Men Versus Machine: World's Strongest Athletes Battle Mack's Titan

You don't often see a Mack Titan on the end of a hook, but at The Met-Rx World's Strongest Man competition, the hook is a place of honor.

In the final round of the 2011 competition, the truck pull showdown, athletes had to pull the Titan tractor, which weighed in at 10 metric tons (22,000 lbs), over a distance of 25 meters (27.3 yards). Hapfor Julius Bjornsson was the winner, pulling the Titan the full distance in the shortest amount of time.

Created in 1977, the World's Strongest Man has become the premier event in strength athletics. Every year, bodybuilders and power lifters compete in a range of extreme events that test the limits of human strength and endurance. For the truck-pull event, athletes wear a harness and pull a truck, with the help of a rope. The winner is the athlete who completes the course in the fastest time.

"Just like the competitors in this event, the Titan is all about tough and extreme," said John Walsh, Mack director of public relations.

Event organizers contacted Mack Truck Sales of Charlotte, Inc. and specifically requested a Titan for the two truck-pull events, which were held at Wingate University in Charlotte, NC.