Five of the ESD Pathfinders (from L-R): Daniel Ostrowski, Tom Glassett, Kim Glassett, Sharon Green and Tammy Burnham.
On August 6, 2016, nine ESD 112 employees and eight family members and friends voluntarily crawled, climbed, shimmied and ran through the mud and 26 obstacles for over four miles. What started as a friendly rivalry in the IT department between a Navy veteran (Dietrich Hildebrandt) and an Air Force veteran (Richard Force), grew into a full-fledged ESD 112 Spartan race team: The ESD112 Pathfinders.
The Pathfinders trained mainly on their own over the past year before putting themselves to the test at the Washougal MX Park this August. All were welcome, regardless of experience or physical ability. The only requirement was the desire for camaraderie, fun and pure physical punishment.
A Force to be reckoned with.
Rick Batterberry claims he was tricked into joining the team. “Dietrich fooled me into signing up. I thought I was going to a picnic with lots of unhealthy food,” he jokes.
Many of the Pathfinders had participated in mud runs in the past, but the Spartan was a whole different beast. Richard Force explains, “I’ve run the Warrior Dash a few times, but it’s a walk in the park compared to the Spartan Race.”
For other participants, this was their first time doing anything like it. Sharon Green says she decided to do it to challenge herself. “I knew that I was not going to be able to do all of the obstacles, but I tried some and completed others,” she says. “I’m proud of myself and other ESDers for finishing the challenge.”
The obstacles on the course ranged from carrying 70 pound buckets of rocks up a hill to crawling under barbed wire to scaling walls. Each participant had their least favorite obstacle, and there were several injuries, but everyone ended the day with something to be proud of.
“I was happy with how well I did the hills,” says Kim Glassett. “I was not surprised that I still can’t climb a rope–I mean, it has been since 4th grade that I was successful at that!”
Dietrich Hildebrandt and his wife, Sara, after the race.
Having heard how competitive the race could be, Tammy Burnham was surprised by how much camaraderie there was, even among complete strangers. She explains, “There were so many walls to climb over, and everyone was helping everyone over that needed it and cheering them on. At one wall there were a couple of girls I helped with a step up, and they came back around the wall to see if I needed a boost too rather than just continuing on. That was happening a lot; I thought it was very cool!”
When asked if they plan to participate again next year, the Pathfinders are split. Many of the members are going to stick with less intense races. Richard is definitely in for next year. “I failed three obstacles. I feel I have not completed the race until I can complete all the obstacles,” he says.
Rick also plans to do it again. “My oldest son ran with me and injured himself halfway through helping another participant. He wants to run next year, so the old man is going with him.”
And, of course, Dietrich still has the rivalry to settle with Richard. He had a faster time, but he didn’t beat the 30 minute handicap he gave Richard for their age difference.
Pathfinder consensus is that the race was a positive experience. Rick was surprised that he could climb the half-inch rope 15 feet into the air to ring the bell. He says, “Spectator response was worth a million bucks: ‘Look at the old man climb the rope!’…’He has great technique!’ We can always do more than we think we can. It’s mind over body to push ourselves beyond the artificial limits that we set for ourselves. Hail to the ESD112 Spartans!”
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