FM's Hauck takes second in Iowa Games Strongman

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - He has a knack for art, and his canvass is paint, but Ian Hauck has found a new interest that may have him sculpting some muscle.

Hauck finished in second place in the lightweight master's division at the Iowa Games Strongman competition this past weekend in Ames on the campus of Iowa State University.

In just his second official Strongman competition, Hauck completed every contest and in most cases was competing against men heavier that him doing the same tasks.

"One of the biggest reasons I was happy with the results was that I was competing with guys that were heavier than me," Hauck said. "Weight-to-strength ratio I did pretty well and my goal was not to fail any of them and I didn't"

Hauck executes one of the nine tire flips he completed in one minute as part of the Iowa Games Strongman competition Saturday on the Iowa State University campus. Hauck earned second place in his division. Courtesy photo.

Not only did the 43-year-old from Fort Madison not fail, but in the overhead medley he finished first overall.

Hauck said that event is where you have to accomplish four overhead presses and then dash to a finish line. The first press was two kettle bells that are 60 lbs. each and you have to lift them over your head in each hand and then lock your arms. After that the bells are put down and a 145 pound barbell is lifted over the head, followed by a 2" diameter, 140 pound axle bar.

"That one's harder on your hands because of the size of the bar itself, but the last one's a log lift, which is a metal log bar that weighs 140 lbs. After you get that up and down then you race to the finish line and I did that in 27.7 seconds," he said. "I think I had the fastest time out of everyone on that."

Some of the other events included a 630-pound tire flip, which Hauck flipped nine times in one minute. He also pulled a Hummer SUV 100 feet in 35 seconds. There was a farmer's carry where he had to carry 180 pounds in each hand 160 feet. He also competed in a load relay where different weighted objects had to be lifted onto a 28-inch platform.

"You can drop it as many times as you need, but you have to go the 160 feet and I did that in 37.29 seconds. That's really more a grip/speed competition."

It wasn't Hauck's first crack at official competition. He competed in Monmouth, Ill., in April and plans on competing there again in September and hopes to qualify for the national Strongman Competition in New York City, where the national finals are held.

Hauck works out at Anytime Fitness in Fort Madison and said he doesn't really work out to bulk up, but more to focus on strength training.

"I'm not really looking for the big-arm type workouts. I do strength training where you do a lot of squats and dead lifts. I'm not really a big person, but I really enjoy working on my strength."

He said as long as he doesn't get injured, he wants to continue to improve and get stronger and hopefully place at the national competition in New York.

"I'm pretty hooked on it so I'll try to stick with it," he said. "This is getting in my blood and I've got a new challenge and we'll see how it goes. Next year I'd really like to try and make it to new York."

Qualifying would require him to finish in the top 3. He said it's not really hard if the numbers are low in qualifying events. But he said the New York event will attract the top competitors from around the country and that will be a challenge he's looking forward to.

"That's a big deal there," Hauck said. "There are lots of people there and anyone who's a USS Strongman member will be there. My weight class would have 15-30 people in it."

He credits Dave Swafford, who he started working out with Anytime, for his passion for the new hobby.

"He got me into this and got me interested in getting better. He won the Iowa Games two years in a row."

competition, fort madison, Ian Hauck, Iowa Games, Pen City Current, Strongman, US Strongman Association, weights

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