Pachal aims to be the strongest, naturally

Over 250 competitors from 20 countries will descend on Paisley, Scotland, this week for the Natural Strongman Worlds. There the athletes will meet personal goals, test their endurance over a multiple-day event, and a winner from both the men’s and women’s division will be crowned the fittest of them all.

Selkirk’s own Tom Pachal will be competing in the under 80-kilogram weight class. Pachal has been surrounded by the fitness lifestyle his whole career, multitasking as a physiotherapist and owning the Iron Image Barbell Club in Selkirk.

“I’m very involved in the health, wellness, fitness, (and) rehabilitation community. I love being an overall active person and helping others,” Pachal said.

Starting off as a power lifter, Pachal was excited to transition over to the Strongman competitions, something that was less repetitive and more unpredictable.

“Because it’s such a diverse sport, there’s so many different events (and) movements — it’s been a fun change,” he said. “It’s pretty much anything under the sun, it can be very unique in what you have to do.”

It was quite a shock, however, for Pachal to take his training from a temperature controlled environment to the wildly temperamental outdoors.

“Very different from most of the events and competitions that I’ve been involved in. Suddenly now you’re out in a field and it’s about learning the pacing,” he said.

“My first competition was during May Long (weekend) and we all know how turbulent May can be. That day there was a little bit of freezing rain and then suddenly it was sunny. It’s up and down about what you can expect.”

Andrew Langelaar, who was recently interviewed by the Free Press, is a close friend and mentor for Pachal, being a coach at the very same gym.

“He’s been a good sounding board. We’ve collaborated a lot in helping devise what the best plan going forward is,” Pachal said, often taking advice from Langelaar.

Although they never go head-to-head due to being in different weight classes, Pachal values Langelaar’s help as he primarily is self-taught in this sport.

Beginning his switch to Strongman two years ago, Pachal has excelled in the provincial competitions. He was crowned the Manitoba Strongman champion in 2024 and 2025 and then went onto the Western Canada’s Natural Strongest Man this past January, punching his ticket to the upcoming competition.

The difference between the regular Strongman and the Natural Strongman competitions is the mandatory drug testing enforced prior to each competition. Traditionally, there is no drug testing involved in regular Strongman competitions. And while there is no insinuation that competitors use performance enhancing drugs, it’s just not monitored.

“It creates a different channel for people that are from the natural sense where they can compete and be guaranteed that it’s a fair level playing field,” Pachal explained.

“It’s a bit more enticing on that front and has that level of equality… you can be confident that everybody’s on the same page as you.”

There will be seven different events split between the two-day event. The first is squat for repetitions with the competitor squatting 485 pounds as many times as they can in 60 seconds. The second is the push carry drag event, where the athlete has to push a 275 pound sled, load it with a 265 pound sandbag, and then drag it back over the finish line.

The third event is log clean and press, where competitors press a heavily weighted log (220 or 265 pounds) for as many repetitions as they can do in a minute. The fourth event is called the farmer carry which is picking up two 265 pound weights in each hand and run 50 feet before turning around and doing it again. The fifth event is deadlift escalator, which sees competitors start by picking up 440 pound barbells with 40 pounds being added every repetitions for a total of six times.

The last two events are yolk to circus dumbbell and loading medley. The yolk is a big contraption the athlete puts on his back, weighing 700 pounds, and has to run a certain distance in which he switches to pressing a two comically large dumbbells that are 110 and 135 pounds. The loading medley is a mix of endeavours, the competitor needing to carry heavy, run far, and lift high.

“It’s a completely different strategy where you have to wake up the next morning, feeling like you got hit by a truck, and do it all over again,” Pachal commented. “It takes a little bit of extra madness and preparation.”

“For myself, every event is so unique that it’s always something interesting — it’s new things to get excited about,” he added.

“My primary goal is to show up and make sure it’s known that I belong there.”

grace.penner@winnipegfreepress.com