"It's a three-horse race right now," Mark Philippi told IronMind®, speaking from Quebec last night, as the second day of the North America's Strongest Man contest saw a lead group push to the front.

Once again, IronMind® is fortunate to have Dr. Samuel Dube, Host of the Canadian Strength Athletes Series, calling the action:

"The first event of Day 2 of North America's Strongest Man consisted of the Super Farmer's Walk: four pairs of implements weighing 265, 300, 320, and 340 pounds had to be successfully transported a distance of 50 feet each in seventy-five seconds or less," reported Dr. Dube. "Christian Savoie, Brian Shaw, and Jessen Paulin were the only ones able to complete the course, and they finished in that order. Jessen was well on his way to a winning time when he fell with the implements less than six inches from completion. He recovered, but ended up in third. Odd Haugen elicited a huge ovation from the crowd of over 8,000 when, early in the event, he registered the best distance with the fourth pair to that point. The legendary strongman's hand strength was certainly not in question!

"The Train Wheel Load was next: The athletes had to place five solid metal train wheels weighing 280, 320, 360, 380, and 400 pounds onto a three-foot platform in seventy-five seconds or less, beginning at 25 feet from the platform and decreasing by 5-foot intervals with each successive weight. The last wheel proved to be the bane of most of the athletes, largely due to fatigue and the more compact shape of this wheel. Placing all five wheels were Paulin, Savoie, Philippi, and Caron. The latter two used the unorthodox yet effective technique of pushing the wheel over and hoisting the flattened load onto the knees to secure it. St. Clair actually had the fifth wheel wedged between himself and the platform for almost fifteen seconds before the time expired.

"The third event of the day and the sixth of the competition was a traditional event, the Tire Flip. Going two at a time, the competitors each had to flip a 950-pound tire a distance of 80 feet in seventy-five seconds or less. The pair of Paulin and Savoie blasted through the course, placing first and third respectively, with St. Clair and Brian Shaw garnering second and fourth during separate heats. The truly grueling event saw veteran WSM competitor and former U.S. champion Mark Philippi struggling halfway during his final flip, where he supported the tire with awesome delt and tricep strength for a good seven or eight seconds before summoning the surge of power required to blast the tire across the finish line.

"So far, this contest has been replete with efforts like Philippi's. The weather has been ideal, the crowd could not be better, and the spirit of strength and camaderie is in full force amongst the athletes."

Here are the cumulative places and points after the second day of North America`s Strongest Man 2007:

1. Jessen Paulin 62
2. Christian Savoie 59.5
3. Brian Shaw 59
4. Dan Ford 45
5. Corey St. Clair 44
6. Mark Philippi 44
7. Jean-Francois Caron 44
8. Matt Parkes 41
9. Grant Higa 24
10. Odd Haugen 22.5
11. John Dungey 9

Stay tuned for more inside commentary from Sam Dube as the 2007 North America's Strongest Man wraps up today.