ATHABASCA —Attention local muscle mommies and deadlifting dudes: the 2024 iteration of the Magnificent River Rats Festival is slated for return this Canada Day weekend, and no admission fees aren’t the only difference this year.
The June 30 to July 1 festival will feature an amateur strongman competition, and entry is open to any locals willing to put their strength to the test alongside competitors from different corners of the province.
“It’s gonna be a spectacle to watch,” said Nathanial Blais, Alberta Strongman Association President in a May 24 interview.
“You’re going to see athletes that are quite small in size be able to lift incredible amounts of weight. It’s quite a spectacle to see a 130-pound female competitor lift an almost 400-pound tire,” he added.
For a $40 entry fee, Athabascans can go up against amateur Alberta Strongman Association members competitors in three different events: the overhead press featuring a wagon wheel mounted on an old axle, a “rig pig Dinnie walk,” using drill bits instead of traditional stones, and the classic tractor tire flip.
Men and women will be divided into heavy and lightweight classes for each event. The men will attempt to overhead press 245 pounds for as many reps as possible, while women will lift 105 pounds. The Dinnie walk, usually performed by carrying a heavy stone on a handle, will require men to walk with a 320-pound drill bit and the women to heft 175 pounds.
“The last event, we wanted to keep the sort of rural Alberta style, is actually a tractor tire flip,” said Blais. “We got about a 600-pound tire for the men and a 360-pound tire for the women, and they’ll just basically be lifting and flipping the tire over for reps in a 60-second window.”
Cash prizes will be up for grabs for the strongest man and woman in each event. Anyone interested in participating can register by June 12 on the Alberta Strongman Association’s online events page.
Blais, who has been involved with the Alberta Strongman Association since 2018, said the July 1 event will give locals a look into the emerging world of strongman as a sport.
“It started out being in bars, and these stage performers would essentially be lifting heavy stuff and eating food with the patrons,” said Blais. “it’s an exciting opportunity to see strongman, we’re growing quite a bit, especially on the women’s side.”
Some 30 competition spaces are open for local competitors, and although Blais isn’t a personal trainer, he recommended anyone interested in participating spend time prepping for the event.
While training for the overhead press is straightforward, Blais said competitors can get creative in prepping for the Dinnie walk.
“You could essentially fill up a bag of groceries and have that between your legs and pick it up with two hands and walk with it, that would be an ideal home exercise in a sense.”
Blais said training deadlifts and practicing with heavy items such as hay bales, or even actual tractor tires, would be sufficient prep for the athletes third task.
“It’s gonna be a good time to watch some people lift really heavy things,” said Blais.
Lexi Freehill, TownandCountryToday.com
