"There's great energy at the contest," Odd Haugen told IronMind®, as he described the action at the FitExpo Strongman contest in Pasadena, California.

"There's a seesaw race for first place between Jesse and Travis, with the latter leading by 1 point after 5 events," Haugen said. "There's also a tight race for third with Mark Philippi leading yours truly by 2 points, just ahead of David Ostlund by half a point.

"The US Wellness Meats Farmer's Medley was won by Travis Ortmayer in impressive fashion, followed closely by Jesse Marunde and Mark Philippi. The Apex Giant Dumbbell Lift was predictably won by Jesse Marunde (8 reps), followed by Travis Ortmayer (6 reps), and yours truly (5 reps). The Vyotek Stones of Strength was every bit the barn burner it was predicted to be, with some of the best stone lifting I have ever seen . . . the standard is changing: 9 of the 14 athletes finished all six stones, including the "Tombstone," in the 60-second time limit. The US, or should I say World, King of Stones is Travis Ortmayer (23.71 sec), followed by Jesse Marunde (24.63 sec) and David Ostlund (25.16)."

If you're in Southern California, swing by the FitExpo today and catch the final day of the strongman competition, along with a lot of other exciting events.