Train hard, get used to the weight and keep inching forward no matter how much it burns.
These are among the little things that let Richard Chippett move a whole lot when he carried 956 pounds of flour the full 50 feet at the 1988 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous flour packing competition, a record unbeaten to this day.
Straining under the weight, and advancing about 100 tiny steps to make the 50 feet, Chippett had an impressive unbeaten streak in the late 1980s and early 90s before bowing out of the annual contest.
He described a strict and healthy diet coupled with a lot of hard work in the gym leading up to the 1988 record. Among his training regimen were barbell squats explosively repped out to the point of failure for multiple sets in a row.
He says he was the strongest he ever was in 1988 but came close to an even heavier record in 1992.
“That was 1,002 pounds. I was that far away,” he said indicating a matter of inches from the finish line.
“My legs were on fire. I was getting locked up because I was my body was so full of lactic acid from, you know, trying to breathe and not losing muscles’ full tension. I think had I really willed it, I think I would have made it, but I didn't want to blow something up,” he said.
“I remember the crowd was just screaming, and everybody was huddled around just waiting for me to cross that line. Yeah, that was an awesome time.”
Being an outdoor event held in February, weather matters when it comes to packing flour. Chippett said competitors are unable to pick up their feet much under the heavy weight so being able to slide boots along packed snow goes a long way to success.
“I don't remember what year it was. It was really warm, like it was plus four or plus five, and Main Street, right on the yellow line, was just wet. There was no ice. And that was hard when you pulled your foot up with 840 pounds on your back and tried to move it, it was tough. It took a lot more energy,” he said.
He added that one year when the mercury dipped to -36 C it was very hard.
One of his secrets to success, which he says he hasn’t shared in the past, was carrying the load low, with as much weight carried by the pack board’s hip band as possible.
“Controlling the weight was much easier, and that was the secret behind the whole thing,” he said.
Also on the technique front, he described his process for backing up into the weight as the pack board was lowered onto him in an effort to find a balanced pivot point.
At the height of his strength, Chippett was able to show off at his job at a furniture store unloading washing machines from the truck by hand and carrying king-sized mattresses around the warehouse solo.
“I’ll be proud of them and I can finally say somebody beat me,” he said, anticipating a reaction should his record ever fall.
He offered thanks to his wife Larissa who suggested that he speak with the News and reflect on his record-breaking achievement.
This year’s Rendezvous flour packing event is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23 at Shipyards Park. Events at the park running from Feb. 21-23 will include live performances, the snow-carving exhibit and other feats of strength including the chainsaw chuck, axe throwing and log toss. The weekend culminates in the Rendezvous Parade kicking off on Main Street at 4 p.m. on Feb. 23.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
