Some people are physically tough, and others are mentally tough. The 30 or so 
women gathered outside Columbia’s Colosseum Gym on a wet, chilly day last November were both. Testing their mettle in the 2014 Maryland Strongest Man Competition, the women dead lifted, overhead pressed and hauled massive stones right alongside the guys.
“All strongmen and women compete for themselves and push their own personal boundaries of strength, athleticism, determination and commitment,” says event organizer Jon Ward, state chairman of North American Strongman. “There is great support by each athlete towards their fiercest competitor.”
While only the top three finishers in each of the women’s weight categories – lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight – qualified to compete in the 2015 North American national championship, they all earned bragging rights, not to mention entry to a seriously fit sisterhood.
“The strongest will win,” says Ward, “but they are all in it together!”
9159F Red Branch Road, 410-740-2339. colosseumgym.com.
