Local Man Training for VT Death Race

In the world of running, there are a variety of events to participate in.  Every day, you see them traipsing through the wood and dale, across busy intersections and patiently plodding along on the treadmills of the gym.  One mile, 5 kilometers, half marathons abound.  There are more than a healthy share of marathon runners and the occasional 'ultra' who logs 50-100 miles to get their kicks.  More recently, the OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) has come onto the scene and exploded as a popular event.  The color runs and bubble runs aside, some of these are not for the usual runners.  Shorter runs such as the Warrior Dash and Merrill Mud run are increasingly popular.  Burning gauntlets and electric shocks have been included to increase the thrill for some of the longer races.Then there are the apex events.  The Spartan Death Race (http://www.peak.com/death-races/summer-death-race/) held annualy in Vermont is one of those.  Proclaimed under the title of 'You may die' as one of the toughest races, runners from far reaches come to test their mettle in a 48+ hour endurance event.  Stated that the DNF (Did not finish) rate will be 90%, local man Mark Haupert and his teammate, ER Nurse Jason Spare, hope to beat the odds and finish to claim the prized 'skull'.  Training for the event has become an obsession with participation in other activities such as wood-chopping and 'rucking' on a nearly daily basis in preparation for this unlikely, and some say, 'insane' event.  When asked why participate willingly in such a painful experience, only the response of a shrug and an awkward grin could be supplied.So the local spectre of a man running about local parks and back roads with a head-lamp and a backpack full of bricks is the only mystery beyond his motivations dispelled.