Mentor Firefighter Set To Begin Spartan Death Race

Mentor Firefighter Antonio "T.J." DiDonato has spent the last nine months training for a 3-day challenge that is designed specifically to stretch (and possibly snap) the limits of the toughest people in the country.

And this is what he does for fun.

It's called the Spartan Death Race and it began this morning in Pittsfield, VT, while most us were still asleep.

The competitors aren't allowed to sleep during this 3-day span and they have no idea what obstacles they will face before they reach them.

The race is so tough that the organizers warn "you may die."

No, seriously, the web site for the Spartan Death Race is www.youmaydie.com.

So what was DiDonato thinking the night before it began?

"How do I feel?" he wrote Thursday night. (Phone interviews are difficult, if not impossible, in Pittsfield because of spotty cell service. Consequently, DiDonato answered all questions via email.) "It's like I have been preparing for the last nine months for my execution.

"You are excited for it to get here; you don't want it to get here," he said.

Spartan Death Race

Most of the people who start the Death Race quit before the end. On average, only eight percent of competitors make it to the finish line.

Part of the challenge is that the Death Race changes every year.

One year, they made competitors lift heavy stones for six hours while carrying a 40-pound rucksack. Another year, they made them wade through a near frozen creek and climb a mountain after memorizing a Bible verse. If they forgot the verse, they had to start all over again.

Last year, the competitors were told to build a fire, DiDonato said. However, when some of the freezing competitors stood around the fire afterward, the organizers chastized them, "We told you to build it, not to sit around it."

Those competitors then had to dip their shoes in oil before they could continue the race.

Consequently, the most difficult part of preparing for the race is not knowing what you're are training for, DiDonato said.

"You know it's going to be the most difficult thing you have ever done but you don’t know how to prepare," he said.

DiDonato prepared by doing a lot of everything. He crosstrained for hours each day, survived a 10-hour crucible of military training and ran a marathon -- all while wearing a 40-pound rucksack.

Support crew

DiDonato did not come this far alone.

He had a lot of training partners and supporters -- the first among them is his wife, Cara.

When asked if there was anyone he wanted to thank, he answered, "I will start with the obvious, my beautiful, loving, understanding angel of a wife who has been understanding about my financial commitment, time commitment and still loves me despite questionable sanity."

His list continued: his family, his fellow firefighters on the Mentor Fire Department and Joann Buckley in administration -- "She will kill me if I don't give a shoutout," he joked -- his inlaws for being in his support crew, Mark Sahley and his family and "everyone at Yours Truly for having to listen to me for months."

'One person will get inspired to get off the couch'

DiDonato doesn't make predictions about whether or not her will finish the race.

He doesn't have to. Just making it this far is an accomplishment.

"Ultimately, I know that no matter what transpires, I will come out a better person with a better understanding of myself," he said. "Overall, I am excited to get after it, have fun and get my money’s worth."

He originally started competing in physical challenges like Tackle the Tower -- in which firefighters scale more than 150 stories while wearing full firefighting gear -- to get back into shape.

He has long since exceeded that goal and now hopes to inspire others. Maybe they won't read his story and decide to compete in a death race, but he hopes they are spurred to try something equally improbable and challenging.

"Hopefully one person will get inspired to get off the couch and take on something bigger than themselves without fear of failure, just for the sake of doing it," he said.

"We will see how my attitude is about the whole thing after three days."