Rob Kearney, Williston’s Head Athletic Trainer, is heading off to compete for the title of World’s Strongest Man for the second year in a row. Placing 13^th in the World last year at the competition in Botswana, Kearney is hoping to raise the bar this year.

Kearney will be heading to Manila in the Philippines on April 24, and will be competing in the Qualifiers from April 28 to May 1. The top 10 finishers in the qualifying rounds head to the finals, which are held on May 5 and May 6.

Kearney hopes to break into the finals this year as he just nearly missed the cut last year. He stated, “my goal is to be a finalist, which would put me in the top 10 of the strongest men in the world.”

To reach his goal, Kearney must be one of the top two finishers in his qualifying group. World’s Strongest Man is set up so there are five groups of six athletes in the qualifying rounds. Being one of the top two finishers in his qualifying group is a challenge that Kearney is up to and looks forward to.

He stated, “In my group, there are legitimately four of us that could make the finals, so that will push me past my limits to make sure I have the best competition of my career and make the top 10.”

Kearney also stated his excitement to be in such a competitive qualifying group, “The thing I’m looking forward to most about World’s is the fact that I have one of the most competitive qualifying groups out of everyone.” Kearney feels up for this challenge.

Kearney has done a ton of training over the past months in preparation of the World’s Strongest Man competition. He has spent two to three hours in the gym daily. He has focused on perfecting all his lifts while bumping up the weight.

Outside of the weight room, Kearney has another form of preparation: eating. He told The Willistonian, “On an average training day I will eat roughly 8,000 calories, on a non-training day I will eat about 5,000.”

Eating 8,000 calories a day is no easy task, and although Kearney states that he tries to eat as much clean food as possible, it is more important for him to just get the calories in. He added, “If I miss even one or two meals I will usually lose 4-5lbs in a day, which isn’t ideal when competing at this level and already being at a disadvantage of being small.”

Overall, Kearney’s methods of training have proven to work for him so far. He stated, “I feel stronger and in better shape than I ever have been.”

Also, he just returned from the 2018 Log Lift World Challenge in Leeds, England. Kearney finished the competition tied for second place with a log lift of 441lbs and feels ready to lift even heavier weight at the World’s Strongest Man Competition.