Saturday was a day of strength in Westbrook, as powerful men and women gathered at the high school football field for the first annual Overcome Strength Challenge.

The event was a benefit to raise money and awareness for Lloyd Storey, owner of Storey’s Garden Center on Route 302. Storey was a firefighter for 25 years and has owned Storey’s Garden for 12 years. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, in February.

The promoter and organizer of this event is Storey’s son, Elliot. Elliot has been competing events like the Overcome Strength Challenge since April 2006. Elliot Storey said he wanted to bring the sport to Maine, and decided to use the event as a fundraiser to help his dad.

Shamsul Emrich, of Boston, said he competed in Westbrook because “I like the weights and I like the events. It’s classic. The weights were good,” he said.

In one of the events, the Log Press, Emrich lifted 200 pounds from the ground to his chest and then overhead 11 times in one minute.

Emrich has been competing in weight training competitions since 2003, and has been in over 10 competitions, as well as qualifying for the North American Strongman National Competition in late May. He was one of the top two qualifiers at the Westbrook event and will travel to Las Vegas to compete in November.

Mike Pelsher, of Hopkinton, Mass., competed in the Farmer’s Walk in which he had 240 pounds in each hand and walked 50 feet around a cone and back in 13.47 seconds.

Pelsher had been training and decided to compete in the Overcome Strength Challenge as his first competition. “I like competition,” said Pelsher, “and I’m always willing to give for a fundraiser.”

Anyone interested in making a donation to the Lloyd Storey Cancer Fund can send donations to: Lloyd Storey Cancer Fund, 24 Settlers Road, Westbrook, Maine, 04092.