Cumbria is gearing up to host this year’s Arnold Strongman Classic UK show.
The show – which will take place in Workington, in October – is an offshoot of the renowned Arnold Strongman Classic show, which takes place annually in Ohio, in America.
Workington has been chosen as the location for the UK show thanks to the efforts of Adam Rumney, owner of Cumbrian Strongman Academy, who was specifically chosen as a promoter for the event.
Winners of the Workington show will secure a spot at the Ohio show in 2026 – which is regarded as one of the heaviest and most difficult strongman competitions in the world.
Originally named after and created by Hollywood and bodybuilding star Arnold Schwarzenegger, both events are part of the Arnold Sports Festival, founded in 1989.
Around 100 male and female athletes from across the world are expected to compete at the Workington show.
Thirty international athletes have already signed up within two days.
Athletes will take part in classic strongman events like deadlifts, carrying and dragging sandbags, log presses and more that test their physical strength and endurance.
Adam was specifically approached by strongman show promoters from Scotland and Ireland to help them run and revamp the event.
Promoters include Adam, Hostile Strength and Conditioning, GSP Promotions and GBA.
He said: “Arnold Classic UK has been around for a few years on and off and they’ve now asked myself and two other promotors from Scotland and Ireland to help bring it back in the UK.
“It’s incredible they think Cumbria is big enough and good enough as a strongman area to bring something like this here.
“There’s eight female classes and eight male classes and the winner of each category gets an invite to go over the America to compete in Arnold Classic Ohio and I would say that is the second biggest strongman competition in the world behind World’s Strongest Man.
“The Arnold Classic actually pays the most money in the world at the minute in prize money, so it’s £100,000 for the opens category winner.
“This is the biggest show we’ve brought to the area. The amount of people coming realistically we could get 100 athletes – after only two days we’ve had 30 sign ups.
“People are really excited to see the competition being rejuvenated.”
Adam said he is hoping to see the event – which is open to all to spectate – bring an economic boost to the area.
He added: “Realistically every single one of those athletes, because they’re coming from away, will have to use a local hotel, buy a meal, use a local petrol station or hairdressers because they like to look good before the competition.
“I personally get a kick out of that, because we don’t have much in this area and even if it is just a show a few times a year it helps grow the area.”
Alongside running Cumberland Strongman Academy in Workington, Adam also helps run Cumbrian Strongman Promotions, and has been busy working to put the town on the strongman map.
Over the past two years, Adam has worked alongside Dave Straughton, Richard Ferris and Connor Smith to grow the sport in Cumbria.
Adam said: “The biggest thing for me is what we’ve achieved in such a short space of time. Within a year, we’ve had our first Cumbrian athlete to compete at Giant’s Live Dan McNicholas, we’ve had Keenan Pearson who won Britain’s Strongest Man Under 17 last year.
“Then we had the pro show in February, and myself, Emma Grunnill and Connor Smith have all recently been to Europe’s Strongest Man and Women, and we were the first Cumbrians to go to that which is pretty cool.
“It all seems to be just taking off and it’s amazing really. I started three years ago in 2022 with Dave, who I now work with and he was the only strongman promoter who’d done anything in the area.
“I used to have to travel miles and miles to compete and now it’s crazy, because it’s all happening here in Workington.”
The day before the Arnold Strongman Classic UK show takes place in Workington, Cumberland Strongman Academy will also host a novice show – Cumberland Strongman Showdown.
Adam said: “We’ll have two shows running that weekend. So we’ve got one on the Saturday being run by Cumbrian Strongman Promotions, which is a beginner, novice and intermediate show and on Sunday it’s an international level pro show.
“With our events we make sure everyone gets a medal, a really nice T-shirt, a trophy for the top three in each class and access to physio on competition day, we’re some of the only promoters making sure we do that.
“But in the beginner, novice and intermediate shows, it’s people competing who are mams and dads or who might be in a few years, and they get to go home with a medal and show their kids or grandkids and for me that is really important.”
Tickets are on sale for the October event which will also feature stalls and local vendors for spectators and athletes to enjoy.
Adam added: “It’s a spectators event on both the Saturday and the Sunday. Even though it’s a bigger show, our ticket prices will remain the same, and we try to do that with all our competitions really because we want them to be accessible for everyone.
“Strongman as a sport is so embedded in our country, almost like a national treasure, as we’ve had people like Geoff Capes come from here and everyone remembers watching World’s Strongest Man at Christmas, so being able to bring this stuff to our area is incredible.
“I do believe that one day, Cumbria will have someone compete at Giant’s Live’s World’s Strongest Man.”
The venue and start time of the Arnold Classic UK strongman show is to be confirmed – but the event itself will take place on Sunday October 26.
Cumberland Strongman Showdown will take place on Saturday October 25 at noon in CRL, Hallwood Road, Lillyhall near Workington.
People who cannot attend the show will also be able to watch it from home, as it will be livestreamed across the world.
