JOE DECKER WINS 2011 SPARTAN DEATH RACE
TO BECOME FIRST-EVER 2-TIME CHAMPION

World’s Most Challenging Endurance Race Mentally and Physically Challenges
Athletes for 45 Hours from June 24-26 in Pittsfield, VT

35 Athletes Remained Standing After 45 Hours

PITTSFIELD, VT – JUNE 27, 2011 – There are millions of running races, thousands of marathons, hundreds of triathlons and even dozens of ultramarathons … but there is only one Spartan Death Race. Held annually since 2005, in Pittsfield, VT, this year’s race began at 6:00 pm Friday June 24 and ended at 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 26. The annual ultra endurance test began with 185 participants from 29 states and Canada, but after 45 hours, only 35 of the uber-athlete participants, including just four females, were able to go the distance.

Defending champion Joe Decker, of San Diego, CA, became the event’s first-ever two-time winner. Brothers Bruce and Jeff Foster of Rhode Island finished 2-3, while Grace Cuomo-Durfee of Fair Haven, VT, finished fourth overall and was one of just four women to finish.

Here’s a look at the 35 athletes who were still standing in order of finish. Those marked with an * completed all tasks before the curfew.

The hurdle and challenge-driven race required competitors to complete a series of more than a dozen unusual grueling mental and physical challenges throughout a 40-mile course that runs through the dense Vermont woods. Battling cold and rainy conditions, the first task had each competitor dead-lift 100,000 pounds worth of stones, non-stop, for six hours. That was followed by a hike upstream in 45-degree waters which were at times waist deep. After emerging from the icy waters, the shivering contestants were forced to carry a lit candle for a ¼ mile. Lose the flame and start all over. Contestants repeated this loop seven times over a three-hour period until sunrise.

The traditional log splitting event included a new twist. After selecting their 50-lb tree stump, contestants were forced to carry the stump up a windy 2.5-mile trail. At the top of the mountain they were read several bible verses. Upon returning down the mountain they were required to recite the verse from memory. Miss a word, go back up the mountain. Get it right and they got to chop wood.

Other highlights of this year’s race included carrying a 40-lb log with them for more than 24-hours; carrying 10-gallon buckets filled with water for 2.5 miles – spill a drop, start over. After more than 35 hours on the course, the mentally drained competitors were given a 200 question test to recall information given to them at the beginning of the race and throughout the course.

Unlike other endurance races that offer a detailed map, Death Race competitors have no idea what to expect next as the course map and list of challenges are kept secret. For an endurance athlete, not knowing where the light is at the end of the tunnel can be sheer torture.

“We are humbled and inspired by the 34 remarkable human beings that took on the Spartan Death Race and persevered through mental and physical challenges that would break the will of 99% of people,” said Joe Desena, Founder of the Spartan Death Race. “The fact that these people endured for 45 hours to see what they are made of, is just remarkable and awe-inspiring.”

For a taste of the Spartan Death Race, aspiring endurance athletes of all ages are encouraged to check out the Spartan Race Series. The 30-event series offers competitors obstacle race courses ranging in length from 5k-10 miles. Upcoming events in the U.S. are scheduled for: Utah (July 9), Vermont (Aug 6), Massachusetts (Aug 27-28), Pennsylvania (Sept. 10) and Staten Island, NY (Sept 24). For a complete schedule and more information, visit www.spartanrace.com.

One intriguing athlete may not have completed the Spartan Death Race, but 34-year-old air conditioner installer and father of five Hobie Call, 34, of Salt Lake City, UT, was certainly the most popular. When Desena put out a $100,000 challenge to anyone who could win all 14 of the shorter Spartan Races in the U.S. plus the Death Race, Call stepped up, and up until this past weekend, won six Spartan Races in a row. Though he did not take the top prize at the Death Race, he competed for 38-hours before succumbing. He can still capture a $20,000 prize by winning the remaining eight U.S. Spartan Races.

For more information on the Spartan Death Race, visit www.YouMayDie.com

Media Contact: Doug Drotman (631-462-1198 or doug@drotmanpr.com)