Alright, I'm up. Soooore as fuck. I truly despise high-rep comps. Have I said that?
Farmers
Good pickup, strong grip, 253 pounds. 200 ft w/1 turn
I had to go first here since I was the last entry. And I had to go alone vs racing against someone since there were an odd number (11) of competitors in the 231's. {sidebar: I had to strip down completely AND lean forward on the scale to make weight. I think Grant blushed.}
I liked going alone because I just got tunnel-vision, hit the zone, and ran. I turned in the second fastest time of 27 seconds. 9 guys went after me and couldn't break my time. Then, of course, Mark did with 23.xx. He's a freak.
2nd place here.
Axle Clean and Press - 210 pounds. 60 seconds.
Slightly bigger around than the bar I'd been training on, and noticeably slicker. Not that it mattered that much.
Always one of my favorites, this one was wrapped up from the get go. Mark and I went head to head since we went 2 and 1 in the farmers. Mark and two others tied with 7. Two guys tied with 6. Several got 0-3. I finished with 10, wo much of a struggle.
1st place here.
Tire flip - 100 ft. 60 seconds.
These were brand new, oil-sheeny tires. They also served the unique purpose of destroying my quickly fading grip. Noteworthy: I've never finished the tire in any competition. It was always my hardest event, and those of you who've been following my log know that I've worked my ass off to make it one of my best events.
I got to go in the last heat with Mark, head to head again. Only three guys finished this course: Mark, JamieT from Cananda, and myself. I finished at something like 59.59999999999999345 seconds. Seriously, it couldn't have been any closer. With 10 seconds left I had 2 flips to go and I was able to rage 'em up. Don't know how. Don't care how. Just fucking happy. Like, THIS is why we do strongman - to IMPROVE ourselves. It took everything I had (you'll see) to finish.
3rd place here. (Jamie's time was 56.xx, Mark's was 51.xx)
I knew already that my grip was well and truly fried. Literally more fatigued than it's ever been. Next up? Axle deadlift, of course.
Axle Deadlift - 363. 60 seconds.
I got six. Six reps. Six NOT REALLY reps. My judge absolutely gifted me 3 of them. Every time I tried to pick up the bar it felt like a pair of knives was cutting into both foreams. My legs/back didn't even feel the weight, and I knew I was good for 25-30 reps before the comp.
I don't even know where I placed here. 8th?
Keg load - 180, 200, 220, 250 to ~48 inch platform. 60 seconds.
You wouldn't believe how much grips comes into play on these when you have none left. I'd never done these before, and was happy to have finished them since several guys in our class couldn't. I finished in 53.xx seconds.
Probably 7th place?
I want to do them again, fresh. They were actually kind of fun. I had a calf want to cramp mid-load. Also a hamstring. You know you're having fun when your body protests THAT much.
Over all I was edged out of 3rd by .5 point. Wait, no. I wasn't EDGED OUT, I dove out of the way so several people could pass me.
What a learning experience. I promise to come back and have the strongest grip in the country. Just see if I'm joking.
) 
