My Spartan Story

Not long ago I was asked to compose my own Spartan story. Scroll down past the pictures if you want to skip this intro.

One of the greatest lessons that training for Spartan challenges has taught me is reflected in the African proverb: "If I want to run fast, I run by myself. If I want to run far, I run with my team." I went from sheepishly signing up for a somewhat solo mission in the mountains of PA to wanting to complete a race alongside my team, notably with my wife, all while wearing a ruck. My proudest moment hasn't come from earning recognition within my age group or being named an elite athlete. That's not what Spartan is all about. Spartan challenges, although called races, are more about overcoming obstacles as a group. I mean, the movie is called 300, not 1. Spartan Founder Joe Desena rightly put it this way - "It's not about you. It's about the Spartan beside you." I'm proud to be part of the Spartan culture, not as an individual, but as part of a team: Get Tough Fitness. To read more about my team click on this link. The pictures below chronicle my experiences with Spartan since July 2012.

Jeff at the Spartan Sprint in PA - July, 2012

Jeff at the Spartan Times Square Challenge in January, 2013

Jeff in his first Hurricane Heat at Citi Field 5am - April, 2013

Jeff, with the GET TOUGH FITNESS ASSASSINS - April, 2013

Jeff, with colleagues (and his ruck), at Citi Field - April, 2013

Jeff, with his amazin wife Lily, after the Spartan Sprint at Citi Field - April 2013

This is first Spartan-inspired bow tie hand crafted by Jeff in July 2013

This is the last Spartan-inspired bow tie hand crafted by Jeff in January 2013

What does a fashion statement have to do with an obstacle race? Well, for one middle school math teacher from Brooklyn, New York, the two things go hand in muddy hand.

I first became acquainted with obstacle racing in May of this past year. While combing through a few of my Facebook notifications I realized some of my friends were signing up for a Spartan race as a group. I was no where near physically ready to take on a race, so on the recommendation of a tattooist's apprentice I found a training ground at GTfit. This community of obstacle racers inspired me to register for my first Spartan Sprint at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort. With a few weeks to train I began to realize there there is now way that training for an obstacle would not affect other aspects of my life. Training for the Spartan became a constant conversation starter with my 6th grade math students, who would ask about my progression on a daily basis. "Did you give your max effort Mr. Vasquez?" and "Did you wake up early to train today or are you running after school?" were among the most commonly asked questions during class. During slower moments in the day I would even show videos of Spartan races that I found on youtube to sustain the conversation and hold myself accountable to the 70 students I directly had contact with who I knew would constantly ask about my training.

Speaking of burpees and leg lifts would eventually turn into conversations about the obstacles that the adolescent mind has to overcome to perform above the level of their potential. If one of my students raised their hand to go to the bathroom during instruction I would quickly ask - "Is this an emergency - or is this an obstacle you can overcome?" Among the myriad of mental math questions I peppered, I'd sprinkle questions that forced kids to realize that they are constantly overcoming obstacles - limitations like stereotypes placed on them because their skin color, their families' income and their zip code. What started out as some athletic event I wanted to try to accomplish personally became this communal learning experience that I could not explain. And then, after twelve years of teaching in a NYC public school, the most rewarding thing happened. On the last day of school I received a hand written note from one of my students. She had joined the school three months into the school year and had to overcome being the new kid, the separation of her parents, and the expectations that come with being the oldest child in her family. In her note she wrote, "The biggest lesson I learned from you was to put myself in uncomfortable spots so I can challenge myself. " At that point I realized that my Spartan training didn't end with me and this one race. I needed to continue to embrace obstacle racing as a means to teach others to overcome obstacles in their lives.

So how does fashion fit into this equation?

Back in January of this year I celebrated 1,000 consecutive school days without taking a day off. I know this may be considered a silly statistic considering weekends, holidays and a summer break, but believe it or not, there are a certain number of days per school year that we're allowed to request off - and at one point in my teaching career I abused this privilege for no good reason. To mark this professional milestone of mine I decided to take on a new obstacle - wearing a bow tie for 1,000 consecutive days (this time weekends, holidays and summer would count) to raise awareness of the achievement gap. I committed to posting daily pictures of the bow ties I wear and summarize whatever might be going on in my personal or professional life. As my bow tie cause was gaining momentum I realized that I would not be wearing a bow tie to a Spartan Sprint. Then the idea hit me - not unlike a spear, either. I could re-purpose the finisher's t-shirt and handcraft my very own original Spartan bow tie. The message to my students then became abundantly clear and during our school's first assembly in August 2012 - nearly a month after I ran the Spartan Sprint I got to share this in front of the entire school: "I turn my obstacles into bow ties. What do you do with your obstacles?"