140 lifters are participating in the 32nd annual Sertoma Sunrise Warrior Liftathon fundraiser in the Brainerd High School strength room.

Participants include 90 boys and 50 girls from Brainerd Public Schools in grades 8-12. There are nine fundraising teams with 14-16 lifters on each team. The teams are captained by Sertoma Sunrise Club members, who will seek pledges from the community on behalf of their team.

The Liftathon raises funds for charitable organizations and those in need in the Brainerd area, and also raises funds for improvements in the school district weight rooms.

Participants may also compete for T-shirts based upon MPPO guidelines. MPPO is a measure of a lifter’s overall strength in relation to body size. The lifter’s one-repetition maximum effort in each lift is added together, and then divided by the person’s body weight to determine MPPO. The lifts are the bench press, power clean, and parallel squat.

T-shirts are awarded for MPPO performance level. The boys’ standard is 4.00 or greater for lifters with a body weight under 250 pounds, and 3.50 for lifters with a body weight of 250 pounds or more.

The girls’ standard is 2.75 or greater for lifters with a body weight under 180 pounds, and 2.50 for lifters with a body weight of 180 pounds or more. T-shirts are also awarded to lifters who have participated in the Liftathon a minimum of three years.

The three-day event will be judged by current Brainerd coaches and teaching staff, area law enforcement officers, community members, and former Liftathon participants.

The event is free and open to the public and takes place at 3:30 PM each day through March 10.

By — Ryan Bowler