Want to Introduce Your Kids to the Spartan Lifestyle? Take After These Dads.
Father's Day is often a great opportunity for dads and their kids to spend some extra time together, bond, and do something fun that the whole family can enjoy. If you're a Spartan dad looking for ways to teach your kids some good-old-fashioned grit this Father's Day, here are 12 ways these badass dads incorporated their little ones into outdoor activities.
Bat caving. Shooting bows in the front yard. Building obstacle course races in the backyard. And, of course, participating in Spartan or Tough Mudder races. These are just some of the ways Spartan dads love to be active with their kids. And you can bet that Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena would approve. The king of keeping his kids fit, he believes in pushing his family to their physical limits and teaching grit and perseverance as foundational characteristics of life.
Whether you ascribe to Joe's (sometimes) called "extreme" parenting style, Spartan dads definitely follow in his "always keep them active" footsteps. So what better way to celebrate Father’s Day than to share some of our Spartan dads' favorite ways to be fit and active with their kids?
Related: Joe De Sena's Parenting Tips for Raising Spartan-Strong Kids
12 Ways Spartan Dads Get Active With Their Kids
"My kids and I go on hikes, bike rides and runs, and do Spartan races together." - Tom Ehret
"We built a catapult a few years ago, do wood burning, shoot bows in the yard, and have front-yard dinners." - Jared Williams
"We are a Spartan family. My husband and four of our kids run as a team. When not “arooing," we like to hike together when schedules align." - Christina Doucette
"We go bat-cave spelunking for Mother’s Day, and for Father's Day we kayak. Mostly we go on far-out hikes up rocky canyons." - Adam Lamoreaux
"By doing Spartan races together! Our backyard OCR course is coming soon. My son is still a wee bit small to be doing hikes together, but he's coming to each race and we both go home with brass." - Michael Harris
"We hit the trails together." - Trung Tran
"We always go biking and hiking in Glacier National Park on Father’s Day. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is not usually open this early in the year to vehicles because the plows are still clearing snow, so we bike up as far as the kids can go. Once we did a 10-mile family hike and 15 miles on the bikes, halfway to the top of Logan Pass, and we've even rented pedal assist e-bikes so we can make the summit!" - Forrest Bouge
"I do hikes, run, and do obstacle training in my backyard with my kids. My third kid prefers to help me build obstacles!" - Benoit Roure
"Enzo is a firecracker. Currently it’s all about the bike riding. He’s worked up to a 10K ride, and I run behind him looking like an overprotective parent. Usually we explore the Hamilton trails, waterfalls, and difficult-to-get-to areas." - Vincent Kuber
"My boys and I do bear crawl races (Joe once challenged me to race his kids bear crawling on the farm) using wood blocks for balance, make our own OCR course, and practice wall and rope climbing." - Rich Borgatti Jr.
"My kids are grown, but we used to run Spartans together. Both my sons were high school athletes, so they pushed me hard during the races. My oldest and I still run the Fenway Stadion together every year. I look forward to it every November." - Anthony Vincent Scotti III
"My kids are very active. I set up backyard obstacle courses at home, but I also take my kids to the local trails for running in a trail environment. All of this is not new, except for that outdoor work which is building them up." - Robert Shimonski
