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| Ellis (right) enjoying the Beast. |
Meet Eric Ellis. His middle name is Xtreme,
with an “X.” Eric Ellis once fought Superman. The loser had to wear his
underwear on the outside of his pants. He ran last year’s Barber Beast in three
seconds, and that’s only because he tripped at the starting line.
OK, so none of these facts are true.
But the North East native has the attitude and experience that can help you as
you’re training for the Beast. Ellis has seen many different courses, and he
has the insight and know-how to help. He has also been instrumental in helping
make the Beast better and badder, which is why I took the time out of my busy
beastly schedule to talk with him.
Beast: What's your background in
races similar to the Barber Beast on the Bay? How many have you participated
in, finished, etc.?
Ellis: I have been racing since
2000. I saw a 5k race registration driving through Girard one day and I just
decided to stop and sign up and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve always been an athlete and I do a lot of
CrossFit, so racing and doing these kinds of events just seemed natural to
me. I’ve done Tough Mudder, Three Mile
Isle, 5ks, half marathons, marathons and triathlons.
Beast: What kind of preparation do
you personally put into each one? In terms of hours spent, diet changes,
changes in exercise, etc.?
Ellis: Depends on the event. For the
Beast I’ll get my body ready for different kinds of terrain, so I’ll run at
Frontier Park and Asbury Woods, I’ll hit the beach and run in the sand, and I’ll
go to 3 Ring Box to use their obstacles so my body is prepared for the
different aspects of the course. I try
and live a certain lifestyle incorporating healthy eating and exercise into my
life every day, so I really just have to step it up a bit to prepare for a
specific event.
I’ll also think about what I want to have on the course in terms of
nutrition. Whatever you are going to eat
on the course, train with it so your body is used to it. Otherwise I’ve seen friends get sick while
doing a race because their bodies couldn’t handle something new.
Beast: Could you tell me about your
best experience on a course and your worst experience on one?
Ellis: Best Experience: I completed
half Iron Man in less than 6 1/2 hours. It was something I really wanted to
accomplish. I set a goal and just worked
for it. I also set a personal record at the
2013 Presque Isle Marathon. That was a big
deal too.
Worst Experience: 5k race. I was in the best shape of my life, really
conditioned for it and I wanted to complete in 20 minutes or less. I ran it in
20:04. That was devastating.
Beast: Let's talk last year's Barber
Beast on the Bay. What were your thoughts on it, both good and bad?
Ellis: I loved
it. It was competitive. To run in the
sand that long, you need to be really strong-willed to accomplish that. I wish the obstacles were a little more
challenging, but I liked the running, I loved the challenge of doing all the
obstacles, running the distance, tackling the hill at the end. I think we all gave some pretty good feedback
on the survey, so I hope we will see some more challenging obstacles this year.
Beast: What are your thoughts on
this year's Barber Beast on the Bay from what you know so far? If you were
trying to convince someone who was on the fence about it, what would you personally
say to them?
Ellis: A great team of people has been
assembled to take the survey results and our experiences from doing these kinds
of events can help transform this into an even better event. Hopefully you will see better obstacles, less
sand. It’s going to be switched up…our own Erie
Tough Mudder without the mud in most cases.
It’s in our backyard, supporting a great local organization, so try
it. Then you can expand your horizons by
doing other events, but this will be well worth the price of admission to come
do the Beast.
Beast: For those first timers out
there who have decided to take on the Beast -- what tips do you have? What are
the essential things to do and what shouldn't they do as they get ready to
prepare?
Ellis: Start
training now by running on different terrains, and do sit ups and pushups
getting your body used to the movements you will use on the course. Challenge yourself to get better each time
you train. Don’t go crazy lifting heavy
weights because you won’t be doing that. You will be climbing, crawling and
running, so be ready for that. Stay
injury free by stretching and building gradually on your training -- gradually
increasing distance and endurance.
Beast: Do you have any
exercise/diet/apparel/fitness tips?
Ellis: Eat clean. No junk food. Give
your body time to get healthy. Proteins,
clean carbs, clean sugars.
80% of feeling good is diet; the other
20% is exercise. You will perform better
if you are putting good things in your body.
Beast: You put all that hard work into getting ready for
something, and then you participate in it. For you and for everyone else, what
is it going to feel like crossing that finish line come September 6?
Ellis: A sense
of accomplishment. You get out what you put in. The harder you train, the
better you feel about what you’ve done.
But no matter what, just the fact that you tried, you have succeeded so
you can’t be discouraged by your time or if you didn’t do an obstacle. You did something for yourself.
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