The strongest men in the province are all under one roof this weekend in Thunder Bay.
With a combined weight of more than 4,300 pounds, 14 men are pushing, pulling and lifting their way over the next two days to try and become Ontario’s Strongest Man at the CLE Coliseum. The aptly named tire flip was the first test Saturday. Contestants tried to flip a 900 pound tire across 80 feet as fast as they could. Kitchener’s Craig Bongelli took the top spot in the event with a time of 29.15 seconds.
Thunder Bay’s Luke Skaarup is the reigning strong man in Ontario. Skaarup just finished taking first in the farmer’s walk. That may sound nice but the timed event is actually to see who can walk with 310 pounds in each hand over a 160-foot course. Skaarup, now in his seventh year competing, said it takes a lot of practice and strength to get a time like his 23.5 seconds.
“It’s not like you can just decide the first time you go to the gym that you want to come and do this competition,” he said. “It’s not that easy.”
Skaarup faced off in the event against rival Paul Vaillancourt from Renfrew. And while they looked fierce on the course, the two were smiling once the race was done, a testament to the friendship in the sport.
“He and I have been going back and forth for seven years,” Skaarup said of the rivalry. “Both of us were thrilled to have that pairing.
That camaraderie shows with the four local competitors at the event. Thunder Bay has around 10 people in strong men competitions, which leads Skaarup to believe it might just be the strongest city in Canada.
“It’s a northern hardcore town, people just lifting heavy weights,” he said smiling. “Feeling manly, that’s what it is.”
The competition continues Sunday. The top two finishers go on to the national competition in August.
