Meet this Kelowna strongman & learn about his journey

If you had told William Murray in 2015 if he’d be competing in the Official Strongman Games, he wouldn’t believe you.

Mainly, because his first few competitions in his hometown of Cranbrook, B.C., didn’t go as he had hoped.

“For the first three years in a row I came in last place each time. But I was having so much fun with it and for my size doing very well,” Murray told Kelowna10. “I decided to give weight classes a go and the first year of doing that was 2018. And then I've been hooked ever since.”

As he approaches one of the biggest moments in his strongman career, Murray acknowledges his emotions have been a roller coaster ride.

“I've been super nervous some days, and then other days, I’m cool as a cucumber, feeling like I am ready to go,” he explained. “I've literally put just over a year now into this since I won Nationals back in September 2022, and every day since then it's been complete focus.”

Murray, who will compete in the 80kg category, will be in two events on Friday and two on Saturday, with a potential of a third day if he makes the finals.

He will take part in a variety of contests, such as the overhead press medley, Stix & Stone carry, kabuki deadlift ladder, and the goruck survival challenge. Each takes a considerable physical toll, necessitating a heightened awareness of the body's signals in a demanding sport of this nature when preparing for competition.

“Some of the events we do absolutely tear your body apart. I ripped off a callus two weeks ago and there's blood all over your hands and you have to hope that heals up fast enough,” he said. “You go through the proper steps of recovery and it's a lot more body focused than other sports. So that part requires a lot of focus on what your body is doing and learning to react to what it's telling you.”

Amidst the nerves and physical strain, Murray embarked on this journey as an opportunity to embrace something new and has since seen the sport as a positive experience with personal growth and meaningful connections.

“It was really inspiring to start to move some weight, rather than just being that small kid that was always struggling with everything,” he explained. “I have friends that have admitted they’re super impressed by what I do. And then doing this sport, I've made some of my best friends, as well. The most reliable, trustworthy people in my life today and I would always rely on them.”

Murray begins his quest for the title of world’s strongest man Fri., Dec. 1, at the Charleston Coliseum in West Virginia.