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

Boxing is probably a good choice… 20lb is not super heavy though so some good runners could prob handle that, definitely a legit 800m dude running 10 miles would probably beat any other not running athlete… rugby players would be high in the list.

Being a ghurka.

Mid-d. Do you really think a boxer is going to beat someone like Isaiah Harris in a 10 mile race just because he’s carrying some extra weight? Hell, I’d take Isaiah Harris carrying 20 lbs over a boxer carrying no extra weight over 10 miles.

Agreed that mid-D wins, but more specifically, miler types over 800m guys. Milers would be much favored over the 10-mile distance compared to 800m specialists and 20lb is really not enough weight to weed them out of contention. I think, to make it more interesting, you increase it to a 50lb bag of rice. Now we start to question whether a boxer or hockey player would have the superior skill set.

...and frankly, I think a runner still takes it with a 50lb bag. You might have to go up to a 100lb bag before the non-running set starts to compete.

Some Army Rangers or Airborne soldiers would be good at that event. Many great athletes at Fort Benning.

Specifically, peak Alan Webb wins this competition

Isn't that what Spartan racing and obstacle racing is or was? I haven't paid attention to know it still is popular.

The one guy I know of from my town who did Spartan races was an excellent mountain runner who won Mount Marathon. I first heard of him as someone who won a lot of local bike hillclimb races (when the physical newspaper would cover that kind of thing). I think he was pretty famous as a Spartan racer with a nickname and all.

Y’all don’t understand how long 10 miles is to non-runners

I'll take Nick Symmonds over anyone.

Ultra athletes who specialize at long FKTs (think Appalachian trail), orienteering , skimo athletes and fell runners in the UK would be my best guess.

Mid-d is a good answer. So is long distance really, maybe unless the weight gets increased a bit.

Triathletes would probably be pretty good.

Yup, carries are a regular part of obstacle course racing (Spartan races, etc) and since they incorporate carries into their training, they're probably best adapted to this kind of activity.

I’d pick any of the Everest Surpas. They do this as a job at high altitude with much more weight.

rowers or nordic skiers and i don't think its close

Ryan Hall or Sissay Lema

10 miles in the hills with a 20lb shoulder burden would destroy any miler light enough to be fast.

It's a power hike thing, whoever's good at that would dominate

Alan Webb wouldn't take one step on technical trails in his prime. "You don't take a Ferrari off road."

I would say cross-country skier or someone who does the biathlon.

A mountain porter. Around 25 years ago I hiked up Mt Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo. It's the highest mountain in SE Asia and the trail is about 8.72 km with and elevation change of 2300m, topping out at over 13k. So roughly the same elevation change as the Barr but in half the distance. There are few switchbacks to speak of, but mostly just up the mountain on a steep, very rocky trail.

I had to hire a guide that would take me up and back in one day. He had climbed up and down that mountain almost every day for many years, and knew the trail like the back of his hand. On the way down it was pouring rain and the trail became a creek. I watched him in amazement tearing down a steep, rocky trail in a heavy rainstorm with a decent sized pack. I have done many trail runs and mountain ultras over the years and I have still yet to see anyone that could match that his downhill running prowess on a technical trail.

I also saw girls that looked about 16 carrying huge wood frame packs of supplies up the trail wearing nothing on their feet but flimsy looking sandals.