Renegade Strongman - Tour Of Strength - Summer 2013 - 1st event was on Saturday.

The Guvnor

The Guvnor

Renegade Strongman put on Strongman events here in Ireland.
The first event was in Omagh on Saturday.

Write up below - pictures can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.632952073400141.1073741836.120925847936102&type=3

Renegade Strongman page can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegade-Strongman/468236086579242?fref=ts


Saturday 25th May was a great day at Luke4Fitness in the Gortrush Industrial Estate, Omagh.

This was the first leg in the Renegade Strongman - Tour Of Strength - 2013.

The event was 'Northern Ireland's Strongest Man Under 90kg' and is a Europe's Strongest Man Qualifier - the winner of this prestigious event gains entry to the European event later on this year.

7 competitors lined up to do battle over a series of gruelling events.

The competitors were:

Wallace Clark
Neil Fitzpatrick
Colin McCrellis
Michael McPolin
Russell ? (Please let us know the surname)
Trevor Reeves
Thomas White

Event 1: A 135kg Keg Carry over 30m (2 x 15m) - this was won by Colin McCrellis in just under 14 seconds.

Event 2: Viking Press - 115kg in the hand for maximum reps, won by Colin McCrellis with an impressive 15 repetitions, a few competitors were just behind on 14 repetitions.

Event 3: Deadlift Hold - 200kg in the hand and no straps allowed - the winning time was just under 1 minute.

Event 4: Stones of Strength: 80, 100, 110, 120 & 140kg - this event was one by Michael McPolin who did 4 stones in an impressive 23 seconds and as he was leading with this display he opted not to put the 5th stone in place and save his energy for the final two events.

Event 5: Fiat Doblo deadlift for maximum weight - this started at 240kg in the hand and when Thomas White won the event it was a very impressive 290kg.

Event 6: Farmer's Walk (110kg) over 15m and Super Yoke (290kg) over 15m Medley - this event was won by Wallace Clark who made the walk look like more of a sprint!

It was a great day and the 250 plus spectators at Luke4Fitness witnessed a superb contest in great weather.

Colin McCrellis won a close fought event making it his 4th successive win.

Can Colin make it win number 5 this time next year?

Special thanks go to:

Renegade Strongman for putting on a great event, thank you Damien St. Ledger and Dave Warner.
Luke4Fitness for providing the venue and sponsoring the event.
Stephen Graham and Denise Gourley for scoring the event.
Neville, Gary McKelvey and Ben McMichael (MC for the event)

If you recognise anyone in a picture please feel free to tag them or yourself.

Avenches Biotech are proud to be involved and we will see you next week in Kilkenny at Fennelly Fitness.

If anyone is in and around Kilkenny worth dropping in for a look as they competitions are fast and competitive.

The Guvnor

The 2nd leg was on Saturday in Fenelley Fitness down in Kilkenny and a full write up will be completed later on tonight.

The weights used in all Renegade Events are the same weights and standard as you will find in Giant's Live and Europe's Strongest Man therefore it can be a tough competition for some.

However as they are qualifying events for international competition it is necessary for them to show competitors where they need to be in order to be competitive on the international scene.

The Guvnor

Write Up Below - Pictures can be seen here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.638155716213110.1073741838.120925847936102&type=3

Saturday 1st June was a great day at Fennelly Fitness in the Hebron Industrial Estate, Kilkenny.

This was the second leg in the Renegade Strongman - Tour Of Strength - 2013.

The event was 'Ireland's Strongest Man Under 90kg' and is a Europe's Strongest Man Qualifier - the winner of this prestigious event gains entry to the European event later on this year.

10 competitors lined up to do battle over a series of gruelling events.

The competitors were:

Dean Kennedy
Dean Doyle
Dillon Doyle
Jason Spain
Anthony O'Neill
Noel Kennedy
Wayne Byrne
JJ Dingle
Kevin Doran
Fionn Rogers

Event 1: Viking Press - 120kg in the hand for maximum reps, won by Fionn Rogers.

Event 2: A 135kg Keg Carry over 30m (2 x 15m) - this was won by Dean Doyle.

Event 3: Axle Deadlift for maximum weight - this was won by Wayne Byrne with an impressive 260kg.

Event 4: Farmer's Walk (120kg) over 15m and Super Yoke (280kg) over 15m Medley - this event was won once again by Wayne Byrne who made it look easy!

Event 5: Deadlift Hold - The car used today was an Audi A4 and the weight in the hand was 200kg. This event was won by Wayne Byrne who by now was having a great day.

