DEERFIELD BEACH -- John Spera was almost at the finish line of a race that lasted a little over two minutes. Walking backward, dragging a 185-pound dummy, Spera was sweating profusely and trying not to think of the pain shooting through his legs with every agonizing step. He wore the discomfort on his face, noticeable through the protective gear he wears as a member of Boca Raton Fire Rescue.
"Your body's already given up at that point," said Spera, one of 127 participants in the Firefighter Combat Challenge, a highlight of the annual Deerfield Beach Blowout, a three-day series of endurance tests and competitions primarily among emergency workers and lifeguards. During the combat challenge, firefighters from across the country climb a four-story apparatus, run back down, run a slalom course marked by fire hydrants, drag a hose across the track, and drag a body to the finish line.
Each portion of the race is designed to simulate a real danger or challenge firefighters might face on the job. They wear full gear, insulated to protect them from the dangerously high temperatures present during a real fire. But that gear keeps their body heat trapped, with no ventilation. They breathe through oxygen masks, and after two minutes of intense activity, every breath is a labored one.
While training to be a firefighter, most recruits are considered successful if they can complete a similar exercise in five minutes. After 1:50, Spera was only a few yards away from the finish line.
"You think to yourself, `Why are you doing this?'" he said later. "And then you think, the next 10 feet are nothing compared to the feeling of quitting. I don't want that feeling for the rest of my life."
Many firefighters pretend that the body they're dragging belongs to a real victim, perhaps even a loved one, Spera said. "Whatever it takes."
Joel Campbell, 27, who graduated from the Coral Springs Fire Academy three weeks ago, envied the competitors as some showed they could finish in under two minutes.
"I've done it in about 2 1/2 minutes," said Campbell, a volunteer helping reset the course after every two-man race. "But some of these guys who make better time than I do are a lot older than I am."
Case in point: Dave Cusack, 59, of Lyons Muir, Mich. Cusack clocked in at 2:36, nearly beating Campbell's best time. And Cusack, who has competed in similar races 66 times over the past decade, was a little ashamed of his performance.
"It's the toughest two minutes in all sports," said Cusack, echoing the event's slogan. "The firefighters you see here are the best of the best. Me, I get a year older every year. I'm not going to make my best time again."
That would be two minutes and five seconds.
Licensed massage therapists and other volunteers were on hand to help competitors at the end of the course.
"Last year we had to send four to the hospital," said Dennis Fox, spokesman for the Community Emergency Response Team and a volunteer coordinator.
Similar competitions are held in 17 cities every year. Next year, Deerfield Beach will be host to the event's world championship.
The Beach Blowout continues today. Among the events is a skills competition for police officers, starting at noon. The events take place along the beach, just south of Hillsboro Boulevard.
