Steel Horse Rally adds strongman event
FORT SMITH — Residents from both near and far will be able to enjoy a new attraction at an annual charity motorcycle rally in the River Valley this year.
Dennis Snow, founder and president of the nonprofit Steel Horse Rally, announced at a news conference Thursday that the rally will feature the first Steel Horse Strongman Showdown. The rally will be May 5-6 in downtown Fort Smith, with the showdown set to begin at 11 a.m. May 6 in the middle of Sixth Street between Garrison Avenue and North A Street.
Snow said the Strongman Showdown will feature men and women competing against both each other and the clock at the professional and amateur levels, lifting “unbelievable” amounts of weight in the process.
“Now, not only is this a new, exciting event for the Steel Horse Rally, this is a sanctioned event,” Snow said. “These competitors on the pro level will actually be competing for a spot to go to the regionals and hopefully, eventually, to the national finals, so it’s a big deal. This is going to be so much fun to watch.”
Beau Fore, state co-chair in Arkansas for the Strongman Corp., a national organization that creates, manages and promotes Strongman events, said the showdown will consist of four events for athletes of different weight classes.
The last event will be the Thor’s Hammer Hold, which will pit competitors against each other to see how long they can hold a replica of the instrument from Norse mythology.
Fore said he believed the Strongman Showdown will bring spectacle to the Steel Horse Rally.
“Usually, that’s what Strongman is,” Fore said. “It’s kind of the side circus show of athletes doing things that just don’t look like the normal athletic endeavor.”
The Steel Horse Rally is dedicated to honoring “all who serve,” including members of the military, veterans, law enforcement and first responders, according to its website. The rally also gives donations raised at each year’s event to local charities.
Mayor George McGill on Thursday called the rally a “great tradition.”