Event 6: The Stones of Strength: 80, 100, 110, 120 & 140kg to be onto a 1m80 platform (1st stone). This event was won by JJ Dingle who completed 4 stones.

It was a great day and the spectators at Fennelly Fitness witnessed a superb contest in great weather.

Wayne Byrne won a close fought event and is now Ireland's Strongest Man Under 90kg - well done Wayne!

Special thanks go to:

Renegade Strongman for putting on a great event, thank you Damien St. Ledger and Dave Warner.

Fennelly Fitness for providing the venue and sponsoring the event.

If you recognise anyone in a picture please feel free to tag them or yourself.

Avenches Biotech are proud to be involved and we will see you next week in Ballymena at the Carfest.

The Guvnor

Write Up Below - Pictures can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.641021575926524.1073741839.120925847936102&type=3

Saturday 8th June was a sensational sizzler of a day at the annual Ballymena Carfest in the Ballee Playing Fields, Antrim Road, Ballymena.

For more information on the Carfest please visit their website - http://www.ballymenacarfest.com/default.aspx

Please tag someone or yourself if you recognise someone or yourself.

Also please like the Renegade Strongman and the Avenches Biotech pages on facebook and spread the word.

https://www.facebook.com/AvenchesBiotech?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegade-Strongman/468236086579242?fref=ts


This was the third leg in the Renegade Strongman - Tour Of Strength - 2013.

The event was 'All Ireland's Strongest Man Under 105kg' and is a Europe's Strongest Man Qualifier - the winner of this prestigious event gains entry to the European event later on this year.

7 competitors lined up to do battle over a series of gruelling events.

The competitors were:

Keith Flannery

Neville Bamford

Mindaugas Brazauskas aka Mindi

Mike Brown

Cezary Nowakowski

Rafal Silakowski

Gavin Redmond



The arena was superb - Renegade Strongman had commandeered the use of 4 tennis courts for the event.

All 6 events were set up within the courts and the crowd had a clear view of the whole arena at all times either from the stadium style seating or by standing around the event fencing.

It could not have been better. The weather was in the mid 20's and the breeze we normally get was absent, this was going to be a gruelling six event competition for the athletes.



The first event was due to be a Scania Truck Pull - no rope, Harness Only. However due to the extreme heat the tarmac had heated up and the truck was now sitting/sticking to the tarmac.

The decision was made to start the event with the 2nd event and introduce the Truck Pull later on in the contest.



Event 1 - Axle Press - 115kg

This event was won by Gavin Redmond who did 6 repetitions. He was closely followed by Mindi on 5 repetitions.

3rd Place was also hotly contested between Rafal on 3 reps and Neville on 2. Cezary did 1 repetition.

Keith Flannery & Mike Brown found the Axle awkward and unfortunately did not manage one approved lift.

A difficult event - 115kg on an axle is a bit different to 115kg in the gym.



Event 2 - Conan's Wheel - 230kg Quad Bike

Take a standard ATV and sit it into a custom built frame - proceed to pick up the frame and Quad Bike and walk it as far as you can around the circle.

Mindi was the clear winner in this event with a fantastic 66.5m.

Neville Bamford came second with 48m just ahead of Keith Flannery who did a very impressive 47.2m.

Gavin Redmond did 35.2m once again just ahead of Rafal Silakowski did 34.8m.

Cezary Nowakowski did 27.9m and Mike Brown did 20.7m.

Every competitor put on a fantastic display during this event.


Event 3 - Car Deadlift for Maximum Weight

The rig was attached to a BMW 1 series and starting weight in the hand was 220kg and it went up in 20kg increments to 300kg. Athletes had the option to sit out a weight if they felt the next weight was achievable.

Neville came first with a 300kg lift followed by Gavin on 280kg and Keith on 260kg.

Rafal and Cezary were both on 240kg and Mindi and Mike were both on 220kg.



Event 4: Ambulance Pull
This was meant to be a Scania Truck Pull but due to the severe heat this was not possible, not only was the truck sitting lower, the tarmac was no longer as firm under foot for the athletes. The executive decision was made to use the Ambulance on site instead of the truck.

However the ambulance was a bit light so in order to increase it a touch Francis Kirby and Josh McCabe were asked to take some shade and have a seat in the back! This event was over 20m.

Neville won in a time of 16.78 just 0.06 seconds ahead of Keith with 16.84. Joint 3rd was Gavin and Mindi on 17.97 seconds.

Rafal came home in 20.31 followed by Cezary in 21.84 with Mike completing the course in 27.28 seconds.


