On Thanksgiving Day, I received the very sad news that Jim Lorimer had passed away. He was 96 years old, and a dear friend. It was because of Jim that Terry Todd and I got involved with the running of The Arnold Strongman Classic back in 2002 and we kept running the contest in large part because we both so admired Jim. He was a man of great vision and great honor. He was also funny, and incredibly kind.

My heart goes out to his family, his friends––and to all of us who live under the umbrella of “The Iron Game” whether we are strongmen/strongwomen, weightlifters, bodybuilders, powerlifters, Cross-Fitters, and even those who just love training for fitness. We all benefitted in one way or another from the work that Jim did to promote the strength sports, and though he’s been retired for several years, his loss will resonate for some time in our shared worlds. Jim made our iron-loving community better, and anyone who’s walked through the Columbus Convention Center and got inspired to train harder, or to try to become some better version of themselves, owes a debt to Jim Lorimer.

I consider myself lucky to have called him friend and to have seen more aspects of his life than most. In closing, I wanted to share this lovely tribute film that demonstrates poignantly that with the passing of Jim Lorimer, we have lost one of the true giants in the history of the Iron Game.

There aren’t enough words, Jim, but thank you for all you did to enrich our lives and help make lifting and strength culturally acceptable. May you always be remembered for what you (and Arnold) created in the Arnold Sport Festival. Requiem in pace.