One year after Brian Shaw ended his competitive strongman career as the 2023 Strongest Man on Earth, he is preparing for the 2024 edition of the Shaw Classic, exclusively as a promoter.

Held in Loveland, CO, from Aug. 16-18, the 2024 Shaw Classic features Men’s Open and Women’s Open contests. Then there’s the main event: the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth competition, where sixteen of the world’s elite strongmen will vie for the title.

Image courtesy of Athelo Group/Shaw Strength

Shaw joined BarBend for an exclusive interview about the contest’s growth and future. Shaw also put on his analyst hat and spoke about each event.

Brian Shaw’s 2024 Shaw Classic Predictions

Editor’s note: the interview below has been lightly edited for readability.

BarBend (BB): How does it feel prepping this contest as a promoter, not as an athlete?

Brian Shaw (BS): It’s definitely different. At this point, I don’t know how I did it last year because at this time last year, I was still very involved in setting up equipment and getting ready. It was a massive task to take on, and I’m not sure how I did it, but I did it.

This year will probably feel different once the contest gets going because I love strongman and I love competing.

BB: How do you feel about the contest’s growth in the first five years?

BS: I don’t start anything that I am not trying to become the best at. I’m very driven to do things the best I can. I think that has shown in competition in business.

Starting the Shaw Classic, now the Strongest Man on Earth at the Shaw Classic, was in my head for a long time. There are some shows where the promoters took the lion’s share of everything, and athletes were left with the leftovers, so to speak. I never agreed with that.

Last year was the fourth year. We gave the second biggest amount of prize money ever. I saw the opportunity in 2020 when nothing was happening, and I am very excited about the growth since. This started and still is a contest started by athletes for athletes.

BB: How do you feel about the contest’s future over the next five years?

BS: We will keep working. We still have a lot of growth to go through. We can strive for perfection and try to get close to that. There is always room for improvement. Every year we learn, and we get better.

Our growth is a testament to how we care for the athletes competing and fans flying in from around the world to watch this. This has been pretty much my wife, Keri, and I, along with our small team, but a lot can be done with determination and hard work. I hope it continues because we want to keep raising the bar for the sport.

Image courtesy of Athelo Group/Shaw Strength

BB: A portion of the pay-per-view livestream buys contribute to the prize money, giving fans a sense of investment in the contest. Will that continue?

BS: Yes, that started the very first year. We don’t have a massive bankroll behind this. We are not a big corporation. When we started this, we told the competitors that if they promoted it and helped bring more fans in to buy it, then we would increase the prize money.

When I walked in that first year and said we were bumping it up $10,000, their faces lit up. They thought I was kidding. Every year, we have been able to do that, which is incredible. The fans know that when they buy tickets or the live stream, a good portion goes to the athletes. I feel that is the right way to do it. Overall, it has been a very good thing.

BB: Events this year that differ from years past. How do you choose the events?

BS: This year, I put in a lot of events I always wanted to see in my career but never got to. With the Strongest Man on Earth last year, I was very careful not to put events that were just good for me.

I wanted to make events harder in some ways so people didn’t say that I was promoting and setting myself up to do well. I haven’t heard that, which I am proud of. I now get to put on events that I want to have, and the competitors are excited about them.

2024 Strongest Man on Earth Events

There are eight events over two days to determine the 2024 Strongest Man on Earth.

Max Raw Deadlift

The opening event of the contest is a max deadlift; no suits allowed. Lifters will be allowed basic lifting straps. Competitors call their own weights across three rounds and weights go from lightest to heaviest.

Shaw: This was another event I wanted to see in my career. There is some strategy in what weights are called. Fans will see who can deadlift the most weight without a dialed-in suit or figure-8 straps. Most people view Hafthor Björnsson as the top dog, but we could see a few 1,000-pound deadlifts.

Image courtesy of Athelo Group/Shaw Strength

Overhead Medley — Log Lift and Axle Press

There will be three logs and two axles. The top weights for each implement are 405 pounds for the axle and 420 pounds for the log. This is a timed event.

Shaw: The dynamic of changing from a log to an axle will be a challenge. Conditioning will also be a factor because the cleans on the axle can take a lot out of the guys. The other interesting aspect is if guys can’t finish, do they go for speed and put up the fastest times for each implement? This is a tough one to call. It will be a heck of a battle. 

Power Medley

A bailer will be converted into a wheelbarrow. Athletes will push it across the line, then transition to a tractor arm-over-arm pull. The fastest time or farthest distance determines the winner. The weights of the implements were not shared.

Shaw: This is a unique event. It will be a heck of a test of grip strength and conditioning. It will be tough to finish. It is a head-to-head event; a spectacle to watch. I think the fans will love seeing it.

Manhood Stones

The final event of the first day is the Manhood Stones. The heaviest stone weighs 600 pounds, which would be a record for competition. One rep with a heavier stone beats multiple reps with a lighter stone. If the competitor misses a heavier stone, they can attempt a lighter stone. Heaviest stone, or fastest time if weight is tied, wins.

Shaw: This was an event that I asked to have during my career. It has some strategy, but you just have to be brutally strong. It will be fascinating to see how they attack it.

Fans talked about the battle between Tom Stoltman and Hafthor Björnsson on this one. Tom claimed he would be good for reps on the 600-pound stone. I hope that happens because the roof will come off the place.

Keg Toss

Competitors will be scored for their last successful toss for height.

Shaw: This will be a shootout. We have a brand new custom keg toss set up with a net that will bring the kegs down. I believe we have five guys who can break the world record and potentially push it a decent amount. The favorites are Hafthor Björnsson, Tom Stoltman, and Mitchell Hooper, but there are others like Wesley Derwinsky and Maxime Boudreault who could shine in this event.

Squat

The squat apparatus holds weighted barrels above the athletes. The event is for reps, and athletes must touch a bottom position for reps to count. The weight was not revealed.

Image courtesy of Athelo Group/Shaw Strength

Shaw: This will be a fun one because we are incorporating some sports science into it. The guys will be squatting on force plates, and we can record their max force produced in each leg.

That will be part of the live stream. This has never been done before. This was our biggest project build this year.

Circus Dumbbell Overhead Medley

A second pressing medley is the penultimate event of the second day. Weights go from lightest to heaviest, and the fastest time determines the winner.

The heaviest dumbbell will be 285 pounds. This is also a head-to-head event. Shaw emphasized that extra attention will be paid to how the lift is performed.

Shaw: I think four or five guys can finish this. I am interested in seeing what type of shape Oleksii Novikov is in. Historically, he has been very good in this event.

Some other competitors have looked great too. I think Björnsson posted a 286-pound dumbbell press. A winner is tough to predict, but it will be exciting. 

Fingal’s Fingers Into Power Stairs Medley

This was also the final event in the 2023 Strongest Man on Earth contest. Athletes face off in pairs based on their placing. Whoever lifts two Fingal Fingers and completes the two Power Stairs in the quickest time wins.

Shaw: This is such a neat way to finish the contest because the guys face each other and stand atop the stairs looking out to the crowd. It will be a heck of a battle, and who knows what the storyline will be at that point.

Even if someone has a lead of a few points, I don’t know if it will be safe. They will have to really push to do well and come out on top. Tom Stoltman did very well last year. Björnsson has historically been good at both but has never done them combined. That said, he can probably do well.

Other guys to watch are Maxime Boudreault and Aivars Smaukstelis. Evan Singleton could shake it up. It is a very exciting way to finish the contest. 

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Featured image courtesy of Athelo Group/Shaw Strength

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