Event 5: Stones of Strength Circle

The stones used were 100,110,120,140 & 160kg. The first stone has to be placed into the platform which is 6ft high so it must be placed on the shoulder and pressed into place - an event where the taller man has an advantage.

Mindi won this event with 4 stones in a time of 61.03 seconds, Gavin was second with a time of 29.03 for 3 stones, Neville was close behind on 31.78 for the 3rd stone. Rafal was faster on the two stones and therefore pipped Keith on time.

Both Mike and Cezary found the first platform too high and both were so agonisingly close to getting the stone in but just missed out on it.

Neville injured his left hamstring on the 3rd stone but being the competitor he is, he went for stone 4 a stone he would normally get with ease however the hamstring was quite bad and therefore he had to be content with 3 stones.

Would Neville manage to come out for the final event?



Event 6 - Farmers Walk

A 20 metre course - 115kg farmers to be carried in each hand over the course, job back and pick up the 130kg farmers for the second leg. Please note the sweltering heat and 5 gruelling events that went before!

The title could have been won by either Neville, Mindi or Gavin as after 5 events the points were as follows: Neville - 29, Gavin 27.5 and Mindi 26.

This event was won by Keith Flannery who did an impressive 10.1m on the second set of farmer's and almost got 3rd place as a result.

The main drama however was the last pairing of Gavin and Neville who were fighting for 1st place. Neville came out with his left leg heavily strapped and he proceeded to walk the 20m with a torn hamstring and was ahead of Gavin at this point. Both however were neck and neck when they started on the second set and both were struggling - we have superb action shots from this pairing. In the end Gavin did 40cm more than Neville and closed the gap by a point.



The final placing were as follows:

1st - Neville Bamford - 34 Points

2nd - Gavin Redmond - 33.5 Points

3rd - Mindaugas Brazauskas - 28 Points

4th - Keith Flannery - 27.5 Points

5th - Rafal Silakowski - 19.5 Points

6th - Cezary Nowakowski - 15 Points

7th - Mike Brown - 10.5 Points

Special thanks go to:

Renegade Strongman for putting on a great event, thank you Damien St. Ledger and Dave Warner.
Ballymena Carfest for having us at their superbly well run event.
Denise Gourley for scoring the event.
Gary McKelvey, Ben McMichael, Josh McCabe and Francis Kirby for all their help on the day.

Avenches Biotech are proud to be involved and we will see you at the Carfest in August at Coleraine.

The Guvnor

Saturday 10th August was a sensational day at the annual Waterways Ireland Riverfest in Christie's Park, Coleraine.

There are 45 pictures from the event so far uploaded to this album please click here and have a look at them all, if you see yourself or a friend please tag them or yourself. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/set=a.672290422799639.1073741842.120925847936102&type=3

Also please like and share the Renegade Strongman and the Avenches Biotech pages on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvenchesBiotech?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegade-Strongman/468236086579242?fref=ts

This was the fourth leg in the Renegade Strongman - Tour Of Strength - 2013.

The event was 'All Ireland's Strongest Man Under 90kg' and is a Europe's Strongest Man Qualifier - the winner of this prestigious event gains entry to the European event later on this year.

5 competitors and 1 guest lifter lined up to do battle over a series of six gruelling events.

Avenches Biotech pulled the names out of the hat with Stephen Graham #TeamAB overseeing the draw.

The competitors were:

Michael McPolin
Russel Gardiner
Darren Lang - Guest Lifter.
Dean Kennedy
Wayne Byrne
Colin McCrellis

The arena was on grass - Renegade Strongman had laid it out very well. All 6 events were set up within the arena and the crowd had a clear view of the whole area at all times.

The weather could have been better. However a few drizzles here and there was not going to dampen the spirits of either the crowd or the competitors themselves. This was going to be a gruelling six event competition for the athletes.

The athletes started in the running order as listed above and from then on it works that the person who finished last in that event, is the first to start the following event.

Darren Lang is a guest lifter and therefore he was competing but not for the All Ireland trophy.


Event 1 - Deadlift for Maximum Weight

This was a good and tough opening event for the athletes as the weight started at 240kg.

• 240kg - Russell and Dean narrowly missed out on locking out the weight whilst the others sailed through.
• 250kg - All 4 remaining athletes lifted it with ease.
• 260kg - Wayne Byrne was close but just missed out.
• 270kg - Colin, Michael and Darren were still in. Michael decided to pass on this lift Colin lifted it with ease and Darren got it up BUT unfortunately let go of the bar rather than lowering it under control. So close and Darren said he will never, never, never do that again! 

