The 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man took place as a part of the 2025 Official Strongman Games on November 20-23 in Arlington, Texas. It gathered some of the most impressive strength athletes, who proved in more ways than one that age is just a number. In the end, arguably the greatest Strongman in history, Žydrūnas ‘Big Z’ Savickas, took the win.
Žydrūnas Savickas got off to an early lead at the 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man and maintained his lead throughout the entire competition. Another legendary Strongman, Mark Felix, did try to put some pressure on Big Z, but he simply could not stop one of the strongest men in history. Žydrūnas ended the competition with three event wins, along with top three finishes in all other events.
2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man Results
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 55 points
- Mark Felix — 51 points
- George Pearson — 37 points
- Stefan Bergqvist — 30 points
- Richard Birchmore — 30 points
- Mike Kromer — 28 points
- Shane Jensen — 28 points
- Jason Holmes — 24 points
- Ron Mazza — 22 points
- Vuyani Mseswa — 22 points
Event One — Log Press Challenge
The first hurdle that the athletes had to overcome at the 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man was the Log Press Challenge. It tasked the athletes with picking up and overhead pressing one out of three implements. They had a choice between 235-lb (106.6-kg), 260-lb (117.9-kg), or 290-lb (131.5-kg). However, the heavier logs took priority over the lighter ones, meaning that one rep with the heavier weight would always rank higher than any number of reps with the lighter one.
One of Žydrūnas Savickas’ greatest strengths in his prime was the Log Press. He had the most powerful shoulders in the world and even held the World Record at one point. So, he made easy work of the heaviest Log at the 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man and locked out five reps to take the win.
Mike Kromer also had an incredible showing on the log, securing three reps and finishing in second place. Third place went to Stefan Bergqvist, who recorded one rep with the heaviest log.
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- Žydrūnas Savickas — 5 reps (290-lb)
- Mike Kromer — 3 reps (290-lb)
- Stefan Bergqvist — 1 rep (290-lb)
- Richard Birchmore — 4 reps (260-lb)
- Mark Felix — 3 reps (260-lb)
- Shane Jensen — 3 reps (260-lb)
- Jason Holmes — 3 reps (260-lb)
- George Pearson — 2 reps (260-lb)
- Vuyani Mseswa — 1 rep (260-lb)
- Ron Mazza — 3 reps (235-lb)
Event Two — Timber Frame Carry
The second challenge of the weekend was the Frame Carry. Specifically, the athletes took on a massive 600-pound (272.2-kilogram) wooden implement. The task at hand was to pick up and carry the frame for a distance of 100 feet. Although it relied a lot on grip strength, it was also a test of speed, since athletes raced to be the first ones to cross the finish line.
Žydrūnas Savickas was once again the top performer, but this win was not as comfortable as his first one. He reached the finish line in a time of 16.49 seconds, which turned out to be just enough to take max points. However, Mark Felix put tremendous pressure on Big Z, finishing just 0.68 seconds after him. Moreover, George Pearson rounded up the top three, being an additional 0.36 seconds slower than Felix.
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 100-ft in 16.49 seconds
- Mark Felix — 100-ft in 17.17 seconds
- George Pearson — 100-ft in 17.53 seconds
- Ron Mazza — 100-ft in 23.57 seconds
- Richard Birchmore — 100-ft in 24.47 seconds
- Jason Holmes — 100-ft in 25.5 seconds
- Mike Kromer — 100-ft in 28.76 seconds
- Vuyani Mseswa — 100-ft in 29.00 seconds
- Stefan Bergqvist — 100-ft in 33.26 seconds
- Shane Jensen — 95-ft 9-in
Event Three — Deadlift Ladder
The Deadlift Ladder was the third event of the competition, and it consisted of four bars. The weight started at 585-lb (264.5-kg) and progressively increased to 635-lb (288-kg), 675-lb (306.2-kg) and finally 710-lb (322.1-kg). The time limit was set to 60 seconds, but the athletes aimed to set the quickest time possible. They were allowed to use straps, but that also had the potential to slow down their run.
After losing the first two events to Big Z, Mark Felix managed to win the Deadlift Ladder and make the title race even more interesting. He pulled all four bars in just 16.43 seconds, absolutely dominating the field and adding 10 points to his tally.
Žydrūnas Savickas finished in second place but was 7.5 seconds slower than Felix. He still managed to comfortably beat all remaining athletes, including the third-place finisher, George Pearson, who scored a time of 25.88 seconds.
