drew him to the sport. He trains year-round and has even set a national record for the log press this year.

“I like to challenge myself every year,” Hendrickson said.

Strongman competitions have been around for centuries and rose in popularity once they were televised in 1970s. The World’s Strongest Man is the earliest and most famous example of televised strongman competitions

According to Lodoen, there are two main federations for national strongman federations: the Strongman Corporation and the United States Strongman. They each have their own national competitions. Both federations operate in Alaska and Lodoen said that due to Alaska’s small population and limited access to competition, most strength athletes compete in both. He said he tries to remain “neutral.”

“We’re too small to be splitting things up,” Lodoen said. “We have a really good representation of world-class athletes up here. We all need to work together.”

Lodoen said the first Alaskan Strongman competition was held in 2010 at the Alaska Fitness Expo in Anchorage. He also said that the competition moves to a different city every year.

Lodoen’s main duty is to make sure there is at least one event per year. He said that one year they had seven events. This year, there are four events total: Fairbanks, North Pole, Anchorage and Palmer.

He said the Masters of Iron gym is one of the few strongman-qualifying locations in the state.

According to Lodoen, Alaska has a “long tradition” of strength athletics. After all, “people already think we wrestle bears,” he quipped.

Lodeon said that the Strongman Corporation has had Alaskan-themed strength events like the dog sled pull and 50-pound, silicone salmon toss. He mentioned that in 2005, an Alaskan strongman Jesse Marunde placed second in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Marunde later died a from a genetic heart defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which has been reported to be a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. His brother is mixed martial artist Bristol Marunde.

According to Lodoen, in 2015, Alaska had the largest representation of strongman competitors out of any state at North American Strongman Inc. (NAS) Nationals, “bar none.”

“Strength is a big part of Alaskan culture,” Lodoen said.

Tawnya Roberts was the first woman from Alaska to compete in the Arnold Classic Competition.

“That’s a lot of weight on your shoulders,” she punned intentionally.

Roberts has advice for aspiring strong men and women.

“Just try it,” she said. “Go in there and give it all you’ve got.”

Results for 2017 Strongman Corporation Competition in Palmer:

Women’s - Cristina Crass

Men’s Novice - Michael Peterson

Men’s Masters - Sam Meyers

Men’s Lightweight - Mike Andre

Men’s Heavyweight - Jake Rammell