What sport produces fastest athlete to carry 20lb. bag of rice over shoulder through technical hilly trails? Say 10 miles.

The answer would be distance running, if the runner is strong enough. If the weight was considered heavy to an average man (that would have to be a bit heavier than a measly 20 pounds though, I'd go with the top Spartan racers in the world to be the best.

Probably CrossFit - is that a sport? They do stuff like this over short distances. Only problem would be that they’d call it ten miles then measure the course is some weird measurement that cuts about 2 miles off the actual distance then brag about how fast the winner is.

20lbs is not that much though.

I think 40lbs is where the "muscle" part would become to play a bigger role. But I agree with some others that we would probably need to get to 50lbs before a non runner athlete would start get a real advantage.

Perhaps a rangy middle weight wrestler, sorta like Matthew Modine in Vision Quest? Or even a male ballet dancer who's into running? However, I can definitely see some Special Forces/Navy Seal/Delta types.

Runners and soccer players both too scrawny. Distance runners would be complaining the whole time about how the bag throws their form off

Not Max King? I think he'd be up there as one of the best suited.

outsideonline.com

How Max King Got So Fast—and How You Can, Too

jbennett

The steeplechaser failed hard, then became a superathlete a week later—fueled by beer and burgers.

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Nordic skiers, biathlon skiers and navy seals who ruck with 50lbs or more daily.

distance runners would get destroyed. they go all-in on efficiency at the expense of all strength:

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Nordic skiers may win:

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OR SOCCER:

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This thread has too much empahsis on the 20# bag of rice and not enough on the hilly, rooty trails and elevation change.

As a triathlete/duathlete that competes at a high level, I would love to just declare my guys as the obvious winners. We would field some studs, because top triathletes are bigger than you would think, and the cycling results in some very strong, sturdy legs that would be suited to adding a fair amount of weight. Most importantly, when you do a lot of running after cycling you develop a stride that is efficient in a way that I would help here; low to the ground and quick turnover.

HOWEVER, we almost all spend our time running on flat to only moderately hilly roads and tracks. We don't do a lot (or any) running around tree roots and rocks, or up and down jarring elevation changes.

That would not suit us triathletes very well.

OOPS: soccer:

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We all know that Chris Solinsky wins this competition. So..distance running.

soccer players are not at all scrawny. even at the level I played at players are built like tanks compared to a person walking down the street.

this is the UK though, so maybe 'soccer' players you're thinking of in the US are cut from a different cloth from football players here

Lopez Lomong would also do well

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fxrispics%2F4864204439&psig=AOvVaw0b6CiRhuuY1rHQWYNgUG7V&ust=1704320113420000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCIj71qrdv4MDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAs

Definitely nordic skiers. Same aerobic fitness as distance runners, but a lot of focus on upper body, core strength and balance (which is the key to carrying a heavy load over rough terrain). Plus, nordic skiers do trail running all summer and fall to train.

Its runners and its not even close. When I was in the army, I went on special forces selection which in the endurance phase in my country is precisely what the OP is putting up as the challenge. The rucks were between 10 and 40 miles over mountain trails. The bergin had to weigh 55lbs not including water or food and your rifle too. The record on the most prominent ruck was held by an ex-international runner.

This is The Answer, I did Cross Country Wrestling and Track for Cal State Bakersfield in the 1980's I ran local 10k's in 32 and Half Marathons in 70 Minutes during Wrestling Season, Just Running 7- 9 Miles in the Morning then Wrestling in the Afternoon and a longer run of 12-15 on days we did not have Wrestling Practice. As part of Wamups for practice we had races with another wrestler on the back, which became very easy, even when the person on your back was 30-40 pounds heavier than you. Wrestling is great overall conditioning

Fat bekele wins easily.

trail/mounrain runners would absolutely destroy crossfit bros, hockey players, rugby players, and 800 meter runners, and pretty much anyone else, ifit's really 20 pounds over 10 miles of very technical terrain.

trail running is its own sport. have you watched the way pikes peak winners run downhill? or mt. marathon winners? killian jornet summited everest (carrying skiis and a pack) TWICE in a week. these people would absolutely destroy "normal" runners of any distance in this sort of event, and the best athletes from any other sport would lost by 20 to 30 minutes at a minimum.