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My Friend, The World's Strongest Woman

by Claude Whitacre
10 replies
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Karen Markling runs a local gym, with her husband Tom. They are friends of mine, and I've known them for close to 35 years.

Karen just recently won the World's Dead Lifting record for women in her age and weight group.

She has set the record, every year she has competed (not competing every year) for perhaps the last 20 years.

Her son Stacy, who is the single strongest man I've ever met, and worked for me for a couple of years, died from a heart attack, while lifting a full sized tractor off his brother, when the tractor accidentally fell on his brother. Stacy's efforts (along with one more person) saved his brother. The story has become something of a local legend.

Stacy walked into my store, years ago. I was very excited to tell him that I had been practicing my finger tip pushups...and I could do one fingertip pushup in good form.
(go ahead. Try doing a pushup on your fingertips)

Anyway, he said "That's great. I think I could do one too". And "Claude the Evil" said "Show me"

Stacy said "Which hand?". I knew he was right handed, so I said "Left". And he proceeded to do ten perfect fingertip pushups on his left hand only". Wow.
Stacy also has won several powelifting world records. A Wonderful gentle man.

Karen is about 66 or 67 now. And she deadlifted 352.7 pounds. The World's Strongest Grandmother.

I learned of all this today, when Tom stopped by the store, and casually mentioned that they had been to a weightlifting meet. A wonderful couple. Perhaps the kindest people I've ever met.

Anyway, I wish you could all know them.

Oh, Tom's not a pushover either. Maybe 20 years ago, he either won Mr. Ohio...or placed second (It's been too long ago, for me to be sure). Today I told Tom (after I dragged the news out of him) "Being friends with Karen...is like being friends with Captain America". He laughed, and said he would let her know about my excitement.

Here's a link to the local newspaper article on it.

Wooster woman sets world record in weightlifting - The Daily Record | Wayne & Holmes County, Ohio
  • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
    Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

    Karen is about 66 or 67 now. And she deadlifted 352.7 pounds.
    Hey, who can't dead-lift 35.27 pounds?

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    • Profile picture of the author AprilCT
      So, Claude, I take it you are very respectful around her?
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    Wow - that is inspirational. I love hearing stories like this. It gives me hope that a physical lifestyle can be had at almost any age if you work for it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      Wow - that is inspirational. I love hearing stories like this. It gives me hope that a physical lifestyle can be had at almost any age if you work for it.
      To be fair, she's incredibly genetically gifted. Her whole family is built like a tribe of advanced bodybuilders. And even in her non-competing years, she would train with 90% of the current world records (for her gender and weight class)

      Nobody is going to be doing backflips at 100 years old. But weight training can add decades to your active life. .


      Originally Posted by AprilCT View Post

      So, Claude, I take it you are very respectful around her?
      Ha! About 30 years ago, at her gym, she asked me "Claude, there are plenty of beautiful girls here, that get hit on all the time. No guys ever hit on me. Am I attractive? What's wrong with me?"


      And I told her the truth (although we were both laughing as I said it)

      I said "Yes, you're beautiful. And every man here looks at you. The reason nobody flirts with you, is because Tom can kick their ass...and you can kick their ass". (Tom was her boyfriend at the time. Now her husband)


      When her son, Stacy died (and another son almost killed in the same accident) she was inconsolable. I've never seen anyone hit so hard by a death. At his funeral...out of a town of 17,000...over 3,000 people showed up. I told her later (Visiting the gym)"Nobody is as loved here as you are". I wasn't there. I didn't find out about this until one of his brothers stopped in and told me...maybe a couple of weeks later.

      Most people don't recognize her. I think they expect her to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But she's a minor celebrity here. She and Tom are the kindest and most gentle people I know.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jacqueline Smith
    Great story! Your friend is truly an inspiration.

    My arms get tired from carrying groceries!
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by Jacqueline Smith View Post

      My arms get tired from carrying groceries!
      Mine get tired just from opening the door when they're delivered ...
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      • Profile picture of the author TimPhelan
        Great story Claude! It reminds me of one about a freind of mine Alan and his wife. I did a vending business years ago and bought a route from Alan who was the biggest privately owned vender in the South Bay area back then. He made a ton of money and was the hardest working guy I had ever met. Working 18 hour days was common for him and occassionally he would go a day and a half.

