Death Race 2012 Results

2012 Summer Death Race....I found my MOJO!

Hills & Woods of Vermont

The summer Death Race attracts about 300 competitors to Pittsfield every year to test their physical and mental levels of endurance.  In the past, races have lasted anywhere from 25 hours up to 45 hours.    You are allowed to have a crew at “base camp” but not out on the course to support the athletes.  A perfect candidate for this type of an event would be a person that is part cross fit champion, part Ironman finisher, part ultra runner, part ultimate survivor and 3 standard deviations from the mean.

What the field did not know about this years race was that it was going to involve more than 60 miles of hiking /running up and over the mountains of Vermont with a backpack that weighed on average 40 pounds.  To exacerbate matters, the hikes also included carrying kayaks above your head, 60-pound bags of cement and 100-pound logs.

Amee Farm with Kayaks

Competitor Tent

The hikes had us all traversing the Vermont landscape, through rivers, creeks, mud, up the side of mountain ravines, etc.   For approximately the first 12 hours the only water available to us all was what we had put into our backpacks.  After hiking through the night, no sleep, we made it to a lake that we all used to refill our camel back bladders, empty bottles, etc.  after another 18 hours we actually made it back to base camp where we were able to refuel.

The goal of the race is to push the competitors to their limits and beyond while avoiding the dreaded DNF.  Dehydration and starvation while completing grueling tasks forced many competitors to drop from the race early on.   By the end of day 1 I’m guessing that over 50% of the field had dropped, leaving the hardcore competitors on the field. 

Summary of Challenges that needed to be completed over the course of 60 hours included the following:

   1.    Crawl through a dark culvert (Jammed packed with competitors, stuck in Culvert trapped with no way out…try that on for size)
2.  Wade in pond for ping pong balls (you got a number on the ball and this was your team for the 1^st 30 hours)

3.     Carry kayak’s through the night with your designated team…I was team #2

4.     Switch Kayak for large plastic tube filled with water

5.     Swim 200 yards in reservoir that we filled out camel back bladders with.

6.     Carry 10 buckets of gravel/cement 300 yards to fill in driveway at lake house – maybe 75lbs per bucket

7.     Hike 30+ miles first 24 hours

8.     Take a multiple choice test at top of this hill, leave as a group to run to Tweed river road

9.     Race up Tweed river road to pair off to find stakes with number that we spent hours trying to find but never did.

10. Chop 6 foot log into two pieces then 6 pieces, then carry back to base camp – guessing it was 250 plus pounds to carry – 3 trips??

11. Sit in cold pond after getting “caught for cheating” – 90 minutes

12. Hike through Gorge to top of mountain

13. Hike to Pete’s farm to chop 10 logs, carry 100lb log 1.5 miles, make origami crane, recite saying, and chop log that you carried

14. Stack 10 bales of hay in a barn

15. Carry 60lb bag of cement to top of mountain

16. Run back up to the top of the mountain and back down to Tweed River Farm

17. Roll 6 laps ¼ mile in wet grass, answer trivia questions

Hike up the Gorge with Brian, Amelia & Todd

At about 48 hours into the race many competitors started to drop from the race, not because they were too tired, lacked the desire, but instead could no longer walk on their feet.  Below you’ll see a picture of a competitor’s foot that developed Trench Foot.  She was not the only one, there were dozens of competitors that developed this nasty problem that forced them out of the race.  In additions, many others developed awful blisters that forced them to resign from the race as well.  See the pics below.

Log Chopped in 2

My feet however, had no blisters and no trench foot.  I have Swiftwick to thank for this.  The Swiftwick socks that wick moisture away from your feet to keep them dry allowed me to avoid developing both Trench Foot and blisters.  I carried two pair with me at all times in my backpack.  If we had to go through a stream I would stop change out my socks, wring out the wet pair, attach them to the outside of my backpack, where they would dry within an hour or 2 and would be ready to go again.  I was absolutely shocked at the number of athletes that were wearing cotton socks, as a result most did not finish the race.  Very very early in the race I asked a couple special forces ops guys if they had any tips for me.  They said “…take care of your feet and your feet will take care of you.”  I didn’t fully appreciate that advice till late in the race and seeing the scores of competitors with trench foot….UGLY…UGLY…UGLY!  Cannot emphasize the role that my Swiftwicks played in me completing this race.

Head Games..Clues? Not!

At 60 hours and change I managed to roll across the finish line, literally.  The last task that they had us all do after not sleeping for over 2 days, mentally exhausted was to complete a ¼ mile lap, 6 times totaling 1.5 miles through high cold wet grass in the middle of the night.  Sounds easy, hardly.  After rolling for the first 1/10 of a mile you get nauseous.  This last task was actually developed by the Green Beret training teams.  It tests ones ability to persevere after suffering for days despite feeling sick and most people vomiting repeatedly on the course.

Post Race at Hotel Still in Gear
w/ Finishers Skull

After about 68 hours the last competitor rolled across the finish line.  A total of 300 competitors signed up for the race.  About 270 showed up in Pittsfield while about 240 actually raced and only 51 finished. 

I was able to meet some pretty special people in Pittsfield.  I got to support athletes on the course with nutrition and words of encouragement as well.   Late in the race I was able to motivate a woman that had “quit” the race.  She was in the tent packing up, upset about the race and I was able to get her turned around and back in the race.  Her name was Shelley and she went on to win the women’s division.  I also had the pleasure of pacing the youngest competitor in Death Race history with his blistered feet over the last mountain climb and into Tweed River Farm.  He was 17 years old and his name was Parker, who headed into the Navy later this year.   Team #2 that I was proud to be a part of had about a 70% finishing rate.  We had some tough dudes and one tough chick on our team.  I was affectionately referred to as “the old man” by a couple of the army ground pounders.  I beat them all to the finish.  My focus was never really on my overall place but to have fun, enjoy the experience, make some new friends and see just how far and hard I could push myself.  Much was accomplished in Pittsfield.

Most people will never understand why individuals compete in a Death Race, an Ironman or ultra marathon.  It’s really a social event with people of a common interest get together to push themselves beyond what they ever thought was possible.   After successfully (and not so successfully) completing many ultras, ironman and 2 Death Races, I know that anything is possible.  I have learned to persevere…through it all…if you persevere…never give up….you will always accomplish your goals.  Sounds simple and it actually is when you keep it simple.

Cheers!