ing effects), after-school activities cost money, and kids have less access to physical education and good food. Like those in most or all other states, Ver- mont schools are struggling, and some of our communities are so small or un- derfunded that they really don’t offer much, and only the wealthier families can afford to pay for activities for their kids. Obstacle racing counteracts those trends, and Spartan Race, Inc. aims to take an active role in being part of the solution. As a Physical Education teacher, I find the concept of putting people though an unpredictable set of challenges to be really cool. When you
think about how we evolved, we ran and climbed and did all these things. So it’s natural to play this way, and it’s great for establishing the kind of basic fitness that sustains long-term health.
I became friends with Brett Blanchard about a year ago when he said, “I have this idea.” I was thrilled because we had wanted to approach schools but didn’t really have access to the Principals Association or other organizations. Thanks to Brett’s incredible advocacy, this autumn we expect to have 500 or 600 kids at the Killington race. And we plan to have two waves just for high school students. The more kids the better, and maybe their siblings or parents or friends will get involved with them. Obstacle racing has the potential to re- shape physical education and physical fitness for a whole generation, and we’re thrilled to get to work with educational leaders like Brett to make that happen.7
Brett: As Principal of a high school, I’m trying to modernize education all the way around. In terms of health, we really need to bring kids into an awareness of lifelong health: how do you stay healthy throughout your life? Right now kids play team sports in high school, but the overwhelming major- ity of those kids won’t play in college; and most of those who do play in col- lege won’t play professionally, so it’s essentially a short-term program. We want kids thinking about whole-body fitness not just for their teens, but for the next several decades of their lives. As much as I enjoy playing volleyball, football, and the rest, we have to offer kids something better.
Why is this so important? Starting with the bad news, diabetes and other avoidable morbidities have vastly increased over the past 30 years. We owe it to kids to give them better preparation for lifelong fitness. That is why I feel so strongly that sports cannot continue to be limited to “3:00-5:00 p.m. after school, and then you’re done.” It has to be a lifelong activity. Not because you’re on a schedule for the four years you’re in high school, and maybe an- other four years in college. You do it whenever you can because you care about it, you enjoy it, and it makes your life better.
Now, the good news: lots of studies have shown that regular physical activity has a significant positive impact on longevity and quality of life, as well as mental acuity.8So the downward trends are reversible. We can reverse them. The challenge for us as educators and administrators is to deliver the new and more effective athletic education programs needed to reverse these trends, using even fewer resources than we have had in the past for our exist- ing programs. Currently the two biggest sports worldwide are soccer and basketball. In both cases you need very little: a ball and a court. For obstacle racing, you need even less: essentially all you need is a park or woods. Fur- thermore, pulling in the expertise from Spartan Race HQ—people at the height of competitive fitness and accomplishment—all kinds of workouts and advice are available online, for free. It’s difficult to learn how to do a bicycle kick or catch a football by looking online; the resources just aren’t there for soccer and other sports. Why not use the experts at Spartan Life to provide guidance and context for kids to learn a lifestyle they can carry with them—obstacle racing, triathlon, marathon, any activities where kids are completely involved, and responsible for their own results.
In my mind, obstacle racing is the only new modern sport other than snow- boarding. Like snowboarding (which also originated in Vermont!), obstacle racing is an all-body sport, which is vital for lifelong fitness. I see obstacle racing as offering a balance of competition and healthy goal-setting that is much more relevant for most individuals than our current team sports model, and it is something kids can continue to pursue over the entire arc of their adult lives.
Obstacle Racing has something like a million and a half (mostly adult) fol- lowers now, I think. I see courses being built in every state. It’s going to take a while, but I envision thousands of kids taking part in regional competitions. A worldwide sport is realistically possible because kids can do this anywhere.
My first step in pursuing this ambition was connecting with Spartan Race HQ. They have a long-term vision. I participated in a bunch of Spartan events, where I witnessed people of all ages and all fitness backgrounds tak- ing part in the sport. I also saw kids from my school really busting their humps in the gym, and none of them played any team sports. I told them I was thinking of starting Spartan Racing as a team sport and asked them if they were interested. They said yes.
I pitched a proposal to our school last year, and then started working to con- nect with kids. Then the challenge was to connect with other administrators who have their focus on education, rather than sports. Starting with the vis- ion of thousands of kids learning lifelong fitness, I introduced them to the idea, to kids, and to other people who were involved in the sport, including some alumni. Next I had to pitch the athletic association. I built a team of supporters, mostly through phone conversations and letters. We created a 3-5 year plan, knowing that it was going to be hard, with lots of frustrations. My Vice Principal was named Vice Principal of the Year for Vermont, so he used his bully pulpit to tell the story to our two Vermont Senators and our Congressman. I tell everyone I meet that we’re getting this out there and we’ll make it work. I’ve been going to local youth centers all over NY and CT, to schools, to community centers, extending the invitation to compete to a wider youth-oriented audience.
With my school board, we presented obstacle racing as an official club sport—a recognized school activity, which allows me to arrange budget and transportation, etc. I see it becoming a varsity sport, a kind of feeder pro- gram for adult racing. I can’t think of any other feeder programs we have, getting kids to look way beyond high school. You could still do other sports like soccer and football—obstacle racing is complementary. The flexible training it entails leads to heightened health awareness and improved results in any other sports you care to pursue.
The letter we sent out to parents included nine reasons why we were starting this program. First and foremost, you don’t need any equipment. We’ll run bleachers, run through the woods, do burpees, pull-ups, tire flips, etc. Se- cond, unlike in most team sports, where the majority of team members are sitting on the bench most of the time, here we’re involving kids in their own destiny, and keeping them all engaged all the time.
Brett with two former students, after completing the 2012 Tuxedo Ridge Sprint from left to right: Brett, Keith Williams, and Justin Hier
We’re building from the ground up. Very few 14-year-olds have done any- thing like this, so it’s difficult to build momentum. This is where it gets tricky: even though we have a modern world of social media, kids still need to see something to get it and respond. Right now we have 20-30 kids who are telling their friends and peers about it every day. We’re educating them on calories, nutrition, and fitness. Kids are also creating their own obstacles. Some local kids ran an obstacle course this weekend, and they were never in- volved in organized sports here before. The program has barely gotten star- ted and we’re already seeing kids realize that they can set their own goals and change their world.
For our school, obstacle racing is part of that larger shift. There will be more and more combined events and tri-events. We’re doing snowshoe/skating/ cross-country races this year, and the trend is definitely to get kids involved in mixed-activity competitions.
When I’m in northern European countries, I see kids outside playing in all kinds of weather, 5-degree temperatures, just being kids and being active. It’s no wonder they have such great Olympic programs and such vigorous public health.
By comparison, the United States has become fairly lethargic. Our health has plummeted and too many of us have lost the experience of personal excel- lence. That doesn’t bode well for our future. But I believe many Americans are starting to become more conscious about health in a realistic way, and I see obstacle racing and other mixed-activity competitions as an opportunity to really transform fitness for kids so they can live productive, healthy lives. We can achieve the same benefits as other nations by getting our kids outside and active as well. Once they get started, they’ll make it their own.
We can do it, and we are obligated to get it done.