MERRIMACK, NH – An obstacle course is usually associated with military training, not with something done for fun.
And yet, a corner of Eric and Patti Pharo’s kitchen in Merrimack, NH, is covered in lists of schedules for obstacle course races and best times, medals, and inspirational quotes about community, and never, ever, giving up. The display is topped by a poster of mud-covered athletes at the top of a wall reaching down to help a struggling friend. The poster’s headline? “Be More Human.”
The medals, times, and quotes signify not just a way of staying fit, but a way of life. Training for and competing in obstacle course races, or OCRs, is physically challenging. Racers charge through a course dotted with the standard obstructions, including a “gym rope,” mud pits, barbed wire, and walls inverted at a 45-degree angle. The “way of life” part is what Eric and Patti call “the Spartan lifestyle” and the two strands intertwine in numerous ways.
Eric, an EMT and his wife Patti, a dog trainer, unabashedly love the challenge and the community of Spartan Racing. Spartan Racing is one of many groups that organize OCRs across the country and around the world. The Pharos have been participating in such races for several years now.
“You’re hot, you’re sweaty…covered in mud, and loving it!” said Eric about OCR races.
“Sign me up!” said Patti.
According to the website “The Art of Manliness” http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/09/10/the-history-of-obstacle-courses/ OCRs have been existence since 1987, when Billy Wilson, a former British soldier, created the “Tough Guy” challenge – a 15 kilometer race in Wolverhampton, England, designed “to induce fear and pain and to push participants to their very limits.”
And even before the “Tough Guy” challenge, Eric pointed out that there were “endurance” and “adventure” races that were far outside the mainstream. Eric said Joe De Sena, the founder of Spartan Racing, wanted to bring these races to the general public. De Sena wanted people to “get’em off the couch” and get fit, and learn that they can achieve more than they ever imagined.
This attitude is unmistakable on the official Spartan website, http://www.spartan.com, where a Spartan Sprint race description concludes with these words: “If you think you can’t do it, you’re wrong. Get to the starting line and show yourself what you are capable of.”
In fact, De Sena’s book, Spartan Up (Houghton Mifflin, New York, 2014), opens up with a description of an intense, below-zero endurance race held in the dead of winter in Quebec. De Sena writes that when he describes these races to people, he often gets looks “that tell me they think I’m really stupid or suicidal. But you know what? There’s a better way of looking at this. Challenging yourself to accomplish more than you know you can is never stupid – it helps show you what you are capable of, it creates a new frame of reference, one you can draw upon in the face of other things that are perceived as being tough in your life. It shows you possibilities you didn’t know existed.”
Inspired by the death of Glen Doherty, a Winchester High School classmate, Eric said he wished to memorialize the former Navy SEAL and military contractor who provided security to diplomatic personnel overseas. Glen was killed in the Sept 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, sparking the creation of The Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation (www.glendohertyfoundation.org). Glen’s death affected many and his life continues to inspire people in a positive manner.
One of the biggest quotes on the Pharos’ Spartan display is Glen’s: “Don’t stop. Never stop. No regrets ever.”
Eric discovered that one of Glen’s many interests was Obstacle Course Racing. “Which at the time,” Pharo said, “was a completely new thing.”
And so Eric and Patti began to train. First, they used DVD workouts, then moved on to incorporating the Spartan “Workout of the Day,” or WOD, into their exercise routines. They purchased the necessary equipment – racing shoes, compression wear, backpacks – and, when ready, began to run the races themselves.
Neither suspected what they would find. Far from a group of individuals racing against one another, they found a supportive community that was committed to seeing every racer succeed.
The Spartan Community
Eric and Patti agree that it is this caring attitude that gives these races a friendly and festive feeling. Admittedly nervous about his first race, Eric said that it had a carnival atmosphere: thousands of racers, with officials, coordinators, and vendors’ tables. At first, Eric was intimidated by lining up with 200 other racers, until he realized that he was really racing against himself. Indeed, intimidation quickly became something else: the realization that he was sharing this experience with 200 other people.
With that understanding, Eric said, “Now it can be fun.”
As he crossed the finish line, Eric was “pumped up” and already thinking: “I want to do this again!”
Patti Devlin Pharo’s first race was through a racing company called “Muddarella” which, while not exclusively female, was more centered towards women racers. Patti said she was interested in the race because it encouraged teamwork. It also had a 12-week training course to get her in shape. In addition, the website previewed the obstacles she would face. The race organization really wanted everyone to cross that finish line.
“You get that sense of accomplishment,” Patti said.
“(Muddarella’s) slogan,” said Patti, was, “‘Know you’re strong.’”
Another aspect of the Muddarella races that appealed to her was the ability to raise money for “Futures without Violence,” a charity which helps women escape from abusive relationships.
“This was my testing ground,” Patti said. This was the point where she could decide not to pursue it further or to find the next race to tackle.
“Eric,” she said, “was right there at the finish line.” And when she completed the race she said she was “All pumped up; all kinds of adrenaline running.”
She most definitely wanted to race again.
“I was very impressed with how supportive people were,” said Patti. She said that, as a child, she was often teased during gym class because she was overweight. To participate in an event where racers were running in groups and helping others, including disabled racers, was a very positive experience.
Not that there aren’t one or two drawbacks to the community. Races are timed, and some also have self-imposed penalties. If you don’t complete the obstacle, you are supposed to do 20 burpees—a full body exercise where you drop to the ground in a crouch, put your hands on the floor, kick your legs out into a pushup position, jump back into a crouch and jump up to a standing position. The idea being that the energy spent on burpees could have been spent on that obstacle. Eric and Patti joke that sometimes, other racers act as the “burpee police” and call out runners to complete their self-imposed penalties. Still, in the world of communal running, where no one wants anyone to fail, the vast number of racers are supportive.
“Because Spartan really encourages people of all levels and all abilities to do it, it was really great to see groups running with people who were disabled.” Patti said that “quite a few former military” amputees were racing as well, which she found inspiring, as completing the race is quite a feat for the non-disabled.
At first, Eric and Patti raced alone or with each other. However, the Spartan races are on Facebook as “The New England Spahtens,” which Eric and Patti have joined.
“Because we don’t pronounce our r’s,” Eric quipped. The group is 4,000 strong and now, when Eric and Patti race, they are guaranteed to have at least half-a-dozen friends with to share the experience with.
Of course, as with many fitness endeavors and events, registration can be pricey – over $100 for local races. But the Spartan Races have a great volunteer program. If you volunteer at a Spartan Race, you can earn a credit to run a race for free, which only adds to the sense of community surrounding OCRs.
“The community within the volunteers themselves is a great aspect of it,” said Patti.
And it’s not just the volunteers and their fellow “Spahtens” embody that spirit of camaraderie. The sport’s most elite runners – people who race professionally and have sponsors are, according to Eric “very much about reaching out to those of us who are not the elite athletes.”
“The elite racers are just like you and me,” said Eric. “They have jobs.” Roofers, lawyers, and so on. For the pros from professional sports, or even Olympic athletes (who are technically amateurs), their sport is their job. In Spartan Racing, the elite racers “recognize that they are just like the rest of us,” posting training videos, racing tips and generally sharing their lives with the racing community.
End of Part One: In part two Eric and Patti discuss their completion to the “Spartan Triecta” which, all told is more than 25 miles of racing with more than 70 obstacles!