Local Paramedic to Face Death Race

So what does a Paramedic who spends his work hours trying to cheat death do in his free time? He runs mud obstacle races and prepares to compete in an event called the Spartan Death Race on June 15. West Greenwich resident Jon Drake, 38, who works as a Paramedic for local ambulance services and the Town of West Greenwich, began his journey last year after running the Tough Mudder Mt. Snow event in May of last year. 

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I enjoy the physical demands that the mud obstacle races offer as opposed to single discipline events like marathons and triathlons. Plus, I am still a kid at heart and playing in the mud is a lot of fun.

But the Death Race is an event unlike the Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, or Bold R Dash, all races that I competed in last year. I even qualified and ran in the inaugural World’s Toughest Mudder last December, a 24 hour race that is the capstone event of the Tough Mudder race series, but even that doesn’t compare with the Death Race.

Billed as the “the ultimate challenge”, the Death Race is designed to test not only the physical but the mental as well and the website www.youmaydie.com , even warns competitors that this race is unlike any other and only for those that have lived a full life prior to entering. 

Held annually since 2005 in the small town of Pittsfield, VT, the Spartan Death Race gives up to 200 ultra-endurance athletes the chance to test their mental and physical prowess like no other event on earth. On average only 15% of the competitors finish the event. The hurdle and challenge-driven race requires competitors to complete a series of (15-20) grueling mental and physical challenges throughout a 40-mile course that runs through the Vermont woods.  During the Death Race, competitors may be asked to chop wood for 2-hours, carry a 20-lb stump around for hours, lift 10-30 lbs rocks for 5-hours; build a fire, cut a bushel of onions, crawl through mud under barbed wire, or after 20-hours of racing, memorize the names of the first 10 U.S. Presidents or a Bible verse, hike to the top of a mountain and recite them back in order.

The real challenge is that we do not know anything prior to the race, except that the Undertaker (race designer Andy Weinberg) provides us with a list of mandatory gear and where and when to show up. Beyond that, all we know that is that we can expect to punish ourselves for the next 24-48 hours. This means planning for nutritional needs, gear changes, weather, and other possible needs in addition to the mental and physical preparations for the challenge. 

The training and preparation for this event is much more complex than for other races. I have to plan on physically demanding activities that may last for anywhere from 10 minutes to hours. This means ensuring that my nutritional needs are being met constantly to keep me healthy and in a good state of mind.

Having just completed the Peak 50 Mile Ultra-Marathon in May, also held in Pittsfield, I have a much better understanding of my body’s responses to the stressors of long term activity. It was an extremely challenging race course that included a total of 11,500 feet of vertical climbing and I completed the course in 17 hours 48 minutes. The climbs were pure torture, especially considering I lived on an island for the previous four years where the highest point was 45 feet (Key West, Florida) and Rhode Island doesn’t have any significant climbs.  I wasn’t as well prepared for the wear and tear that the mountainsides inflicted as I thought. The race though did provide some important insight into my physical and mental preparation and a preview of the Death Race venue.  Incorporating that knowledge into my planning and training has helped but I have no misconceptions about this race.

My goal is to just finish the race. I’ve read various accounts from racers from previous years and realize that the entire goal of the race organizers is to break us both physically and mentally. I accept that there is a chance that I may not finish but I am going into this with the mindset that I will cross the finish line. Either way, I am going to have fun and find out where my limits are. Isn’t that what life is all about?