- April 18, 2024
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Bryce Burton finished first at the 10:30 a.m. race. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Anya Joseph was delighted to be finished with the course. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Brandon Weiner stopped at the top of the cargo net to wave to the spectators. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Bryce, Brandon, Braydon, Britton Miller, Landry and Lily Hetherly, and Anya and Rayan Joseph Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Rayan Joseph
The students celebrated the finished course with P.E. Instructor Dottie McLallen. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Eight students from Grace Academy conquered the energy-taxing one-mile and half-mile Spartan Race obstacle courses on Saturday, May 13, in Bunnell.
Determined to take hold of the coveted Spartan medals, Britton Miller, Bryce and Braydon Burton, Anya and Rayan Joseph, Brandon Weiner and Landry and Lily Hetherly each muddied their clothes, ran through the woods and finished by climbing up
“I hope they now know that they can conquer anything. This was a lesson for life.”
DOTTIE MCLALLEN, P.E. Instructor for Grace Academy
and over a 10-foot framed cargo net.
“They were all stars,” said Dottie McLallen, the academy’s P.E. teacher. I knew that they could do it, but I was concerned about the difficulty or fear of failure. But they rocked it!”
McLallen had been training the students for the Spartan Race since January. Every Wednesday, she would set up obstacles, weights, running courses and jumping spaces to prepare the students for the ultimate competition.
The students took advantage of the school’s camping trip to Camp Shands to gain more knowledge and experience by working with the boy scouts with ropes and other obstacle course.
Based on how easy the course seemed for even the littlest Grace Academy participants, all of the preparation paid off, and all eight were awarded medals after the race.
The third-graders (Brandon and Bryce) handled their one-mile course so easily, they decided to take on the half-miler with their younger schoolmates. But, after the second course, they were wiped out.
Brandon, a CrossFit trainer, said he felt he was in his regular training environment — except all of the dirt. He said he enjoyed the health benefits and the nice medallion, but he never likes getting dirty.
Nevertheless, all of the students returned to school on Monday with a nice-sized chain, and they were able to show off the fruit of their months’ worth of labor.
“I hope they now know that they can conquer anything,” McLallen said. “This was a lesson for life.”
