Madewell, a 2000 Wayne High School grad and still a Huber Heights resident, joined that elusive club by winning the North American Strongman contest last month in Lafayette, La. The 5-foot-11, 250-pounder also won a super heavyweight contest in Athens, Ohio, the following week.
That has earned him a spot in next March’s Arnold Classic in Columbus. If he beats that 50-man field, he advances to World’s Strongest Man 2011.
An excavator for Roto-Rooter, Madewell trains at Christ Strength Gym in Xenia. He has a 50-inch chest, 20-inch biceps and a 36-inch waist. Unmeasurable is the support of his wife Lesley, two children and trainer Orie Barnett.
In his words
"Ever since I was a kid, I was like, wow, these guys are pulling trains and stuff. I was 26 at the time, I was on the computer, and I decided I wanted to be a Strongman. Orie's name popped up. I called him and asked if he could train me.
"North American Strongman is the amateur version; everybody's got to go through it. The top 50 will battle it out to become an American Strongman. That's pro. That's how you work your way up to be World's Strongest Man that you see on ESPN.
"In all contests, there's five events. First one is an 800-pound tire flip for 80 feet and a time limit of 60 seconds. I did it in 29 seconds. The second is a log press; 240 pounds per rep. You had to pick it up each time and press it over your head. I did 10 in 60 seconds. That was a killer.
"The third event was a sled pull. You had to carry a 300-pound keg 50 feet to a sled, come back, grab a 250-pound sandbag, then run it back and put it in the keg. And then you had to pull the sled back 50 feet.
"After that, I knew I was in the lead. That shocked me. The fourth event was the yoke and farmers medley. It's a squat of 700 pounds, then you run with it 50 feet. You drop that down, grab 250 pounds in each hand and run them back 50 feet. I kicked butt in that; that's my favorite event.
"The final event was the atlas stones. It's five concrete stone balls. The first one's 280 pounds, 300, 320, 350 and 360. You carry them to a 54-inch platform.
"I've always been naturally strong, but not super strong until I started training for these events. It's a lot of agility and cardio. We'll have separate days for agility, a maximum strength day and a lot of reps day.
"It's hard to tell (of possible steroid usage by competitors). Nobody's ripped up. It's easier to look at a body builder and say he is. In Strongman, it's all about high carbs and high protein and lifting heavy weights and knowing how to do it.
"There'll be five of us lightweights compete in the Arnold Classic. This is a two-day event; four events each day. I've watched them and hung out, but this is my first time to compete. That's my biggest dream. This is worldwide. To be up there is a really big thing."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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