A loading race or medley is an event in World's Strongest Man and other similar strongman competitions which requires competitors to carry, drag and load several heavy and irregular objects onto a platform over a course usually ranging from 10 to 30 meters.[1] The competitor to move and load all objects in the fastest time is the winner.[2]

Implements

Some of the frequently used objects for these events are anchors and chains, anvils, sandbags, sacks, safes, beer kegs, wine barrels and natural stones.[3] They usually weigh between 100 kg (220 lb) to 150 kg (331 lb) but occasionally can be heavier than that.

Physical demands

Contrary to popular belief, the weight of the objects is not the defining factor in these events. The overall shape of the objects, their dimensions, and the terrain (which can range from rubble to sand to snow) makes these events challenging and requires physical strength, athleticism and speed equally[4] and also different skills are required for different objects since they are shaped very irregular.

Notable Strongmen

  • Below table summarizes the most successful Loading Medley winners in international Strongman competitions.[5]
  • No. of total career Loading Medley's against the No. of wins (Entry criteria: A minimum of 3 wins and a >10% winning ratio, open category).
  • With 2 wins per every 3 Loading Medley's he undertook, Iceland's Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is the Greatest Loading Medley champion in Strongman history.
# Name Nationality Events Wins Win %
1 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Iceland Iceland 21 14 66.7%
2 JF Caron Canada Canada 21 8 38.1%
3 Vytautas Lalas Lithuania Lithuania 8 6 75.0%
4 Aivars Šmaukstelis Latvia Latvia 17 6 35.3%
5 Žydrūnas Savickas Lithuania Lithuania 27 6 22.2%
6 Dainis Zageris Latvia Latvia 32 6 18.8%
7 Mike Burke United States United States 8 5 62.5%
8 Matjaz Belsak Slovenia Slovenia 13 5 38.5%
9 Marius Lalas Lithuania Lithuania 5 4 80.0%
10 Tom Stoltman United Kingdom United Kingdom 6 4 66.7%
11 Jón Páll Sigmarsson Iceland Iceland 8 4 50.0%
11 Janne Virtanen Finland Finland 8 4 50.0%
11 Derek Poundstone United States United States 8 4 50.0%
14 Magnús Ver Magnússon Iceland Iceland 11 4 36.4%
15 Travis Ortmayer United States United States 13 4 30.8%
16 Magnus Samuelsson Sweden Sweden 17 4 23.5%
17 Martins Licis United States United States 5 3 60.0%
18 Oleksii Novikov Ukraine Ukraine 7 3 42.9%
19 Brian Shaw United States United States 21 3 14.3%
20 Ervin Katona Serbia Serbia 25 3 12.0%

- As at 8 July 2023

References

  1. ↑ "Loading Medley". strongman.org. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  2. ↑ "Loading Race". theworldsstrongestman.com. 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  3. ↑ "Loading Race". theworldsstrongestman.com. 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  4. ↑ "How to Prepare for a Strongman Death Medley". Matt Mills. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  5. ↑ "Most Successful Athletes: Loading Race". Strongman Archives. April 3, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
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