In this day and age, there are too many things to do and spend time
on. Teenagers nowadays spend a lot of time on their smart phones, tablets,
laptops, gaming consoles, and TV screens. There’s just too much distraction
that there’s almost no room for going outside and being physically active.
But that’s not the case for the seventeen-year-old Spartan Race
trifecta medal holder, Tania Sasha John. She grew up in Shah Alam, in the state
capital of Selangor, Malaysia. At a young age, she has
finished all three Spartan Race categories. She has always been into physical
activities, but just like any other teenager, she outgrows them, eventually
loses interest, and moves on to the next one. This was her routine until she
discovered the Spartan Race. “Spartan is very unique in how you don’t have to
be just strong but you also have to have the stamina and endurance.” Tania
shared. “It’s a completely different challenge.”
She got into Spartan when her friends, Akif and Tunku,were once
talking about the race. Eventually they all signed up for the Spartan Sprint, a
three-mile course with over 20 obstacles. Before the race, she had a hard time
finding the time to train and balance school life, but she was able to make it
and found the race very enjoyable.
Her friends again decided to try the Spartan Super, an 8-mile course
with 25 obstacles but Tania was not too keen on joining the next race. She was
discouraged being the only girl from her circle who did the previous race, good
thing the mom, and sister of her friend Tunku, decided to join. “I was very
happy that I had other girls to do it with me.” She said.
Tania had the same dilemma when it was time for the Spartan Beast,
an over 13-mile race with 30 obstacles. No other girl from her friends would
like to do the race. She also shared that the Beast category was a really hard
one for her as she had to deal with a sad tragedy. “It’s such a big race where
you have to be mentally ready,” she narrated.“I wasn’t in the right mind frame
because I found out the day before the race that I would need to put my dog to
sleep.” A big heartbreak for a teenager to deal with, but her friends
encouraged and believed in her, which was great push for her to accomplish
something bigger. She managed to do and finish the final category. All the hard
work paid-off as finishing all three races made Tania feel very happy and
accomplished.
She would like to encourage other young girls who would like to try
the race to just do it. “At the end of the day, it’s okay to be the only girl
among the boys doing this kind of things.” She shared that while it may be sad,
it’s a good reason to do it. “that’s why we have to do it so that we can show
girls can do these kinds of activities too, breaking the gender norms.
Tania is now in
college and would like to join a Spartan Race again if the timing would be right
for her. For now, she stays active through swimming and horseback riding.
In the American competition series Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge every team will need two men, two
women, and an Elite Spartan athlete to compete and qualify. This gives equal opportunity
for men and women to showcase their strength,
skill, and willpower. The race is known to be the
hardest obstacle course challenge in the planet which can test even the most
determined and disciplined athlete. Follow the journey of the teams to their
race to quarter a million US dollars every Saturday, 9:35PM on RTL CBS Extreme.
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and at @rtlcbsextreme on Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
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