SMHS Alum Succumbs to Death Race, Vows to Conquer It Next Year

A San Marino High School alumnus and former SMHS wrestling coach and his teammate who flew to Vermont last week to were not able to finish in time but vowed to take another crack at it next year.

Daren de Heras (SMHS alum) and Yesel Arvizu for months in preparation for the June 25 Death Race, which bills itself as the championship of endurance sports. De Heras wrote in a Facebook message that the two were not able to finish in the allotted 48-hour time frame but are already eager to try again next June.

"It was the toughest, sickest, most challenging thing I have ever been a part of," de Heras wrote. "We did not finish the 48 (hour) finish line but will be back 2012 to finish the beast."

De Heras, now a wrestling coach at , and Arvizu, a special education instructor at , had to bring along a for the Death Race that included an axe, a No. 2 pencil, a hand saw, and a live fish. All of the items are used for humorous and intense challenges in the two-day endurance event that tests contestants in both mind and body.

De Heras said in his online post that the event began by forcing racers to lift 25-pound rocks 1,300 times while lugging 40-pound backpacks around.

"Then the fun began with freezing rivers, wood choping, sleep deprivation...etc," de Heras wrote.

Check back later this week for a full recap of the Death Race experiences from de Heras and Arvizu.