Local Strongman Dedicating Lifting Success To His Late Son

Many readers of The Post-Journal will already be aware that Falconer native Nick Kahanic is a man who knows a thing or two about heavy lifting. Since 2007 he has been a fixture in the athletic competitions held across the county at the Highland Games--a unique Scottish sporting event that includes feats of strength like the shot put, caber toss and hammer throw.

In addition to the support of his friends and family, Kahanic also has the benefit of a long-term training partner.

Aaron Lee, a 30-year-old fellow resident of Falconer and close friend of Kahanic's, has his own talent for powerlifting.

"We started dabbling a little bit, but we weren't really training," Kahanic said of their early years participating in the Highland Games. "Aaron has always been so naturally strong. Once he started training with me he realized quickly that he was so much stronger than anyone we were lifting with."

Early on in his career, Lee essentially stepped out of his long-haul semi truck and back into the gym -- where he proceeded to put up some serious weight. Despite not being in peak physical condition, Lee still had the same natural strength Kahanic had witnessed during their high school years.

"As we both excelled and I got more serious into it and started training full time, Aaron was an on-the-road truck driver for a while and he wanted to start lifting again. He picked it back up, lost some of the bad weight and put on some really good weight."

Kahanic and Lee were hoping that in the years of competitions to come, they would be able to share their passion with the next generation --Lee's new son, AJ.

Tragically, that plan for the future was derailed when AJ passed away last June.

"We talked about all of the things we were going to do with AJ, bringing him to the Highland Games and strongman competitions," Kahanic recalled. "I remember it like yesterday. Aaron said, 'We have to start training hard again because AJ never got a chance to be great. We have to be great for him.'"

Despite suffering a number of injuries in his career at the Highland Games, Kahanic has used AJ's memory as motivation to continue competing.

For Lee, the loss has been a source of inspiration to pursue a more serious strongman career. While Kahanic continues his lifting at the Highland Games, Lee has turned his focus to traditional strongman competitions since the passing of his son.

"Last year I started focusing just on strongman," said Lee. "The Highland Games have more technique and it is very technical how you are going to throw and lift. For me, it's fun to push my body and see what I can do."

Recently, Lee competed in the Reps for Recovery in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a competition which benefits disabled veterans, where he took second in the Strong Heavyweight Men's Open Division. Next on the calendar will be the Central New York Strongman competition on May 11 in Syracuse, followed by the Nickel City Strongest Man on July 20 in Buffalo.

"The people that I have met are just fantastic. The strongmen community has been so great and so kind," said Lee.

Kahanic and Lee now use "#AJstrong" to help spread their message of inspiration in the face of loss.

"He passed before my first competition, but that just fired me up more. I promised to do this with him, and now I'm just going to do this harder in his memory," said Lee.

Now, Lee is in the early stages of starting a foundation in his son's memory, and is also speaking publicly to young mothers about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome and postpartum depression.