Alberta's Strongest Man inaugural competition will test the muscles and mettle of athletes on March 29.
The Pro Am event, to be held at Fire & Flood Emergency Services Ltd. at Red Deer County’s Belich Business Park, will bring together 14 athletes from across Alberta, including Tristain Hoath, of Edmonton, who is ranked the world's fifth strongest man.
Larson Hehr, Canada's ninth strongest man, said anyone who wants to see what the human body can actually do should come out and watch.
"We're going to have people doing feats of strength that the average person can't comprehend," said Hehr, who is organizing the event with Colton Sloan, Josh Cloherty, and Nick Ris.
"So many people put limits on themselves. It's really amazing to see the size of things we're moving, the weights."
What they lift, or carry, at the Red Deer-area event will also be something to behold.
The variety of items to test the strength of competitors will include a ridiculously huge circus dumbbell weighing 230 pounds, a wheel barrel with about 1,000 pounds that may require volunteers to climb on to add enough weight, and 25 pounds of meat (courtesy of local butcher shop Big Bend Market) in each hand for the crucifix hold.
Hehr said the event will be streamed live on YouTube, but it isn't the same as being at a competition where spectators feel the ground shudder as weights hit the ground.
"If we're dropping 280 pounds from over our heads onto the ground you can feel that, hear it. It's just a spectacle."
He said March was chosen for the outdoor event for the possibility of environmental elements to further challenge athletes.
Admission to Alberta's Strongest Man will be free, or possibly by donation collected for a local charity. The event runs from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Smokey's Southern BBQ food truck will attend, with coffee and hot chocolate also for sale.
