Brains, brawn to complete Trench Challenge 2017

A visibly bruised James Lee poses after crossing the finish line of last Sunday’s Trench Challenge 2017 held at the Guam International Raceway in Yigo. (Contributed Photo)

It takes more than strength to conquer the grueling obstacle course of the Guam Trench Challenge 2017.

And James Lee learned that the hard way after injuring his left shoulder when he competed in last Sunday’s event at the Guam International Raceway in Yigo.

Lee was among the hundreds that joined the race where you need to hurdle 20 obstacles scattered around the course. The person who completes the race in the shortest time is declared the winner.

Penalties, like doing burpees or other exercises, were also given to those who failed to hurdle the obstacles. Competitors are allowed to “tap out” if they feel they could not complete the obstacle and opt to doing the penalty.

“You have to use your mind when taking on the obstacles. Sure, you can rely on your strength and challenge yourself, but is it more practical? You could go and try to complete the obstacle or you could just do the penalty,” Lee told Saipan Tribune.

“If completing the obstacle would take you four or five minutes, but you feel that you could complete the penalty in half the time, then why not go for the penalty,” added Lee, who was joined by CNMI representatives Andrew Agulto and Rodney Camacho in the race. The two competed in the recreational division

He started out strong and was among the first ones who managed to climb the first obstacle, an inflatable slide, but failed to clear it after his left arm was caught in the ropes. “I trained to compete but I was one of five persons that got trapped.

“I popped my shoulder and I got stuck when the inflatable slide started to deflate due to over capacity, while I was still on top of it. People holding on to me also did not help my situation.”

Lee managed to complete the race even without using his left shoulder. “I sucked it up and finished the race. There’s this obstacle where you need to use your both arms and legs. I only used one arm and wrapped my legs on the rope to clear the wall.”

“The course dealt with a lot of your upper body strength. And there were a lot of runs too. I was running with limited movement with my left arm for I don’t want to make things worse,” he added.

The race was a qualifying event for the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships on Oct. 15 in Blue Mountain, Ontario, Canada. The Top 3 finishers in each of the male and female elite and the Top 5 in the age groups earned slots in the finals.

Lee came in fifth in the 35-39 age group in the elite division and 37th overall, completing the challenging course in 1:12:53. He managed to clinch a spot in the worlds but sadly he won’t compete as he needs to rest his shoulder.

“I was not expecting it. My time was not something to brag about, but I’m going to use this as a reminder to myself to not give up on something you’ve been working hard. The [world championships] is in October, so I probably won’t go, my shoulder is not yet 100 percent.

“Maybe it was also adrenalin pumping that’s why I did not felt any pain at first. But after the race, that’s when I started to feel and I took painkillers after the event. It was still a fun experience.”

Lee said that he would again join next year. “This is my first time at the competitive level. There was a lot of cardio and the use of your upper body, which was good since that has been what I’m training on. I’ll train harder and smarter, and be back again next year.”