member spotlight
JOAN BURN , 52
When Dina Saitis first raised the idea of signing up for a Spartan race last winter , I was intrigued . On the one hand , the idea was terrifying . On the other , I thought maybe that ’ s why I should do it . And , it would help raise money for St . Jude ’ s Children ’ s Hospital . I was never an athlete when I was young , and it ’ s only in the last few years that I have gained some fitness . Dina kept asking why I hadn ’ t signed up yet , and I kept putting her off . She kept telling me I could do it , and I noticed that training with her had taken on a distinctive Spartan-esque flair . Eventually , she wore me down and I signed up . I am so glad I did !
By the time race day came in October , I felt about as ready as I ever would be . Before we even got to the start , we were wet , muddy , and cold . ( Or so we thought ! We ’ d soon learn that was nothing .) Once we got going , I loved it . The course reminded me of playing in the woods as a kid . Our team started together , but drifted into smaller groups . As we navigated the course , it became clear what a phenomenal job Dina did getting us ready . As the race went on , we became muddier and wetter ( especially after the pond crossing ) and the cold and wind were biting . I really began to look forward to jumping over the fire – at least that would be warm !
After lots of burpees for missing obstacles and spending five hours on the course , we made it to the last obstacle – the fire jump . All those months of training – the sweat , the pain , the blisters and the burpees – went into this one race . The feeling of accomplishment – knowing I had finished something I didn ’ t think I could do – was immense . Seeing that same excitement and pride on the faces of all the people who trained so hard along side of me for all those months was the icing on the cake . Finishing this together – and celebrating together afterward – was really something special . The Spartan organization has a saying – “ You ’ ll know at the finish .” Yes , you will .
26 HACHEALTHCLUB . COM
The feeling of accomplishment
– knowing I had finished something I didn ’ t think I could do – was immense .
KELLY HOROWITZ , 42
Most significant physical accomplishment prior to the Spartan Race : Boston Marathon 2016
Favorite aspect of the race : Working together as a team to travel through various obstacles ; helping others through portions that were difficult for them ; and counting on others to help me through the many portions that I feared .
How was the journey training for the race ? It was a lot of fun preparing for this race ! Dina trained me and many others so that we were all completely ready for every obstacle . We worked as a team – very different than marathon training .
Biggest motivation : I wanted to push myself to stay with the group – and have fun the entire time !
RENEE BAFFONE , 40
Most significant physical accomplishment prior to the Spartan Race : Running my 4th marathon two weekends before with a PR time .
Why you decided to do the race : All my friends that I train and do classes with signed up for the race , and I thought it would be fun , but at the same time challenging . I have never done anything like this before and I wanted to give it a try . We also were raising money for the Saint Jude ’ s Children ’ s Hospital , and I wanted to be a part of that .
Favorite aspect of the race : Climbing that mountain with my friends and helping each other through the obstacles and encouraging and supporting each other when we needed help .
How was the journey training for the race ? Training for the Spartan race will be something I will never forget . Dina had us all very well prepared for that mountain and the obstacles we had to do . She came up with very difficult workouts for us . We did several training sessions outside and it always seemed to involve the sandbag , flipping tires , carrying heavy kettlebells , and of course a million burpees !
Biggest motivation : Training with my friends . Each week we would build on different exercises . We all were getting stronger together . Each week I wanted to get better , and that is what pushed me and of course Dina being there right by my side .