This unique event will be a combination of track, road, trail and weight-lifting. For the bench press portion of the event, participants will be asked to bench press a percentage of their body weight based on their age and gender. Athletes will get a 30-second reduction of their race time for every bench press repetition (the number of times they can lift the weight in one sitting).
“I’ll be preparing for the Pump & Run event by practicing bench pressing 85% of my body weight,” said senior Nate Szarmach. Not interested in bench pressing? No problem: You don’t have to lift weights, just do the run part of the event.
Registration and packet pick-up is from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Dec. 1 at the high school. The Weigh-in and Bench Press will be from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the school’s weight room. This will be followed by a two-mile race at 10:30 am at the track. Finally, at 11 a.m. awards and prizes will be given to participants. Even if you don’t place, you don’t necessarily have to walk away empty-handed, as the first 200 registrants will receive a sports bag with a water bottle and a goody bag. Refreshments will be provided at the end of the race.
Awards will be given to the top overall male and female, as well as the top three in each age and gender group: 15-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60+.
The entry fee is $20 for adults, and $15 for youth 17 and under. Participants can register up until 8 a.m. the day of the race. According to DeVore, 100% of the proceeds from the event will benefit the FCHS Track and Field program.
