The Spartan Death Race for Life (DRFL) was a great success!

  Now we are counting on you and others who sponsored to reach our goal of $25,000 by July 5th

  

Nelson ‘Runaway’ Diaz made it for 31 hours and 35 minutes.

He didn’t finish but he also didn’t quit! Personally, I’m so proud to have personally witnessed the dedication, drive, persistence and good Christian witness of this brother… Dean

Nelson writes:

I missed the 4pm Saturday time hack by 30 minutes after completing the orienteering challenge It was an awesome experience cut short. Life on God's terms is awesome!

 ‘Beautiful Sunday! Death Race update: I completed the orienteering challenge but missed yesterday's 4pm time hack by 30 minutes. Thanks for the love, prayers, & for supporting my 'Death Race For Life' campaign that benefit the life support mission of gateway.org! I hope you enjoyed the free downloadable 'Loud Whispers' mp3. I will post death race details shortly. For the record, The Average Man Nelson Runaway Diaz (bib #017 aka Capt. Caveman) DNQ but he DNF. Great event!! #peakdr’

On behalf of Gateway Pregnancy Center, thank you to all who have sponsored Nelson so far.  We still have a way to go.

The deadline is approaching (July 5^th.) so please return your sponsor sheets to the address below by Saturday July 5^th.

Check out some of the photos .. before the race

Liberty Baptist Church (Union) challenge on 

May 24, 2014 -  Brandon and Nelson

  

                                           Packing what is necessary  

                                                            Focusing on the goal        

 

Leaving New Jersey  

                                                        At the starting line

         

‘Every man dies but not every man lives’

Interesting fact: ‘Spartan soldiers were expected to fight without fear and to the last man. Surrender was viewed as the epitome of cowardice, and warriors who voluntarily laid down their arms were so shamed that they often resorted to suicide. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, two Spartan soldiers who missed out on the famous Battle of Thermopylae returned to their homeland disgraced. 

One later hanged himself, and the other was only redeemed after he died fighting in a later engagement. Even Spartan mothers were known for their do-or-die approach to military campaigns. Spartan women are said to have sent their sons off to war with a chilling reminder: “Return with your shield or on it.” 

If a Spartan trooper died in battle, he was viewed as having completed his duty as a citizen. In fact, the law mandated that only two classes of people could have their names inscribed on their tombstones: women who died in childbirth and men who fell in combat.’
                                                       Personal Thought: 
 Do we take our Christian life with that kind of seriousness?

Our time in Pittsfield, Vermont




One Spartan and One Death Racer!

            Registration@ 6am              

    Nelson begins a ‘short’ 5 1/2 mile hike up Mount Gilke                             

                                                                                                                  

                                                                               

             

 Hauling rocks

 

A pile of homemade axes

 
                     

   

                                                              

                            ... and some logs                

             

   

       Rocks and boulders ready for an interesting project -  building a stairway    

                  to Joe's Mountain

                    

 Climbing Bloodroot Mountain Trail Mountain – one boulder at a time!

                                               Checking the gear              

                

               

Nelson (center in red) on one of the trails

   

Headlamps from three hikers on the Bloodroot Trail at about 10pm

    Carving / burning out a bowl from a log

Back to Riverside Farm on Saturday

Brief video of Nelson Runaway Diaz after 24 hours of grueling endurance at Gateway`s Spartan Death Race for Life  - 9am Saturday June 28, 2014.

                                          4:30pm:   Saying goodbye for now     
              

                                Mike (on the left) filmed for a  documentary

     

Keith and Lisa are believers from North Carolina. Keith helped Dean while on Bloodroot        Mountain, late Friday evening, losing some time in the race. We had great fellowship together.

  

                                          Nelson says goodbye to a new friend from Canada

            

                               Nelson says goodbye after 31 plus hours and a job well done      

The Ultimate Death Race tract ..   Gateway produced was given to a number of hikers on the trail and along our travels in Pittsfield.   

                                            FYI:   About 77 of the original 198 finished

5:15 am Sunday June 29 2014

Everyone’s going home!

Please remember to mail in your sponsor forms by July 5th.  
to the address below

To give online click here

Links to some great information and photos:

Death Race on Instagram - #peakDR

The Basic Information of the Death Race

Thepopularity of the Death Race

TheFacebook page

The schedule of events

Howstuff works article

Somefolks stories from the past

 

 

Gateway Pregnancy Center  960 Springfield Avenue, Irvington, NJ 07111    dean@gateway.org