Local Men Running Spartan Deathrace for Boston Marathon Bombing Victims

RI State Trooper Roupen Bastajian, whose quick action aided Boston Marathon bombing victims, aims to keep helping when he and locals Andy Souvalian and Jeff Foster run the Spartan Deathrace.

The high-endurance run, held in Pittsfield, VT, challenges athletes to complete 15-20 mental and physical challenges over the course of 40 miles. Only 15 percent of the approximately 200 people who enter the race each year finish. "It's one of the toughest races there is," Bastajian said.

The RI State Trooper, who leapt to the aid of wounded at the Boston Marathon finish line April 15 after running his first Marathon in two years with little training, besting his previous time, is optimistic about his performance, and that of his friends. "I believe if you have the mental strength, the will, you can get through it," Bastajian said.

Souvalian and Foster, both of Cranston, are in it with him. Foster, a contractor who's run three Spartan Death Races, suggested the event when Bastajian mentioned raising funds for the Boston Marathon victims. "I said, 'Jeff, let's do it, that's phenomenal," Bastajian said. 

Souvalian, who does IT work for Amica Insurance in Lincoln, said they just started fund-raising, and haven't trained. "There really isn't a lot of training for an event like this," he said, "A lot of it has to do with mental fortitude." Even so, he said, all three of them are physically capable of finishing the race. 

“We have competed in many endurance races and seen our share of pain and suffering but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw in Boston on the sunny Monday afternoon that is now indelibly etched in our minds,” Foster said on the team's website. “Although we were fortunate enough to leave Boston safely, we feel it is our duty to continue helping those who lost so much. We know this cause will give us extra motivation to stay in the race, because the longer we compete, the more people we can help.”

While the challenge is exciting, one element does concern them: hitting their $60,000 fund-raising goal for One Fund Boston. They've got till June 21 to come up with the funds, and they're asking for $60 donations to make sure they hit the goal. 

"We are requesting a $60 donation, which is $1 for every hour we complete in the race. Of course any amount will do, but the $60 seems fitting since the race is that long," said Souvalian. 

Bastajian said "quit" isn't in their vocabulary. "I believe we all have a great shot at finishing it," he said.

The financial challenge is mostly up to donors, and the trio's ability to spread the word. Souvalian said the Spartan Deathrace organizers have agreed to spread word of their fundraiser across the race's 3.2 million followers on social media, so hopefully that will give them a leg up.

You can donate to the trio's cause at their team's website.