Jesse Marunde, World Class Strongman
6"5 and 320 lbs of Pure Strength
Jesse Marunde was a world class professional strongman, and Jesse was my son. He came in second at the world's strongest man contest in Chengdu, China a few years ago. He was famous around the country, but he was especially well known in Europe where the strongman sport has been popular much longer than in the U.S.
Jesse died in the gym here in Sequim, Washington on August 25, 2007 of a heart attack. It was a terrible shock, an unexpected horror for all of us. For the first time, I tell Jesse's story here from a father's perspective.
In memory of my son, whom I loved so much, I share some of my memories of his 27 years and some of thousands of photos I took of him during his life time. I decided to post this for his many fans around the world, who have been wondering, "What was Jesse really like as a young boy? How did he become such an incredible strongman? What made Jesse tick?"
Let me say up front, I was Jesse's biggest cheerleader from the day he was born. No one took more photos, attended more of his his athletic activities during his life, and no one gave him more behind-the-scenes encouragement, love, and support than I did.
I miss the late night telephone conversations and emails. No father could be more proud of his son than I am of Jesse. I share these memories to honor his memory and as a special thank you to his many fans around the world.
His First Decision To Become A Strongman
One day Jesse and I were working out in our home gym (our garage) when he was about 17. It was then he told me he wanted to become the strongest man in the world. I remember looking him straight in the eyes and telling him I knew he could do it, no doubt in my mind. He almost did, and I still believe he would have had he lived.
I've been taking photographs of Jesse since he was born, and all of these photos were taken by me. Please don't use them without my email permission. There is one exception. The full pose of Jesse when he was really cut was taken in China and edited by me.
This is one of my favorite photos (below). This was at the St. Louis Nationals, and it was a great time, as you can see. Jesse, who was the consummate showman, was always on top of the world when he was competing.
Jesse and I used to talk for hours about how he wanted to present himself to the public and how to conduct himself as a strongman. Jesse totally understood that being a strongman and world class athlete was an awesome responsibility, and he took that responsibility very seriously.
Jesse was an Intensely Serious Athlete.
No one worked out harder and with more abandon and total commitment than Jesse did. It was not uncommon for Jesse to vomit after a 20 rep squat routine. Sometimes his training partners would have to catch him, because he would pass out after a heavy set of lifting stones or practicing Olympic style clean and jerks.
In the photo to the right, Jesse was watching competitors at a conte
st in Woodinville, Washington. Jesse sure loved competing, but he also loved supporting other athletes and encouraging them to become the best they could possibly become.
Jesse loved helping people. At a candle light vigil in Sequim, an elderly man about 80 years old came up to me with tears in his eyes. He put his hand on my shoulder as if to lean on me for support, and he looked into my eyes and told me a story. He said his grandson had been in trouble and into drugs. One day his grandson stumbled into Jesse and probably out of curiosity asked Jesse how he became so big and powerful. (Jesse had an impressive stature and charisma. Anytime he walked into a room or restaurant, everyone around would pause and just stare.) Jesse took the young man to his gym and started to coach him, not just about working out and being healthy, but about life and purpose. As this elderly man told me this story, his voice trembled and he paused to regain his composure as he told me, "Your son saved my grandson's life."
There are many stories of Jesse helping kids, stopping to assist an older person, or anyone he came into contact with. There are many stories of how he encouraged athletes, including professional football plays, and strongmen around the world. I know, because I saw his email outbox and we talked much about encouraging others. He sent thousands and thousands of late night emails encouraging strongmen and young hopeful athletes who lived all over the globe.
This photo to the left of Jesse carrying the Harley motorcycle was at St. Louis, the first really big national contest that Jesse competed in. Jesse was really in his element here.
It was at this contest where Jesse began to effectively network with the big names in the strongmen world in the U.S. and Europe. While I couldn't train Jesse in the gym, I was Jesse's life coach on how to think clearly, how to become successful, what it takes to be a man of integrity. We would practice scripts for what he could say on the microphone at contests, and what he should not say. The goal was always to build up others, and Jesse understood that strongman is not only a great sport, it is entertainment for the spectators and fans.
Jesse was incredibly successful and popular in part because he brought three important elements together: strength, technical knowledge, and entertainment. Jesse was an
extraordinary athlete. He was genetically blessed obviously, but he applied the self-discipline of a great athlete to become who he was. And he was the master technician. He was the first strongman in the world to apply Olympic lifting techniques to the strongman events, and these techniques are now the standard in the U.S. and Europe. Add to all of this his positive attitude, his cheerful disposition, his desire to entertain the fans, and you had what most people considered the greatest strongman in the world. No wonder he was loved by so many the world over.
He was very popular with his fans. Coming back from a contest in Europe, he told me on the phone that 2,000 fans waited for him to sign autographs, and guess what? Jesse signed autographs for two solid hours.
The two inch bar makes this lift much harder than people realize.
2003 in St. Louis.
Good times.
More to come here, much more. I'm still writing and posting photos . . . Come back periodically, because I'll keep adding to this page.