Well done Colin on winning this event!

Event 2 - Farmer's Walk 120kg in each hand for 40metres

120kg in each hand over a 20 metre course - seems heavy and it is. This was a very tough event and with the little bit of rain it proved to make it even tougher for the competitors.

Russell and Dean were the first pair out to brave the course. Dean did 11.1m and Russell powered on past the turn to get 29.2m - a great distance.

Next out was Wayne Byrne and Darren Lang - Darren did well making it past the turn and did 24.15m but Wayne was the star here almost making it all the way back down the 40m course to finish with a superb distance of 36.4metres.

The final pairing was Colin and Michael - both passed the halfway mark with Michael bowing out at 25.4m and Colin just missing out on 1st place by 1.19m with a distance of 35.22m.

Well done Wayne Byrne on winning this event!

The positions after 2 events was as follows:

1st Colin McCrellis - 9 points
2nd Wayne Byrne - 8 points.
3rd Michael McPolin - 6 points.
4th Russel Gardiner - 4.5 points.
5th Dean Kennedy - 2.5 points.

Part 2 coming later on tonight!

The Guvnor

Part 2:
'All Ireland's Strongest Man Under 90kg' a Europe's Strongest Man Qualifier.
This covers events 3,4 and 5.

All pictures are here - if you wish to see them all please browse the album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/set=a.672290422799639.1073741842.120925847936102&type=3

Please like and share the Renegade Strongman and Avenches Biotech pages on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvenchesBiotech?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegade-Strongman/468236086579242?fref=ts

Event 3 - Axle Press For Maximum Weight

The current Irish record in this event for an U90kg Strongman is 115kg would this record still stand at the end of this event...was the current record holder present? Quite possibly, was he nervous, who can say! 

An axle for those who have not seen one is a bit different from an Olympic bar down the gym!

This is a hard event - fat handle, bar does not turn and so on.

• The starting weight was 100kg and Russel Gardiner was the only one to miss out on this lift.
• 110kg was next up and this was a test - Dean Kennedy narrowly missed out at this weight.
• 117kg was next - Irish record up for grabs. Guest lifter Darren Lang was up first - he lifted the 117kg but as Darren is Australian the Irish record so far was safe.

It was now down to Michael, Colin or Wayne to break the Irish record all three attempted 117kg.
They were close with Colin being perhaps the closest of them all but he missed out and the Irish record is still in place.

Well done Darren on the 117kg lift - it was superb!

Event 4 - 300kg Super Yoke for 20m

It should be noted that after the 3rd event Dave Warner was kind enough to give the athletes a 15 minute break to catch their breath for the final 3 events. It possibly went by far too quickly in a Deadliest Catch style scenario where they were just about getting relaxed when the next string was closing in or event number 4 in their case!

Russel and Dean were the first pair out and Dean did a very respectable time of 20.09 seconds but steady on young Russel did the 20m in a good time of 35.62 seconds.

The second pairing to take to the field was Michael and Colin - Michael flew down the course with the 300kg Super Yoke in a time of 18.50 seconds with Colin just behind him with a time of 20.91 seconds.

The final pair to take to the field to do battle with the super yoke was Wayne Byrne and Darren Lang. Darren did an incredible 18.56 seconds for the 20m with the Super Yoke whilst Wayne powered on to complete the 20m course in a time of 28.80 seconds.

Well done Michael on winning this event!

Event 5: 200kg Deadlift Hold For Maximum Time

This event is a frame and you stand up and go head to head with your opponent who is facing the same fate opposite to you. This is a really battle - a battle against your opponent and also a battle with the frame and the weight!

The first pair to do battle were Russel and Wayne - this was a great head to head with Wayne succumbing to the pressure after 30.7 seconds and Russel hanging on for another 2.3 seconds to do 22.0 seconds.

The second pairing was full of excitement where one can say Dean was possibly a tad fired up on this event - he was head to head with Colin. 20 seconds went past and it all looked steady and then Colin went down at 23.37 seconds and Dean fired himself and the crowd up to go on until he hit 41.72 seconds.

The final pairing was Michael McPolin and Darren Lang - a good battle with Michael posting a great time of 33.75 seconds to come second in this event whilst guest lifter Darren went on to 41.22 seconds just half a second behind Dean's winning time.

Well done Dean on winning this event!

The positions after 5 events was as follows:

1st Michael McPolin - 18 points
2nd Colin McCrellis - 17 points.
3rd Wayne Byrne - 16 points.
4th Dean Kennedy - 13.5 points.
5th Russel Gardiner - 8.5 points.