- Mark Felix — 4 in 16.43 seconds
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 4 in 23.85 seconds
- George Pearson — 4 in 25.88 seconds
- Shane Jensen — 4 in 28.76 seconds
- Richard Birchmore — 4 in 31.15 seconds
- Stefan Bergqvist — 4 in 51.63 seconds
- Mike Kromer — 3 in 33.14 seconds
- Vuyani Mseswa — 3 in 46.61 seconds
- Ron Mazza — 2 in 14.12 seconds
- Jason Holmes — 2 in 23.92 seconds
Event Four — Sandbag Steeplechase
The 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man continued with the Sandbag Steeplechase. It featured two huge 250-pound (113.4-kilogram) and 275-pound (124.7-kilogram) sandbags, both of which had to be carried for a distance of 25 feet and lifted over a beam that was set to a height of 48 inches. The time cap was set to 60 seconds.
Half of the roster managed to complete the entire event. So, the time needed to reach the finish was used as a tiebreaker. When it came to this aspect, Richard Birchmore topped the leaderboards, finishing in a time of 35.55 seconds. However, Mark Felix was not far behind, since he was just 0.14 seconds slower. Žydrūnas Savickas found himself in the top three once again, achieving the feat with a time of 38.40 seconds.
- Richard Birchmore — 4 in 35.55 seconds
- Mark Felix — 4 in 35.69 seconds
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 4 in 38.40 seconds
- George Pearson — 4 in 41.36 seconds
- Stefan Bergqvist — 4 in 45.25 seconds
- Ron Mazza — 3 in 39.54 seconds
- Shane Jensen — 3 in 48.34 seconds
- Vuyani Mseswa — 3 in 57.74 seconds
- Jason Holmes — 2 in 23.24 seconds
- Mike Kromer — 2 in 23.83 seconds
Event Five — Mammoth Circus Dumbbell Ladder
The penultimate event of the 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man was the Circus Dumbbell Ladder. As the name indicates, the athletes had to overhead press four dumbbells, with the weight of them coming out to 130-lb (59-kg), 140-lb (63.5-kg), 160-lb (72.6-kg), and 180-lb (81.6-kg).
Žydrūnas Savickas recorded another win, utilizing his upper-body strength to complete all four implements quicker than anyone else. He was the only one who finished in less than half a minute, which ended up playing a crucial role in his path to overall victory.
Stefan Bergqvist was three seconds slower than Big Z and placed second. Mark Felix achieved another impressive third-place finish but still lost some points to his biggest rival, Žydrūnas Savickas.
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 4 in 29.10 seconds
- Stefan Bergqvist — 4 in 32.94 seconds
- Mark Felix — 4 in 36.68 seconds
- Mike Kromer — 3 in 22.73 seconds
- Shane Jensen — 2 in 13.56 seconds
- Vuyani Mseswa — 2 in 18.24 seconds
- Jason Holmes — 2 in 20.78 seconds
- Ron Mazza — 2 in 24.49 seconds
- George Pearson — 2 in 30.17 seconds
- Richard Birchmore — 1 in 6.22 seconds
Event Six — Stix and Stone ‘Natural’ Stone Series
The final event of the 2025 Masters (50+) World’s Strongest Man featured four implements. The ‘Natural’ Stone Series started at 250-lb (113.4-kg), but then ascended to 275-lb (124.7-kg), 300-lb (136.1-kg), and 325-lb (147.4-kg). All stones had to be lifted and tossed over a 48-inch-high beam.
Mark Felix won the final event, putting in maximum effort in hopes of overtaking Big Z for the top spot overall. His run was mind-blowing, as it saw him finish the event in 24.17 seconds, nearly 10 seconds quicker than anyone else. However, with Žydrūnas Savickas placing third in the event, the Lithuanian Strongman took the overall title, forcing Felix to settle for silver.
- Mark Felix — 4 in 24.17 seconds
- George Pearson — 3 in 32.73 seconds
- Žydrūnas Savickas — 3 in 36.94 seconds
- Jason Holmes — 3 in 42.92 seconds
- Vuyani Mseswa — 3 in 53.44 seconds
- Shane Jensen — 2 in 15.98 seconds
- Ron Mazza — 2 in 36.28 seconds
- Mike Kromer — 1 in 5.34 seconds
- Stefan Bergqvist — No Lift
- Richard Birchmore — Skipped
Related: Zydrunas Savickas ‘Strongman’ Incredible Body Transformation
Žydrūnas Savickas is the G.O.A.T. of Strongman in the eyes of many fans. He got that status for a reason, having taken part in over 170 competitions throughout his career, all while maintaining a winning rate exceeding 50%. Big Z was also a 4x World’s Strongest Man, 8x Arnold Strongman Classic Champion, and the winner of many other prestigious competitions.
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