News

On June 3rd we cheered on eight amateur strongman competitors at the Kidney Foundation’s first ever fitness competition, Flip Off CKD. We couldn’t be happier with how our community showed up for one another!

For the last 5 weeks, our athletes have been training in preparation for the competition. For many, it was unlike anything they had done before. They prepared with complimentary training sessions from Brickhouse Gym and Flex Fitness, where they learned the best strongman techniques and found out just how capable they are.

On a warm Monday evening, not only did our athletes compete against one another, but they cheered each other on as they celebrated one another’s successes. There were four competitions – dead hang, deadlift, farmers carry, and kidney stone race – plus a spontaneous sandbag throw for an exciting tie breaker.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of our community. Our gratitude goes to:

• Brickhouse Gym, for hosting and providing equipment.
• Jesse Morrison from Brickhouse, for training our competitors and running the event on the day.
• Alistair and Tyler from Flex Fitness, for warming up the crowd and providing prizes to our guests.
• Manitoba Egg Farmers, for investing in our cause.
• Alberto, Elaine and Jan, for volunteering and making sure everything ran smoothly.
• Oleksandr, an incredible photographer who captured the evening.
• And of course, our athletes and donors!

Together our competitors raised $5,600! While we think all our competitors are winners, there were a few who earned top prizes:

• Men’s top score: Reece Barthel
• Women’s top score: Kelsey Henderson
• Pro top score: Martin Demirov
• Top Fundraiser: Kristine Kroeker