Our Spartan Family Challenge

Instead of a relaxing lakeside vacation last summer, our family ran a grueling obstacle race as a team.

Spoiler alert: we all survived!

We also faced fears and experienced victories. It was an adventure that brought us together and made some lasting memories.

Getting hyped at the starting line for the Spartan Stadion run

Fun facts about our Spartan Family Challenge:

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana

Number of team participants: 9 (7 family, 2 friends)

Team name: Van Dyke Voyagers

Obstacle stats: (these numbers are not exact, they are rough estimates based on what we do know about the standard weights and average distances in the Spartan race)

Stairs climbed: 1500

Distance covered (run/walk/crawl): 5 km

Vertical distance (jump/climb): 95 feet (men) and 90 feet (women)

Weight lifted (cumulatively, not counting body weight up rope climb, etc): 1700 lb (men) and 1300 (women)

Notre Dame stadium

A-frame cargo net

Hercules Hoist - not my finest moment