Mark Felix
| Mark Felix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Mark Felix 17 April 1966 Grenada |
| Residence | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Strongman |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 318 lb (144 kg) |
Mark Felix (born 17 April 1966[1]) is a Grenadian-English strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition. Felix has won numerous international grip contests, including the Rolling Thunder World Championships in 2008 & 2009, as well as the Vice Grip Viking Challenge in 2011 and 2012.
Early life
Mark Felix was born in 1966 in Grenada. At the age of 23 he moved to Great Harwood, Lancashire, England.[2] He was a dedicated body builder and turned his attention to strongman competitions in 2003 at the age of 37, comparatively late in relation to other strength athletes.[2]
Strongman career
Mark Felix turned pro as a strongman within a year when the IFSA Strongman Federation was launched in 2004.[3]
Felix came third in England's Strongest Man in 2004, and in 2005 he went on to come second to Eddy Elwood in the IFSA version of England's Strongest Man (England's Strongest Man (IFSA)). This led him to the IFSA British Championships which he won in 2005. Of the five events, Felix won three (Deadlift, Farmer's Walk and Atlas Stones).[3] Aftwerwards Felix credited his victory to "Big hands, big heart"[3]
In 2005, Felix was invited to compete in the IFSA World Open in Sao Paulo, Brazil which was a qualifier for the 2005 IFSA Strongman World Championships later in the year, but he failed to finish in the top 4 and did not qualify for the IFSA World Championships.
Felix also competed in the IFSA World Team Championships in 2005 as a part of Team World as a representative of Grenada, the team placed third overall.
In 2006 Mark placed second in the Britain's Strongest Man competition and this led to a place in the 2006 World's Strongest Man in which he placed fourth in the finals.[2] In 2007 he repeated his second-place finish in Britain's Strongest Man and finished seventh in the 2007 World's Strongest Man. In the same year he also finished third in the Strongman Super Series 2007 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix.
In 2008 he came fourth in Europe's Strongest Man[2] and went on to finish third in Britain's Strongest Man, qualifying him for a third successive WSM appearance.[2] Felix has said "Every year I gain more experience and learn more about what I am capable of."[2]
Rolling Thunder/Grip
Felix won the inaugural 2008 Rolling Thunder World Championships which took place during the 2008 Fortissimus contest in Canada. He also set a new world record with a lift of 301 lb.
In June 2009, Felix successfully defended his Rolling Thunder World Championships title.[4]
Felix won the inaugural 2011 Vice Grip Viking Challenge[5] which took place on 29–30 January 2011 at the LA Fitexpo.
Felix retained his Vice Grip title by winning the 2012 Vice Grip Viking Challenge, he also set a world record in the Captains of Crush "COC" Silver Bullet event (holding a suspended weight from within the handles of a Captains of Crush no. 3 gripper) with a time of 43.25 seconds.[6]
Felix recently set a new Rolling Thunder world record at the 2012 Bodypower Expo in Birmingham, England with a lift of 323.5 pounds (146.7 kg), more than 20 lbs. heavier than his previous world record of 301 pounds (137 kg).[7]
Personal life
Felix continues to work as a self-employed plasterer out of season. He lives in Rishton with his wife Denny and three children.
Personal records
done in the gym
- Squat – 350 kg (770 lb)[1]
- Bench press – 240 kg (530 lb)[1]
- Deadlift without wrist straps – 405 kg (893 lb)[1][8]
Strongman
done in official Strongman competition
- Hummer Tire Strongman Deadlift (with straps) – 1,128 lb (512 kg) with straps (Arnold Strongman Classic 2013)[9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Mark Felix at The World's Strongest Man
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lancashire Telegraph September 10 2008
- 1 2 3 20 June 2005 IFSA Strongman Press Release
- ↑ Mark Felix Wins the 2009 IronMind Rolling Thunder World Championships
- ↑ http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2011/Jan/Grip_Contest_at_FitExpo_Crushes_The_Competition.html
- ↑ http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2012/Jan/Mark_Felix_Wins_the_Visegrip_Viking_Challenge.html
- ↑ http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2012/May/Mark_Felix_Demolishes_Rolling_Thunder_World_Record.html
- ↑ Video: Mark Felix 405k Deadlift
- ↑ Video: World Record Deadlift 1128 pounds- World's Strongest man