Ken Phares, a resident of Morgantown, had an unexpected wake-up call when he fell ill and was hospitalized for five days. Although the doctors never determined the exact cause of his illness, this experience prompted him to focus on improving his health. Uncertain of where to start, his daughter Milly suggested he try a race after seeing an advertisement on TV.
Since then, Phares and his daughter have been participating in various challenge courses together, such as Spartans and Tough Mudders. While preparing to tackle the Ogden Newspapers Tough As Nails Urban Challenge in Wheeling, Phares shared his love for these events, citing the camaraderie of the participants as a major draw.
In addition to participating in these challenges, Phares maintains his fitness during the off-season by training and doing hill sprints. He also has an obstacle course at his house where he does pull ups and carries sandbags. Despite having prior experience with obstacle courses from his time in the U.S. Army, Phares admits that he led an unhealthy lifestyle for about 10 years before his wake-up call.
Phares encourages others to give road racing and challenge courses a try as he believes it’s a fun activity that can push people to do things they never thought possible. This year’s event will be held in memory of Phares’ late wife Lisa who passed away after battling kidney and liver diseases.