        He is about a year older than me and about 10 years ago was starting to get out of shape with a bit of a belly. All that work isn't really exercise to keep you in shape. I think I may have inspired him somewhat to start lifting again when he saw me after a couple months of getting back into shape. He started by losing 30 or 40 pounds doing cardio and getting down to about 210. He's 6'3" I believe. Then he started lifting and went up to 280 pounds with little body fat.

        He started doing competitions and did them with his petite wife who weighs about 108.

        Here's the inspirational part of the story. He was diagnosed with polycythemia, a fatal blood disease and yet continued to lift. In fact it was after the diagnosis that he became a world record holder in the bench press for his age. His wife also is a record holder. He was supposed to have died years ago but is still alive and competing. Truely an inspirational story. I wonder if the lifting has helped him survive this long?

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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by TimPhelan View Post

          Here's the inspirational part of the story. He was diagnosed with polycythemia, a fatal blood disease and yet continued to lift. In fact it was after the diagnosis that he became a world record holder in the bench press for his age. His wife also is a record holder. He was supposed to have died years ago but is still alive and competing. Truely an inspirational story. I wonder if the lifting has helped him survive this long?
          Tim; I don't believe in miracles. I believe in sloppy diagnosis of diseases and ailments.

          Maybe the lifting, and the accompanying willpower....have built him up, so it will just take much longer for him to succumb.

          For the last several months, I've been working out very hard, every day. (Very hard for a 59 year old man, anyway) I am getting stronger. And I'm in a fight against the decline of age. I'm going to lose. Eventually, my body will weaken faster than I can build it up.

          But I'm going kicking and screaming. And apparently, so is your friend.

          Your friend really is an inspiration.
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          • Profile picture of the author TimPhelan
            Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

            For the last several months, I've been working out very hard, every day. (Very hard for a 59 year old man, anyway) I am getting stronger. And I'm in a fight against the decline of age. I'm going to lose. Eventually, my body will weaken faster than I can build it up.

            But I'm going kicking and screaming. And apparently, so is your friend.

            Your friend really is an inspiration.
            Claude, my girlfriend told me just after we met about a year and a half ago that she has Lupus. I wasn't really aware of just exactly what that disease is but now am.

            It is an autoimmune disease that attacks all parts of your body. For her it is attacking her joints much as rheumatoid arthritis does, her skin with lesions, her kidneys ( the most serious part for her now. She just got out of the hospital last week again for the 5th or 6th time since I met her ), her digestive system, her emotions and a few other things. She's another amazing person though. She works in a start up company that makes the sensors used to coordinate traffic for cities and is the head of the sales force for it. She also has two teenage kids who she spends literally hundreds of hours a month transporting to various activities. ( one daughter is a basketball player who is getting interest in schools such as Carnegie Melon, Harvard, San Diego State, Gonzago etc.. She's also a student body president who wants to be a lawyer. The other daughter is a straight a student who is also one of the top gymnasts in the western US, who wants to be a architect. )

            Anyways, I told my gf that I also have a disease that attacks all parts of my body: getting old. It's true and just like you, I work hard to fight it. I'm right behind you in age by the way at 56. I feel you have to work hard to fight off the effects of getting old. Lifting is the best way imo. Nothing makes me feel better and from what I hear it naturally raises testosterone levels. Whenever I think about how hard things are though, I think of what my lady goes through every day while never complaining a bit about it.
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            • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
              Originally Posted by TimPhelan View Post

              Lifting is the best way imo. Nothing makes me feel better and from what I hear it naturally raises testosterone levels. Whenever I think about how hard things are though, I think of what my lady goes through every day while never complaining a bit about it.
              Yeah, heavy lifting with the major muscle groups releases testosterone. It also strengthens tendons, bones, and makes new neural pathways to the muscle fibers.

              Just about everything to slow the aging process. Good stuff.
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