This compelling biography of Doug Hepburn, the weightlifter who won gold for Canada in Stockholm in 1953 and at the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954, delivers fascinating, first-hand information about an unusual Vancouver athlete and the sporting world of the 1950s and 1960s. In this plain-spoken and moving biography of a strength legend, Tom Thurston captures the story of a Canadian who may have been the strongest man in history. The book traces Doug's rise to prominence, his temporary fall from grace as he battled alcoholism, and his re-emergence as an advocate for drug-free sport. The author also includes Doug's unique training schedule for increasing strength without the use of drugs.

Tom Thurston was born in Creston, British Columbia and grew up on his parents’ fruit farm a few miles from town. Moving to Vancouver for a time, he studied urban land economics. He has a 4th-degree black belt in Taekwon-do and was part of the team that won gold at the 1978 World Championships in Oklahoma City. For many years he was a close friend of Doug Hepburn and also his business manager.In addition to completing the biography of Doug Hepburn, Thurston has written a number of screenplays, several of which are presently being considered by major film companies. He makes his home in Cranbrook, British Columbia, where he lives “a contented bachelor’s life.”

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“A poet, storyteller, inventor, singer, philosopher, and the world’s strongest man, Doug Hepburn was a unique and genuine Canadian hero. Strongman sensitively chronicles the life of a man who was unheralded in his own country but revered around the world.”—Paul Bjarnason, Canadian Weightlifting Champion, 1966, 1970

“Doug Hepburn, world champion, deep thinker, writer, singer and giver. He was an inspiration to lifters world-wide and is missed greatly by all.”—Stan Gibson, Canadian Record Holder, 1954 BEG