Corner Brook firefighters compete in toughest 2 minutes in sport

Three firefighters with the Corner Brook Fire Department have been busy training for the national FireFit championships this weekend in Calgary.

The grueling course tests their ability to finishtasks that include climbing six stories in full gear, hoisting a 20-kilogramhose, and dragging an 80-kilogrammannequin across the finish line.

The goal is to finish the course in under two minutes.

Deputy Fire Chief Craig Harnum, Wayne George and Alex Hillier have been training hard since May.

"It's a lot of hard work.The guys here in Corner Brook have seen it this summer. We're hitting an average 11.5 to 13 hours a week on the tower, on the bottom of the course or in the gym on a treadmill," Harnum said.

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This is Harnum's 14th time competing on a national level. He says the hardest part for him is climbing the six stories or 60 steps in full fire fighting gear carrying a 20-kilogramhose. He says he is quite winded at the top.

Cardio, strength, desire

For firefighter Wayne George, the hardest part is dragging the man-sized mannequin across the parking lot. This task is at the end of the race and George says he gets tired by the end. The amazing thing isthese men do the course in under two minutes.

The youngest competitor from Corner Brook is practicing, a lot. Alex Hillier is out on the training course, provided by the City of Corner Brook, every day. His only thought is time.

"I'm looking at 1:30. My personal best is 1:47 right now. So if I can get in the 1:30s I would have been happy with that," said Hillier.

The team of three say they wouldn't be able to train so extensively without support fromtheir fellow firefighters or from the people of Corner Brook. The competitors consider the firefighting competition the toughest two minutes in sport.

"Its cardio, strength, desire, ability. It's a whole lot of technique, and you get better and better and better," said Harnum. "It's a sport that's different than most sports. A lot of sports is 'I'm out to beat you and you are out to beat me' but this is a brotherhood sport."

Craig Harnum, Wayne George and Alex Hillier compete in the National Finals of the Scott FireFit Championships in Calgary onSeptember 17-18.You can follow Craig Harnum on twitter @CHarnum for their result times.