Beauty and a Beast: Airman's road to becoming world's strongest woman

by Staff Sgt. N.B.
432d Wing/432d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

12/16/2013 - LAS VEGAS, Nev.  -- It's not uncommon to see Alanna flipping a 600-pound tire, carrying a 200-pound keg or a 150-pound sandbag, or doing a 225-pound farmers carry; things her neighbors have grown to see as normal.

She can be seen at all hours of the day and night lifting weights or lugging atlas rocks around. Yet she doesn't just do this to work out, she does this to compete.

Her competition is a group of seemingly everyday women vying for a common goal: to be the best. They are the world's strongest women.

"I do this because it's important to me," said 1st Lt. Alanna, 42nd Attack Squadron intelligence training officer in charge. "I do this because I think I'm good at it."

The 24 year-old Maryland native attended the University of Delaware. During her junior year, a friend asked her to compete in a local strongwoman show. Adaptability proved crucial as the competition rolled on and she fought to stay in the game.

"My friend gave me two weeks' notice," Alanna commented. "I was literally learning the events as I performed them."

During the three years since she started competing, Alanna has earned many titles, including the title of World's Strongest Women in the 150-pound category at the 2013 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, in August.

Training sessions require immense concentration, Alanna said winning doesn't come without personal sacrifice.

"My life outside the Air Force revolves around my training schedule," she said. "I train four days a week for about an hour and a half to three hours at a time."

During her sessions, she also trains to walk with 550 pounds on her back, lift a 200-pound axle over her head, and load up a 225-pound atlas stone.

Despite all her preparations, Alanna recalled her most memorable competition as a resiliency lesson learned.

"I competed in the America's Strongest Woman competition in 2011 and failed myself," she admitted. "I placed second by half a point and it motivated me to never again be in that position."

This loss reaffirmed every detail and effort mattered, no matter how small. Alanna uses this to motivate her Airmen when pursuing their own goals.

"I realized the difference between first and second place was mental discipline," she said. "If you remain focused you can accomplish anything that you set out to do."

It was through honing her mental discipline that Alanna was able to win the World's Most Powerful Woman under 75 kilograms in Glasgow, Scotland, in early October.

"Winning in Scotland validated my previous win in the 2013 Arnold Sports Festival and proved without a doubt, that I am truly the best," she said.

Considering her success, Alanna said the Air Force has been understanding and supportive of her fitness goals.

Although she has come a long way through the years Alanna said she keeps striving to meet her goals and once she meets a goal she replaces it with a more difficult one.

"Each competition gives me a new goal to work towards and, like joining the Air Force, gives my family something to be proud of," she said.

For now, Alanna is training for her next competition, the 2014 Arnold Strongwoman Championship which will take place late February 2014 in Columbus, Ohio.

Alanna embodies the Air Force's core values and says they play a huge part when it comes to not cheating yourself.

"Have integrity to push yourself past what you accomplished yesterday, stay fit to serve, and if you're going to do something push yourself to be the best that you can be," she said.