ELFIT Day 2: Not Quite a Day at the Beach as Athletes Get Buried in the Sand
Event 3 “Sons of Horus” was a three-part triplet with time caps on parts A and B. Athletes had 12 minutes to bike 6km on a stationary bike, then another 12 minutes to finish the 350m swim.
Event 3: “Sons of Horus“
- Part A:
6KM Stationary Bike (12 min cap) - Part B:
350m swim - Part C:
600m run
150m sandbag carry (200/150)
But wait, there’s a catch: At 24 minutes, athletes who failed to finish the swim would be capped, but those who did finish and started the run, they were required to complete the entire workout. There was no time cap.
For the women, most struggled with the 150m sandbag carry 150m in the sand. Not more than a handful were able to get the bag up onto their shoulders. Already significantly winded from a 6km bike and 350m swim, the 150-pound bag proved devastating.
It was “very heavy but I can handle it,” said Deka Zebdieh. The Jordanian athlete said she had trained with that weight before but the sand made it quite challenging. She was one of the few athletes who was able to get the sandbag to her shoulder and, as a result, was able to overtake several athletes ahead of her to finish 5th in that event and move into 5th overall.
For others, it wasn’t that easy.
Emma Morgan spent nearly 10 grueling minutes on the 150m sandbag carry.
“F**k this is heavy,” she thought picking it up the first time. “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“I didn’t realize there was no time cap. I kept waiting for the horn to finish the workout.”
Not everyone, though, struggled. South African Megan Faul made quick work of the sandbag spending about half the time as Morgan. She bear hug carried the first 50-meters before switching to a should approach. Altogether she spent a little more than five minutes on the sand and took first by 1 minute, 13 seconds.
Men
Even though Brent Fikowski would take the overall event win, he was the 5th in the water. His skill in the water showed as he moved through the 350m swim with little difficulty, kick-turning each of the seven 50m laps. He was the only athlete we noticed who was able to swim unbroken and was first to exit the water, a position he wouldn’t relinquish.
On the men’s side, the 200-pound sandbag proved a lot less costly. Fikowski, in first, trotted the entire 150m with the bag on his shoulder. A little less than a minute later, Ryan Potgieter from South Africa, walked the bag across the finish in one go. It would be almost another minute before Phil Hesketh crossed the line. Few athletes after that would go unbroken on the carry.
“Good. Strong effort,” Fikowski said hunched over at the finish line. “I didn’t want to put the bag done.”
Results and Standings
Event 3 Results:
- Brent Fikowski – 19:24 | Natalie Meaker – 23:15
- Ruan Potgieter – 20:19 | Megan Faul – 24:28
- Phil Hesketh – 21:14 | Antonia Falt-Kottulinsky – 24:46
- Assem Effat – 21:25 | Sofie Aniliadis – 28:00
- Abdelrahman Sweif – 21:56 | Dema Zebideh – 30:04
Overall Standings after Event 3:
- Brent Fikowski – 337 | Antonia Falt-Kottulinsky – 360
- Ruan Potgieter – 314 | Gilmari Reyneke – 338
- Pontus Forsberg – 282 | Shahad Budebs – 333
- Phil Hesketh – 275 | Megan Faul – 321
- Assem Effat – 275 | Dema Zebdieh – 313
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