Mentor Firefighter Taking On Spartan Death Race

Mentor Firefighter Antonio DiDonato is competing in a race so tough that the organizers warn "you may die."

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

Three hundred of the toughest people around the world, including DiDonato, will gather for the race June 15 in Pittsfield, VT. They have no idea what physical and mental obstacles they will face -- only the race's theme, which is betrayal.

They don't know what to expect, just that they won't be able to sleep for more than 48 hours while they complete progressively more ridiculous challenges.

And why is DiDonato doing it?

"It's a lot more fun than sitting in a gym and working out," he said.

Tackling the Tower

It's easy to gain weight when you join a fire department, DiDonato said, comparing it to the dreaded "freshman 15" that coeds usually gain when they leave for college.

DiDonato said his weight jumped from 180 to 205 pounds after joining the .

"I was feeling pretty awful so I decided to get into shape," he said.

However, DiDonato is not one to simply run on a treadmill or lift weights in a gym.

Instead, he started competing in Tackle the Tower challenges, in which he climbed several flights of stairs while carrying 60 pounds of firefighter's equipment.

In addition to helping him stay in good shape, DiDonato says the training helped him become a better firefighter.

"I think it makes me more adept for my job," he said.

DiDonato tackled taller and taller towers until he climbed 180 stories with all of his gear in 56 minutes.

But you can only go so far while climbing stairs, he said.

"Where do you go after climbing 180 stories?" he said. "I couldn't go any farther than that without leaving the country, so I needed to find a new challenge."

Spartan Death Race

Most of the people who start the Death Race don't finish it. 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.

The obstacles are just as taxing psychologically as they are physically, DiDonato said.

"You can have the strongest body there, but if you're not mentally ready, you'll get weeded out pretty quickly," he said.

So how does one prepare for a challenge where anything can happen? By doing everything, DiDonato said.

He crosstrains for hours. Additionally, he is competing in different unorthodox challenges each month to train the Death Race.

This month, he is doing more than 5,000 push ups. On St. Patrick's Day, he'll compete in the Goruck Challenge in Boston where he'll have to survive a 10-hour military crucible while carrying a 40-pound rucksack.

He'll also use each of these challenges as a way to raise money for charity, he said.

"If you're going to do something, you might as well raise funds," DiDonato reasons.

'Anybody can do anything'

Despite some of the intense physical feats he has accomplished, DiDonato does not consider himself an athlete.

"I'm not an athlete," he said. "I'm very adamant about it. I just like a good challenge."

But -- athlete or not -- these challenges have helped him realize his own potential.

"Anyone can do anything," he said. "It's just what you put your mind to."