Putnam Hospital ER Physician Appears on NBC Spartan Race

From Putnam Hospital Center:

It was about a year after Dr. Freya Dittrich stopped nursing her twins that she picked up obstacle course racing.

Now, three years later, this mother of four and night-shift Emergency Department physician at Putnam Hospital Center, will flex her skills in June on NBC’s new show, “Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge.”

Dittrich’s team, “Freya’s Slayers,” consisted of three of her family members, Scott Kelly, Ryan Donnelly and Cybil Donnelly, and elite Spartan racer, Jackie Landmark.

Freya’s Slayers faced off against two other teams on a mile-long obstacle course that included getting over a sheer, 25-foot slip wall.

“We had to form a pyramid and get everyone up,” Dittrich recalled. “That was definitely the hardest obstacle.”

The challenge was filmed in Atlanta in December, but viewers will have to tune in to see how Dittrich’s team did.

To train, Dittrich said she spent a lot of time carrying 50-pound buckets of rocks, climbing ropes and doing pull-ups.

Besides the NBC show, Dittrich will compete in nine Spartan races this year.

“It keeps me sane,” said Dittrich, 43, of Brewster. “I’m not a trainer. I’ve made it a priority, but I have other strong priorities.”

While Spartan racing may not be for everyone, incorporating some form of exercise can be, she said.

“My whole bend on all of this is that this is what works for me, but everyone can find something active that does the same for them,” she said.

“Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge” premieres June 13.