Zanesville man conquers Spartan Race in Greece after three years of training
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ZANESVILLE− Three years ago ,Mark Seeley embarked on a journey of strength and endurance with the help of his neighbor when he decided to join him in his gym. Fast forward and the 62-year-old completed a full Spartan Race in Sparta, Greece, earlier this year.
Spartan races, ranging from 5Ks to 21Ks and up to 50Ks, are known for their challenging obstacles demanding good mental fortitude and incredible physical health. Obstacles include monkey bars, rings, tie bars, Atlas balls, Hercules ropes, water crossings and more, with punishments if one fails the obstacle.
"You know, just for someone who wants to start, when I started it was hard just to do a 5k,” Seeley said. “You got to just work up to it. Just set little goals and just a little bit at a time and once you can reach those, that’s how I got to where I'm at now.”
A total of 68 countries competed together in Greece. The US had the largest number of people competing with 26% of all racers coming from the states.
The Spartan Race unfolded over three days with each day presenting different levels of difficulty and intensity. The first day was a 5K run with 10 obstacles, the second day was a 10K run with 20 obstacles and the final day with 30 obstacles was a 21K called the beast, which proved to be most arduous.
“That was hard. I lost three toenails," said Seeley.
To qualify for the race in Greece, one must complete three of the events in the U.S. Running against athletes who have trained their whole lives to compete in extreme level sports and others who have won world championships, Seeley emphasized the training that was necessary.
When he started he could barely cover 50 yards when running without stopping. He began incorporating lifting alongside his running routine and has his own two mile training course with 25 obstacles at his home.
His support system through the training process has been his wife, Cathy, the owner of Brew Baker cafe, who has handled all of the travel plans and nutrition to keep up with his daily training. Throughout the years he has learned a lot about what food gives the body energy and what is necessary to be able to handle such rigorous exercises.
His present physicality didn’t come immediately. Seeley began small by running in shorter distances and completed a 5K while weight training. Setting little goals to meet instead of large goals are important to improving, otherwise being disappointed is easy when you can’t meet those large goals immediately, he said.
His ultimate goal would be to end up on the podium in Greece, an achievement he has reached four times here in the US. This year, his goal in Greece was to finish in the top 10 in his age group. He ended in the top 15 in his group and ranked 442 out of the approximately 600 total participants, finishing before 200 competitors of all age groups.
"The country is beautiful. We got to run, in the mountains, the olive groves, through pines. There was cacti, huge ones. It was just beautiful scenery to run in," he said.
The atmosphere during the races were full of excitement and encouragement from other people competing and locals who watched. One specific individual that stood out to Seeley was a 70-year-old man who resembled Popeye. While the two spoke different languages they continued to support each other through the races and would talk with their hands and high fives.
As he continues to pursue his goals, Seeley's biggest wish is to encourage others to set small goals and gradually work towards them. The races have brought a lot of fun and support to the Seeley's and if there is anything he wishes it is for someone else to be inspired to try challenges such as this.
LVanNiel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville resident Mark Seeley conquers Spartan Race in Greece
