Lift STRONG benefit raises more than $3,300 for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Navy SEAL Foundation

The Underground Strength Gym’s 13th annual Lift STRONG Fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Navy SEAL Foundation, conducted last weekend at its Manasquan location, raised more than $3,300 for the beneficiaries.

All proceeds from the event were evenly divided between the two charities.

Minimum donations of $20 with an option to donate more were accepted at the door. Some participants donated up to $200.

Funds were also raised through the sale of commemorative T-shirts, books and raffle prizes generous sponsors donated.

The Lift STRONG Fundraiser, which gym owner and renown strength and conditioning coach Zach Even-Esh, a health and physical education teacher at John Marshall Elementary School in Edison, spearheads, generated a record $5,000 in donations last year.

Three dozen individuals competed in last weekend’s event, which was postponed from its originally scheduled date of July 20 when temperatures soared above 100 degrees.

Competitors from across New Jersey and out of state participated including Craig Papach, who traveled from Long Island to compete in the Men's Masters Division.

DJ Lack of Sleep ventured from Connecticut, donating services to raise the energy level at the event.

The Lift STRONG format was altered this year with one event being held for each category instead of the fundraiser’s previous three-event format.

Categories were established for middle school, high school, men’s open (men who graduated high school in 2018 or before), women’s open (women 16 and older) and men’s masters (men 40 and older) with prizes awarded to the top three finishers.

Taylor Fox of Cedar Knolls defended his men’s open title and Angel Llanas of Perth Amboy three-peated in the men’s masters division. Fox also lifted the most weight, deadlifting 685 pounds in three reps.

Other division winners were Vincent Genna of Metuchen (middle school), Shane McCutcheon of Manasquan (high school) and Courtney Miller of East Brunswick (women's open).

Athletes remained at the gym after the fundraising event for some extra training, during which AJ Schlipp, a 17-year-old football player from Wall Township High School, deadlifted an impressive 495 pounds.

Members of Even-Esh’s Scotch Plains Underground Strength Gym also participated in the event.

An Edison High School graduate, Even-Esh commenced his career in the strength and conditioning industry by coaching a handful of student-athletes out of the one-car garage in his parents' Edison Heights home more than 16 years ago.

His Underground Strength methods have blossomed into a global movement, inspiring athletes and coaches worldwide. Locally, Even-Esh has mentored many of New Jersey's top scholastic and collegiate wrestlers and football players.

Even-Esh has trained more than 1,000 clients ranging from the youth to the Olympic level. He has consulted with NCAA Division I programs, professional teams, special operations forces athletes from around the world.

Those who have come through Even-Esh’s gym for training include Navy SEALs and cancer survivors, including a friend who twice battled through Stage 4 cancer. All of those individuals made a profound impact on his life.

“It's important that I teach the athletes I work with that what we do is so much more than winning championships in sports,” Even-Esh previously told MyCentralJersey.com regarding his desire to help others.

The Navy SEAL Foundation supports wounded SEALs and the families of those who have died in the line of duty.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer.

Even-Esh, who holds a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Kean University and a master's degree in Health Education from Montclair State University, is also creator of The Underground Strength Coach Certification and author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning.

He has served as the Rutgers University and Lehigh University wrestling programs' head strength and conditioning coach.

For more information, visit undergroundstrengthclub.com.