How Red River Strongman Became Ours

Every town in New Mexico will tell you it's "like nowhere else." The irony, of course, is that all of them say it.

And they're all a little bit right.

Here at the Red River Chamber, we lean all the way into that. So, when a local business owner walked into the Chamber a few years back with an idea, we listened, even though it wasn't the kind of idea we get every day.

That business owner was Rob Swan, of Swan Realty. He loves the sport of strongman- even training on his own, in a gym in his own home. And he wanted to know: what if Red River hosted a strongman competition? And what if, right in the middle of our Oktoberfest, we invited athletes to pull trucks, press logs, and carry stones in front of a mountain crowd?

With a yes from the planning committee, Rob went about tracking down someone to make it real - and he found him: Seth Posey, who runs Golgotha Training and Events down in Rio Rancho. When the planning committee gave the green light, the two of them got to work, and in 2023 Red River hosted its very first strongman competition.

We went in with a few honest questions: Would people want to watch? Would the athletes be okay with being the center of attention? The answer to both was a resounding yes. The crowd packed in deep around the stage and stayed. The athletes rose to the moment. And something that started as an experiment has become a part of our beloved New Mexican Oktoberfest.

Three male competitors stand on the winners' podium, the champion raising a beer overhead, at Red River Strongman 2023. — The top finishers celebrate on the podium, the winner raising a toast to a hard-earned day. A fitting finish at the heart of Oktoberfest.

A competitor's arms lock out a frame overhead, showing the back of a blue "Red River's Strongest Man Oktoberfest '23" event shirt. — The 2023 event shirt says it all: Red River's Strongest Man. A competitor locks out overhead, arms flexed, wearing the shirt that marked the competition's early years.

A competitor in red suspenders sets his grip on the rope for the truck pull as spectators and a photographer look on at Red River Strongman 2023. — A competitor braces for the truck pull, one of strongman's great crowd favorites, while onlookers gather close to watch the effort up close. Moments like this are why Red River Strongman has become an Oktoberfest signature.

A competitor in a blue shirt drives a log press overhead with fall foliage and the festival crowd behind him at Red River Strongman 2023. — A competitor locks out the log press against a backdrop of golden aspens and a packed Oktoberfest crowd. Center stage at 8,750 feet is one of the best views in the sport.

A group of Red River Strongman 2023 competitors and organizers pose together, several flexing, with mountains and fall color behind them. — The 2023 competitors and organizers gather for a group photo, trophies in hand and mountains behind them. This is the community that makes Red River Strongman what it is.

(Above: images from our 2023 Red River Strongman, originally called "Red River's Strongest Man")

Then it got serious.

What began as a friendly experiment has transformed into a competition for which athletes travel great distances. In three years we have grown from 5 competitors to 18, and the field keeps getting stronger. Lifters have set state records on our stage, one athlete unofficially broke a national record here, and nationally ranked competitors now count Red River among the meets they plan for each year. And as a sanctioned event, our top three finishers in each class earn invitations to United States Strongman Nationals, so a strong day in Red River is a real step up the national ladder.

A competitor in a blue 2nd Annual Red River Strongman shirt and lifting belt stands before the crowd, framed by golden aspens.

A competitor carries a loaded frame across the grass toward a large seated crowd, mountains and aspens behind, at Red River Strongman 2024.

A small chihuahua on a leash looks at the camera while spectators watch the Red River Strongman competition behind it.

A blond toddler in cowboy boots grips a metal keg and tries to move it as festival-goers relax behind him.

A competitor loads a keg at a frame while two spotters assist, a sponsor-covered shirt visible, at Red River Strongman 2024.

(Above: images from our 2024 Red River Strongman which witnessed the addition of women competitors to the cohort.)

And now we have a crest to match.

A competition this good deserves a look of its own, so this year we unveiled our official Red River Strongman logo. It says everything in one image: a woman in a dirndl shouldering a keg, a bearded lifter in lederhosen hoisting an Atlas stone, and our little mountain town nestled between them under the peaks. Bavarian tradition on one side, raw strongman grit on the other, and Red River right in the middle. That is the whole spirit of this event in a single crest, and we could not be prouder to put it on the shirts, the stage, and the record books.

(Above: Red River Strongman's official crest!)

But here is what we love most: it is for everyone.

Strongman has a reputation, and it is true. It is one of the most welcoming, supportive communities in all of sport. The same athletes trying to out-lift each other will be the first to cheer you through your heaviest attempt. We run divisions for men and women, heavy and light, plus a masters class, so you compete against people right where you are. First-timers stand alongside ranked veterans, and both belong. If you have ever watched a truck pull and thought "I wonder if I could," this is where you find out.

And you find out in one of the best settings the sport has to offer: center stage at 8,750 feet, golden aspens all around, and a packed roaring Oktoberfest crowd on every side. Our athletes tell us it feels a little like being a rock star. We think that is exactly right.

A large group of Red River Strongman 2025 competitors and organizers pose together in matching event shirts, steins in hand, under the Oktoberfest banner. — The 2025 competitors and organizers gather under the Oktoberfest banner, our largest field to date. Three years in, this is the community that has made Red River Strongman a can't-miss stop.

A competitor in a Bavarian hat carries a loaded frame across the lot with a golden aspen mountainside rising behind him at Red River Strongman 2025. — A competitor hauls a loaded frame carry, Bavarian hat and all, with the fall mountainside towering behind. Only in Red River does strongman look like this.

woman competitor pulls a loaded bar between two large tires as spectators watch closely at Red River Strongman 2025. — A competitor drives through a deadlift as the crowd looks on from feet away. Two years after the women's division debuted, the field keeps getting deeper and stronger.

A bearded competitor throws his arms overhead and roars mid-lift over large off-road tires, straps dangling, at Red River Strongman 2025. — A competitor lets out a roar in the middle of his lift, the crowd pressed in around him. Moments like this are why 2025 was our biggest, loudest year yet.

A competitor in a Bavarian hat pulls a loaded bar between two large tires as the crowd watches, with the Red River Oktoberfest stage behind. — A competitor sets up under the Red River Oktoberfest banner, the crowd pressed in and the main stage just behind. This is strongman at the heart of the festival.

(Above: images from our 2025 Red River Strongman, our largest group of competitors yet!)

Compete in 2026!

Red River Strongman returns October 9 through 11, and we are building our biggest field yet. Whether this is your first competition or your fortieth, we want you on that stage.

Gyms and coaches: bring your crew. There is no better way to blood a new competitor or sharpen a seasoned one than a real meet in front of a real crowd, and we would love to fill Brandenburg Park with your lifters this fall.

Questions or media inquiries: Red River Chamber of Commerce (575) 754-2366 or email us directly!

New Mexico loves to say every town is different. Red River Strongman is our proof. It is different, and we like it that way. Become part of it!