A Cumbrian teenager has scooped the silver in a top Yorkshire strongman competition.
Keenan Pearson, 16, of Maryport, has come second place in Yorkshire’s Most Powerful Man 2025, which took place on Saturday in Rotherham.
He was the youngest person to compete in the event where he beat eight other competitors in the novice age category to get a top spot overall.
He said: “It was very unexpected, because I looked at the other competitors and they were big lads! But I thought well, there’s no point in not doing it now, because I’m already here, I need to play my cards right and get my head down and do it.
“But I had my mam, dad and two brothers Keogh and Kennedy, with throughout the competition, which motivated me to go even harder.
“I felt famous when I got on the podium. But when I did my first open age I was like, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here! But now it gives me the push to go even further.”
Keenan beat men over twice his age in categories including a monster dumb bell press, a sandbag toss, yoke carry drop and turn, deadlift and frame carry drop and turn.
Competitors are given a maximum time of 60 seconds to do as many reps or complete the challenge as fast as they can.
He said: “I started with the monster dumbbell, and I did 10 reps in a minute at 45kg, then I did the yoke and did 15 metres there and 15 metres back and it was 200kg in 12.84 seconds.
“With the deadlifts I did eight reps in a minute at 200kg, and then I had the frame carry, which is 15 metres out and 15 metres back at 200kg in 14.72 seconds
“I then had sandbag throw, and weights for that were 12kg, 14kg, 16kg and 18kg in 21.7 seconds.”
It’s a feat Keenan has achieved after spending just under a year training in the sport and in February, he bagged the title of Britain’s strongest man under the age of 17.
He has already competed in the Cumberland Strongman Bash, Cumbria’s Strongest Man, where he came 5th, and now Yorkshire’s Most Powerful Man and he has plans to enter more this year.
Standing at six foot two inches tall and weighing in at 22-and-a-half stone, the teenager can already deadlift up to 280kg – the same weight as that of a fully grown grizzly bear and he’s planning to go for a new personal best.
He eats six meals a day to fuel his efforts and trains six days a week where he splits his time with coach Ben the Viking Harrison and coach Adam Rumney of Cumberland Strongman Academy.
He said: “You train for six or seven weeks, whatever plan you’ve got, which my coach Ben Harrison keeps me in line with, and then after that I have two weeks recovery before my competition and some after.
“But it’s going really good and I’m improving, I feel a lot stronger than I did last time.”
Keenan has also started an athlete social media page under his new strongman name The Cumbrian Ox.
He added that he is hugely grateful for the people and businesses that have come forward to sponsor him as part of Team Ox and help him on his strongman journey.
These include: Emma Mallisa PT, Alana May Moore, MTS, Pink Pig Print & Embroidery, David Little Harrison and Little Plastering, Sean Marsh Cumbria Saw Service, Shane Taylor Welding, On Tap Heating & Plumbing Services Cumbria Ltd, Gain Station, Cumberland Strongman Academy, West Lakes Health, AJ Security and Gem Cakmak (Aroma).
Keenan is now waiting for his GCSE results and in the meantime has started an apprenticeship in groundworks which will also take him to Lakes College in September.
He said: “It’s going really well and I get to lift a lot of heavy things, so I’m really enjoying it!”
If you’d like to sponsor Keenan and help him on his journey, you can get in touch via social media here or via email at [email protected].
