Bilbao Strongman contest
Sun 1st Aug 2010
Bilbao Strongman contest
Herculean Basques shed blood, sweat and tears at the annual Bilbao Strongman Contest at the Arenal. For some, the event is the highlight of the city's Aste Nagusia festival, The 'games' are not your typical 100m relays and javelin-throwing events. First up is the Aizkolaris, where axe-wielding men race to chop a 45-inch-thick log in two from between their legs. Next are the Trontzalaris, two-man teams who have to shave 22 slices off a 70-inch log with a huge two-metre-long saw. The final two days see stone replace wood and sheer strength replace precision. There are speed-lifting events and Ox-drawn stones, but the most eye-catching event is on the final day when teams of four men have to burrow a series of holes in a block of granite using nothing but willpower and a steel javelin. (1st - 15th)