The Inspiration for the Deadly Dozen Fitness Race

Written By Jason Curtis
Deadly Dozen Competitors

Certain distances are particularly horrific when it comes to running, and that is because they are not short enough to be over quickly (there’s plenty of time to suffer), yet they are not long enough to warrant slowing down and pacing yourself.

On the athletics track, the 400m and 800m are precisely that, and when it comes to road running, the ability to run a fast 5km has always been noteworthy to me. Whenever an athlete I worked with had a quick 5km time (relative to their gender, bodyweight, and age, etc), they ALWAYS stood out in both their physical and mental capacities, especially when that individual was also strong in the gym – when someone has good physical strength, and can also smash out a good 5km time, they are not just a Hybrid Athlete, they are an absolute beast!

One of the best ways to train for a fast 5km time is with the infamous interval session: 12x 400m runs, usually with around 45-120 seconds of recovery (slow jog: 200-300m). This training session was the initial inspiration for the race.

Fitness racing is, by nature, leg-heavy, and that’s good because running on tired legs separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls. However, I wanted to create a race involving many upper-body movements. Rather than going from cardio to cardio, I jumped from cardio (the run) to a resistance exercise, or at least a bodyweight movement requiring a lot of muscular energy.

I wanted these exercises to develop the key fundamental movements such as Hinge, Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull and Carry. I wanted them to be accessible to all, using only basic equipment. And most of all, I wanted them to feel “laboursome.” I wanted each exercise station to feel like a real “Labour” between each run, and this, of course, got me thinking about the 12 Labours of Hercules and how he would “Journey” to each – unfortunately, I don’t have Namean Lion’s or Hydra’s for people to slay.

I was worried about linking Greek mythology to the Deadly Dozen at the risk of being cliché. However, on second thought, Greek mythology is exceptionally cool (I get that referring to something as “extremely cool” is NOT very cool), and I have always been a massive advocate of Stoicism (a school of philosophy from ancient Greece and Rome). People confuse Stoicism with having a stiff upper lip and bottling things up, but it is the opposite. Stoicism is about having a deeper understanding of how you react to the curve balls life throws at you and handling these things with emotional intelligence, fortitude, and self-discipline to benefit both you and the people around you.

I feel many Stoic principles go hand in hand with hard physical training and will ultimately help you to become a better athlete. Therefore, I have sprinkled this manual with lots of Stoic wisdom and some wisdom or insight I have picked up over the years. I also think that making things fun is vital because enjoyment promotes consistency. Therefore, I have aimed to use gamification where possible by utilising Greek mythology with fun ranking systems, etc. – I hope you find value in how I have tried to make the Deadly Dozen an exceptionally challenging yet fun training system.

Fitness Racing and Stoicism have helped me become a fitter, healthier, happier, and all-around better human being (husband, father, friend, colleague, boss, athlete)—the mind develops the body, and the body develops the mind.

“Difficulties strengthen the mind as labour does the body.” – Seneca

“The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths.” – Epictetus

Coach Jason Curtis
Founder & Race Director

 
Jason Curtis
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