Marble Falls athlete pushes himself physically, mentally in Spartan Race series

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

MARBLE FALLS — Isaiah Vidal doesn’t wallow in the mud when things don’t go his way. His reaction to disappointment, especially in regard to his obstacle course racing, more likely involves recovery and domination.

After driving 13 hours to compete in the 2013 Colorado Military Spartan Race on May 4-5, Vidal finished two seconds out of first in the Saturday Elites Race.

“I knew this was my race,” the Marble Falls High School graduate said. Though he crossed the finish line first with a time of 48 minutes and 15 seconds, Colorado-resident Justin Jindra captured the top spot with the time of 47 minutes and 32 seconds. Jindra started further back in the pack, so his chip timer didn’t start until he officially crossed the start line well behind Vidal.

Vidal finished second.

But Vidal returned May 5 to compete in a second Elite Race over the four-mile obstacle course. This time, Vidal captured first place outright in a time of 48 minutes and 31 seconds.

“I wanted to make a statement,” he said. “Running those races within 24 hours of each other and finishing second and then first is a big accomplishment.”

But his obstacle racing season is far from over. Vidal returns to his home turf May 11-12 when he’ll compete in the 2013 Spartan Sprint at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet. Again, he’ll be competing in the Elite Races.

His races start at 8 a.m. each day, but the event runs Open Races throughout Saturday and Sunday.

“There will be a lot of other elites in this race,” he said. “So I know it will be extremely challenging.”

Last year, Vidal finished fifth in the Saturday race and second in Sunday’s. This year, he hopes to finish on top of the podium.

Obstacle course racing (OCR) has really caught on the past several years. In 2005, Spartan Race founders Joe DeSena and Andy Weinberg introduced the world to the Death Race in Vermont which pushed competitors over a course for about 24 hours with many challenges and obstacles to endure (including lugging logs, chopping wood and even cutting a bushel of onions).

In 2010, DeSena and Weinberg launched the Spartan Race series which features events of approximately three to four miles (Spartan Spring), eight miles (Super Spartan) and more than 10 miles (Spartan Beast). Throughout the course, officials placed numerous challenging obstacles that force competitors to challenge themselves physically and mentally.

Other OCR events such as the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash have also become major draws.

Each year, more than a million people push themselves through the mud, over obstacles and through the trails as willing participants in grueling obstacle course races. Enthusiasts and OCR officials claim it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country as people search for ways to challenge themselves.

Vidal isn’t new to the sport. Though an accomplished high school soccer and football athlete, he found his niche in obstacle course racing.

Since 2011, Vidal has competed in 17 Spartan Races. He also battled through the 2012 Death Race. He was one of the few who completed the monster.

Of the 344 people who registered for the 2012 Death Race, there were only 51 “official finishers” and eight more “unofficial finishers.”

Looking at Vidal, one might not expect him to be a strong competitor in what is typically considered an endurance sport. He doesn’t embody the tall, lanky ideal one thinks of when it comes to endurance athletes. Instead, Vidal brings more of a gymnastic physique to the competition.

But that’s his advantage.

“Because of my strength, I overcome the obstacles quicker,” Vidal said.

Opponents shouldn’t take him lightly even if he admits he’s not a strong runner. He still trains seriously for the events, both strength and endurance. This is, after all, a young man who for his 19th birthday in March 2012 ran from Marble Falls to the Capitol in Austin.

One of his training routines included running through Marble Falls wearing an altitude mask and carrying 45-pound barbell plates. The idea was that the mask produced the effect as if he was running at a higher altitude forcing his lungs to work harder and become stronger.

During the Colorado Military Spartan Sprint, Vidal’s training paid off because he was a rare non-Colorado athlete to finish among the top five. The Fort Carson course played into Vidal’s strengths in several ways with the type and placement of obstacles.

It wasn’t an easy race on any level. U.S. Army Special Forces and 4th Infantry Units designed the course.
“I went into it with a great strategy,” Vidal said.

Though Vidal doesn’t train at the level he once did — up to five hours a day — he’s become wiser on what works and what doesn’t. His current training usually comes to an hour a day, but he still maintains an intense regime.

“Obstacle course racing opened up a sport for me. It opened a different athlete for me,” he said. “I do take it seriously, but it’s only one part of my life.”

With the Burnet event looming, Vidal limits his training so not to wear himself out. But then he’ll ramp up the intensity. Vidal has committed to competing in the 2013 Death Race June 21-22 in Pittsfield, Vermont. The race’s Website is actually www.youmaydie.com.

Vidal entertains the idea of becoming a sponsored obstacle course athlete. Down the road, he would love to turn the racing into a livelihood, but he understands it’s not an easy journey.

However, getting to where he is now as a regular podium contender in obstacle course racing wasn’t easy either.

“It took me a good, solid year before I made the podium,” Vidal said. “The racing is a constant reminder of life. There are obstacles, but I know I’ll get to the finish line. I’m blessed for what I have right now, but there’s a lot more to come both in racing and in life.”

daniel@thepicayune.com