Tom Rice Fights Through Grief and PTSD to Qualify for First VIRUS Series Event
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by Preston Fekkes, Communications Lead
PORTSMOUTH, NH – Tom Rice qualified for his first VIRUS Weightlifting Series meet in 2025, after six years in the sport.
Rice found weightlifting in 2019, and split his training between Grizzly Weightlifting in Portsmouth, NH and his 700-ft cargo ship sailing across the Great Lakes.
Weightlifting became a special bond between Rice and his mother when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020. He was working in Canada at the time, and the border was closed.
“Weightlifting has a really strong tie with my mom and I because when she first got cancer and we couldn't see each other, she was going through chemotherapy,” Rice said. “She wanted me to send videos and always asked about my training. I was sending videos of my sessions and saying ‘This went well, this didn't go well.’ She had no idea about the lifts or the numbers back then. I wasn't really producing a lot of great numbers. She just liked it. I think it helped her with the chemo, so it was a special tie with her. To me, it was our sport in a sense – something we can bond over.”
Rice’s mother passed away in 2024. On the same day that he laid her body to rest, Rice competed at PRs for Puppies in New Hampshire and posted a 146 kg total – 20 kg short of the VIRUS Series requirement.
“On the car ride back I told my wife, ‘I'm going to qualify for the Open Series’,” Rice said.
Three months later, Rice experienced a major maritime incident, and his cargo ship was evacuated by the Coast Guard. The combination of the loss of his mother and the trauma caused by the incident sent Rice into a state of deep grief and PTSD.
“Especially with grief and PTSD, you have a hard time,” Rice said. “You feel like you're losing control of a lot of things. What I always found with weightlifting is it's the only thing that you can control. If you have a bad session, ‘Okay, what did I do wrong there? I'll control it next time.’ I found when it comes to grief, weightlifting gives you a sense of purpose and you know that you're progressing towards something and it's helping you keep your mind off of the grief… for 2.5 hours, you're off the phone. You're not even thinking about it. You're just focusing on the task and the session and making yourself better. To me, that helped tenfold.”
Rice used weightlifting as his mental getaway and his numbers kept increasing. His next competition was 10 months after the PRs for Puppies meet, and he knew the number he had to hit to qualify – 166 kg. This would be a 20 kg competition PR. Rice was perfect on the snatches, lifting 65, 68, and 73 kg. But after completing his opening clean & jerk at 87 kg, he missed 90. With one attempt left, Rice called for the 93 kg he needed and stepped up to the platform.
“I saw three white lights and I was losing my mind,” Rice said. “I couldn't even believe it. I collapsed in the back room because I knew it was 10 months of brutal hard work, giving everything I have, and dedicating my life to something. Now I know the sky is the limit.”
