EDMONTON — Tristain Hoath says he was 10 years old when he first noticed he was unusually strong.
The Edmonton police officer says his dad and another man were struggling to lift a large piano onto a truck when they called him for help. Hoath says he grabbed a corner and lifted the instrument with ease, as his dad stood in shock.
"He was like, 'How did you help?'" says the 33-year-old.
"I was like, 'I don't know ... I used my body.' I don't remember breaking a sweat."
Hoath's dad died in 2012 and hasn't been able to watch him go on to flex his strength in competitions, including the inaugural Strongest Man competition in central Alberta.
Hoath says he will be among 12 large men on Saturday who will shudder the grounds of a Red Deer park while they lift and toss circus dumbbells, beer kegs, boulders and a steel block full of weights.
Weighing in at more than 145 kilograms, Hoath says he has already gained international recognition when he came in fifth place in the World's Strongest Man competition, the "Super Bowl of strongmen" and after lifting a pickup truck. He expects the competition to be a breeze.
"There's a good chance that I win," the six-feet-two competitor says cheekily. "I'm not willing to let the others walk all over me. It'll be a battle."
Josh Cloherty, co-organizer of the event, disagrees with Hoath.
"(Hoath) is definitely the favourite overall," says Cloherty, who is also competing.
"He's one of the biggest names on Saturday. But there will be guys that are going to give him a run for his money."
Cloherty says Alberta has held amateur strongmen competitions, but this is the first "pro-am" event. He says some of the competitors are friends and regularly tease one another over who's the strongest.
"What started out as a fun little joke back and forth has turned into this first competition," he says.
The prize?
"Bragging rights," Cloherty says with a laugh. "We have a fair amount of prize packs for the athletes overall, but mostly it's the prestige of becoming Alberta's first strongest man."
He says competition will be held outdoors despite the dump of snow Alberta received this week.
Cloherty says the competition will see six rounds. The men who complete the challenge in each round or do it the fastest will receive a point. At the end, the man with the most points with be declared winner.
In the first round, strong men will bench press a more than 70-kilogram steel block with no handle as fast as they can four times. In the second, the men lift a more than 320-kilogram circus barbell and raise it to the sky with one arm.
The third round will make the men think about God.
Cloherty said whoever can do a crucifix hold — standing with their arms outstretched like Christ on the cross — with a nearly 12-kilogram weight on each arm while it's extended for the longest time will earn a point.
Cloherty and Hoath say becoming a strongman is no easy endeavour.
Both were gifted with strength from an early age. To maintain their power, they are in the gym almost every day for hours at a time. And although both men love to eat, the hardest part is overeating.
Both say they eat up to 7,000 calories a day to maintain their physique.
Breakfast alone consists of enough eggs to feed three people.
Hoath says he's so large he goes through security at airports sideways.
"I catch people's eyes all the time," he says. "You stand out when you're a large person."
Cloherty and Hoath say the physical and mental challenge of being a strongman is fun.
"We all want to be our best," Hoath said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2025.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
