"After three events, the standings for the 2007 North America's Strongest Man competition in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada are as follows," reports Dr. Samuel Dube, host of The Canadian Strength Athletes Series.

1. Brian Shaw 32
2. Jessen Paulin 28
3. Christian Savoie 26.5
4. Matt Parkes 25
5. Dan Ford 24
6. Jean-Francois Caron 22
7. Corey St. Clair 20
8. Mark Phillippi 19
9. Grant Higa 14
10. Odd Haugen 11.5
11. John Dungey 9
12. Dominic Filiou 0

"Originally, the contest was to feature the top six Canadian and the top six American strongmen," explained Sam Dube, "but for various reasons, not the least of which was the upcoming World's Strongest Man contest, this was not to be. In addition, Hugo Girard, suffering from a swollen knee, had decided not to compete. And surprisingly, before any of the events could commence, Canadian Champion Dominic Filiou explained to the crowd of approximately four thousand that he would have to leave the competition immediately in order to accompany his pregnant and three-week-overdue wife to the hospital where it was likely labour would be induced. He promised to return to the contest as soon as possible. We wish them well.

"So the remaining eleven competitors began the battle with the Arm-Over-Arm Pull. The event, which entailed pulling an 18-ton city bus, was the heaviest arm-over-arm pull I've ever experienced," said Colorado's Strongest Man Brian Shaw. Only he and Christian Savoie were able to complete the course, with the latter winning by a two-second margin. Caron, Paulin, and St. Clair rounded out the top five for the event.

"The second event was a 270-lb. Log Lift for repetitions. Dan Ford showed awesome power by winning with 6 reps, followed by Brian Shaw and Matt Parkes with 5 reps each. Shaw, who by this point was charming the audience with a massive 6' 8", 360-lb. frame juxtaposed with a sincere, polite demeanor, had a sixth rep nearly locked out before time expired. Parkes' brute strength and refined knee-jerk technique was equally impressive.

"The third and final event of the day was the Atlas Stones. Five stones weighing 242, 265, 308, 331, and 386 pounds had to be successively placed on 56-inch ring platforms. Jessen Paulin was the only one able to place the fifth stone, with Shaw coming very close. In one of the most amazing stone lifts I've ever witnessed, 57-year-old Odd Haugen extended with the fourth stone, only to lose his balance and stumble well to the right of the platform. Rather than put the stone down, Odd side-stepped into proper position with the ponderous load still crushed to his chest, and in a monumental effort achieved successful lift accompanied by a deafening roar of the crowd."

Stay tuned for updates, as North America's Strongest Man continues today.