Europe Filming Tour: Ireland, Norway, Belgium, and the UK
From late August into early September, I set out on a whirlwind filming tour across Europe for Ironbound. This trip spanned multiple countries, a handful of incredible athletes, and nearly 3TB of new footage. It was exhausting, inspiring, and one of the most rewarding stretches of the project so far.
Galway, Ireland – World’s Natural Strongest Man
The journey kicked off in Galway, Ireland, at the World’s Natural Strongest Man competition. I stayed with Bradie Crandall in an Airbnb where we stocked up on tasty vegan essentials from Aldi and unwound in the evenings with Eddie Hall YouTube videos. On competition day, Bradie unfortunately missed weigh-ins by just a couple pounds, even after hours in the sauna. He explained that he tends to hold more water after flights, and this time he couldn’t get it off.
Still, Bradie decided to compete as a guest. Even without the motivation of official rankings, he performed incredibly well, showing once again why he’s one of the strongest vegan athletes in the game. Tom Butts delivered one of the most inspiring performances of the weekend, rallying from second place after day one to secure his third consecutive victory in the u90kg class. This feat had never been achieved before and cemented Tom’s reputation as one of the sport’s top competitors. His final push on the last event sealed the win in dramatic fashion. Meanwhile, Joel McCafferty also impressed in the u80kg class, taking home 3rd place and showing the kind of consistency and grit that makes him such an exciting athlete to follow.
After the competition wrapped, Tom and I sat down to film an interview piece where he shared his reasons for going vegan and the passion that drives him. Hearing his perspective, especially in the context of his record-breaking win, gave me one of the most powerful moments of the trip.
Oslo, Norway – Hege Jenssen
From Galway, Bradie and I headed to Dublin, where we split ways. I flew to Oslo to meet with Hege Jenssen, one of Norway’s top vegan kettlebell athletes. We filmed an interview and a training session before heading to the NOAH offices, where Hege works. NOAH is essentially the PETA of Norway, leading the country’s animal rights movement. Touring the office and hearing about their activism added a whole new dimension to Hege’s story – she isn’t just competing at a high level but also pushing for systemic change outside the gym.
Brussels, Belgium – Sahyuri Lalime
Next stop was Brussels, where I filmed with Sahyuri Lalime, an elite IPF powerlifter who has built a reputation as one of Europe’s strongest vegan competitors. Her training session that day was impressive on its own, but knowing her best competition numbers really puts it into perspective: a 407 lb squat (185 kg), 215 lb bench (97.5 kg), and a 446 lb deadlift (202.5 kg), for a 1,069 lb (485 kg) total in the 63 kg class. These lifts firmly establish her as a world-class competitor in natural powerlifting.
What stood out just as much as her strength was her humility and sense of community. The gym had this tight-knit, grassroots feel, and Sahyuri fit right into it – strong, determined, but grounded. After filming, we stopped by a local vegan health food store to grab some Belgian vegan snacks, which is always an essential move when in a new counry!
Barnham & Hertfordshire, UK – Rachel, the Vijay Brothers, and Dr. Minil Patel
From Belgium, I flew into the UK and immediately hopped on a three-hour train to Barnham to film with Rachel Byrne (@theearthlingrachel) at her new gym, the Dedicated Gym. The gym was still in the works, but the energy there was incredible. Rachel pulled a smooth 429 lb (195 kg) deadlift during our session, followed by some bench and accessory work. Having access to their extra lights and cameras gave the footage a particularly cinematic quality I normally can’t achieve as easily while traveling light.
The next day, I headed to Hertfordshire to link up with Joe and David Vijay, two vegan brothers who both train seriously, with Joe competing in men’s physique. We filmed an interview and an upper body session together, and I even joined in for the workout. Later that night, we met up with Dr. Minil Patel and his partner Sheryl, both vegan lifters, and all stayed together at the Airbnb. Over the next couple of days, we attended the Vegan Campout event, where I filmed interviews with Dr. Patel and Dr. Matthew Nagra, grabbed plenty of B-roll, and even joined a big group workout with the community of fit vegans attending the festival.
Hertfordshire, UK – Mark Cummins
On Sunday, I filmed with Mark Cummins, a u90kg vegan strongman, at his private training gym. We filmed both an interview and a training session, where his nutrition coach also jumped in for a quick cameo. The atmosphere was welcoming, and it was great to see the camaraderie Mark has with his training partners. Mark’s also top of his sport in the UK and it was amazing to see just how explosive he is in person.
Vienna, Austria – A Day at Das Gym
The final stop was Vienna. The athlete I planned to film with had a conflict, so I turned it into a much-needed personal day. I trained at the world-famous Das Gym, visited the Natural History Museum, and explored some local vegan restaurants. It was the reset I needed after nearly two weeks of constant filming.
Wrapping Up
By September 2nd, I was on the long journey back to the US, closing out a 14-hour travel day with nearly 8TB of new footage. This Europe trip captured some of the most important stories in Ironbound so far: from record-breaking strongman victories to intimate interviews with athletes who are rewriting the narrative of plant-powered strength. Every stop reaffirmed why this project matters and how much bigger it can become.