The True Tale of the Dead Girl
This past weekend I ‘ran’ two Spartan Beasts on Saturday and Sunday respectively. For those who do not know what this is, a Spartan Beast is an obstacle course race that is around 15 miles and has 30+ obstacles. I say around 15 miles because the course is set at a ski resort where elevation does not count towards miles and any travel within an obstacle does not count either. On Saturday I ran with my friend whom blew out his knee at mile 5 but finished anyway. Sunday however was not meant to be for him so I was left to go it alone. But this story is not about me, it’s about the Dead Girl.
Before you get too excited, no there was not an actual dead girl on the course, at least not one that I found. The Sunday Beast was cold and wet, the rain was relentless and it left a chill in you that went straight to the bone. Around the first mile I got stuck behind this girl who clearly did not know what she was getting into by running a Beast. She wore regular running shoes that offered no traction in the unforgiving mud and terrain, she had no hydro pack and no rations like the usual Shot Blox, Gu Packs, Stingers and what not. I later learned she intended to run in shorts and a tank but people in the base camp convinced her to buy a long sleeve burton shirt and put on some compression leggings instead.
I made the quip at the girl that she made some bad choices from her shoes all the way up, she laughed it off and continued on while slipping and falling at even the slightest terrain changes. I passed her by as she was somewhat close to another runner who I assumed was running with her. Occasionally I would look back and in the first few miles I realized she was running alone and having one hell of a time doing it. Each time I would see her off in the distance I would call out, ‘Hey, you’re not dead yet!’ she would smile and assure me she was not.
About 3 miles in I slowed down a bit and started closing the gap between us. I have run my share of OCR’s over the years and I have bear witness to some pretty bad injuries. Sunday’s tend to have less volunteers and runners on course so the last thing I wanted on my conscious was this girl incapacitated freezing cold and alone on a trail somewhere.
I started referring to her as Dead Girl and calling out instructions to her like how to make it through treacherous terrain with the least amount of slippage and how to make it through an obstacle without failing or getting hurt. She listened to everything and without question did it. After getting her through the rope traverse she asked if she could stick with me so she could make it to the end and be done in time to get back to a family gathering in NY. I agreed and this is how the Dead Girl and I begins.
Dead Girl told me how this was her first race and she wanted to ‘go big’ and then work her way down to the smaller races. She spoke almost defiantly as she told me her mom and friends told her she was crazy to try this, she was almost venomous as she told me her doctor said she should never do anything like this and she was there to prove them all wrong. She told me of a medical issue she had but it’s lost on me now mostly due to my own soaked freezing plight and the over powering attack of music tearing through the speaker box I keep duct taped to my hydro pack. We spoke of Spartan culture and I did my best to ingrain in her that a real Spartan helps others, don’t litter, try our best, and why we all EFF NORM.
Around mile 6 Dead Girl felt a bit bleaker and questioned if she could finish or not. The course is taxing enough for any participant who comes in prepared though here is a girl that was no more than 5’6”, no supplies and no preparations for the path that lay ahead. I told her not to think about it and to not stop moving. I told her even tiny steps still get you closer to the finish line than no steps at all. I made sure she drank at water stations and took Shot Blox when they appeared to keep her going. I offered help at certain obstacles but she was determined to succeed on her own.
At mile 10 she said she cried a bit, I’ll have to take her word for it because it was down pouring which hid most emotions aside from misery. She said her tears were from the victory of 10 miles. As we trudged down yet another trail Dead Girl proclaimed with the energy of a 10 year old cracked out on pixie stix that she felt unstoppable, that if she can conquer this there is nothing in life that can get in her way. I pulled her back to earth a bit by reminding her we still had about 5 miles to go, I didn’t want to be the buzzkill but I wanted her to keep focus so she didn’t make a race ending mistake and kept her eye on the prize. Dead girl continued to listen to any instruction I gave and she continued to power through every step she left behind. She told me she would never run a Beast again so I told her of my story and how I said the same thing after my first yet there I was at my fifth. I told her there is no feeling better than crossing that finish line knowing you did your best and you succeeded and I told her once they put that medal around your neck you will be determined to do it again but better. This sunk in and as we drew closer to the finish she admitted to herself that she’d be back for another beast better than ever.
As we drew to the end there were only two things that stood between us and the finish line, a dunk wall and a fire jump. Dead Girl did not hesitate for the dunk wall and came out ready for the fire jump. I stood back to allow her to have her own jump and her own photo finish but she insisted we go together. We accomplished the saddest jumps possible by two silly people who had been beaten down by a relentless course and then she cried and hugged me for getting her to where she needed to be.
I made sure Dead Girl grabbed a protein bar, something to drink and her finishing shirt then demanded she go to the photo booth for her finisher pic. She was reluctant but I knew she would regret it come the next day.
From there we parted ways. I never asked Dead Girl’s real name and to her I was only ‘the music man’, Captain Deadpool or ‘Yes Sir’.
I tell this story for the simplest of reasons, many times I try to explain to friends, strangers, and co-workers that the only ceilings you have are the ones you create, and anyone can do whatever the hell they want as long as they have the drive and determination to do it. On Sunday May 1st 2016 Dead Girl proved this point and walked away with the medal her doctor, friends, and family said she could never have. Way to go Dead Girl!