Lifting a car, flipping a 350kg tyre and pulling a truck is all in a day’s work for Workington strongman Ryan McClure.

The 30-year-old is aiming to prove his mettle when he competes in the North West Strongest Man competition at the Stobart Fest in Carlisle on August 22.

The father-of-two, who weighs 87kgs, will be taking part in the under-90kg category.

The contest will see McClure push his body to the limit with a series of gruelling tasks, which includes a 95kg log lift, picking up the back of a car, flipping a 350kg tyre and pulling a truck.

McClure, who works at New Balance in Flimby, has been training for about three years and started competing last year.

He took part in three competitions last year and came first in the Valhalla’s Strongest Man event in Bolton.

The former Salterbeck Storm rugby player, who trains at Crossfit gym in Salterbeck, hopes he can inspire other people to take up the sport.

He said: “I have always been into training. I played rugby league but my hamstrings kept going. I then got into weightlifiting.

“I am the only one I know of in Workington, Whitehaven and Maryport that does the sort of training I do.

“I want to create awareness and get more people involved.”

A back injury has prevented McClure, who is sponsored by his father Ian’s taxi firm IC Travel, from competing this year but he hopes the contest in Carlisle will give an indication of whether he can manage more competitions.

“I am going to see how I get on in this one,” he said. “Because of my back injury I had at the start of the year I want to see if I am competitive enough to do more events this year.”