MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Community members from around the station participated in the Strongman Competition at Penny Lake here April 11.
Marines and Sailors competed in the event to earn bonus points for the Commander’s Cup.
The competition consisted of five events, including the farmer’s walk, tire flip, log press, crucifix and the Humvee pull.
The competition started off at 7 a.m. with weigh-ins. Weight classes were broken down into five groups, two for females and three for males.
The first event of the day was the farmer’s walk. Competitors carried weighted barbells at their sides and walked out to a cone that was set 50 yards from where they started.
The weights started at 140 pounds for females and 260 for males and increased by 20 pounds for each weight class.
The contestants walked back and forth until they couldn’t stand to carry the weights anymore and their total distance traveled was tallied for score.
In the tire flip, men negotiated a 400-pound, 7-ton truck tire while women did the same with a 150-pound, 5-ton truck tire for maximum number of flips in a time span of 60 seconds.
“Tire flipping was one of the roughest portions of the competition,” said Joshua A. Foster, an aviation ordinance specialist and a returning competitor in the Strongman Competition.
During the log press, women pressed a 34-pound bar and men started with a 64-pound bar, increasing for each weight class, for maximum repetitions in a minute.
The crucifix portion of the competition consisted of holding out kettle bells in each hand at eye level for time. Females held 12-pound weights in each hand and while males held 18-pound weights.
For the last and most difficult portion of the event, female participants pulled a 2-ton truck while males pulled a 3-ton Humvee a distance of 65 feet for time. Contestants had a maximum of 75 seconds to complete this event.
“The Humvee pull was, without a doubt, the hardest but most exciting part of the competition,” said Foster.
As the competition came to an end morale was still high.
Even as the competition grew harder and harder the sportsmanship seemed to get stronger. Everyone was there to win but they still wanted their peers to do the best they could. Contestants kept up their motivation throughout the day.
“Events like these really bring the Marines together as a community and boost the camaraderie,” said Tara Highbaugh, who won first place in the Strongman Competition for the females.
For more information about upcoming events, contact Marine Corps Community Services’ Semper Fit Division at 253-5225.