Savage Race Left Its Mark on Dustin Adkins… Literally

(Look closely and you’ll see a SAVAGE tattoo on Dustin’s left calf. Read on for more photos.)

After losing more than 100 pounds and completing his second Savage Race, athlete Dustin Adkins decided to commemorate his inspiring journey to health by getting the Savage Race logo tattooed on his calf. “To me,” Dustin shares, “it is a symbol of both my decision to live a healthier lifestyle and the sport that made that possible for me.”

Dustin’s hard-fought journey to achieve health and fitness took over a year of dedicated effort and training. It started with a challenge from a friend to attend a smaller, less intense obstacle course race. Then he was invited to run a Savage Race. After that, he was hooked. Since the spring of 2013 Dustin has participated in three Maryland Savage Race events, with each experience better than the last.

“My favorite Savage Race Obstacle is definitely Colossus. It’s the hardest one on the course and nothing I’ve seen at other races really even compares. At my first event, I was the only male on our team to scale it. At my second event I was the first one up and pulled all but one of my teammates up. At my third event (in the rain and cold) I was the only member of my team to scale it. I spent at least another twenty minutes pulling other Savages up until my arms were sore. It gave me a huge swelling of pride and accomplishment.”

Competing with a team is a key to Dustin’s success.

He strongly believes that if it wasn’t for his friends and teammates pushing him and inspiring him to be better, he wouldn’t be where he is today – over 100 pounds lighter and much healthier and happier.

He’s constantly exceeding his goals and setting new ones. The future is looking very bright for Dustin, who plans to compete in a SavagePro event with the goal of placing in the top ten in his age group.

So, how did he go from overweight and unhealthy to the athlete he is today? Here’s a quick snapshot of the steps he took to shed the pounds:

– Eating a strict diet of high protein and low carbs.
– Getting nutritional advice and taking supplements recommended by his local GNC store.
– Drinking eight glasses of water a day & getting eight hours of sleep a night.
– Finding a better work/life balance and managing stress levels.
– Training, training, training.

“I started out only running twice a week, averaging around 4-6 miles a week at a much slower pace. I eventually built up to where I am now. I prep for races by running an average of 12 miles a week and doing a variance of basic strength training 4-5 days a week. Then I step up my training to 18 miles a week the month before an event.”

For anyone out there on a similar journey, Dustin would like to encourage you with these words of wisdom: “I would tell anyone who is trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle to set small obtainable goals for yourself, but don’t be afraid to set a big stretch goal too. You never know what you’re capable of until you try!”

Dustin’s favorite part about Savage Race is the energy from all of the people at the event and the rush of adrenaline that comes just before the race starts, where “you just can’t wait to get out there and tear the course apart.” OUR favorite part is hearing about Dustin’s weight loss success and his sweet tattoo to commemorate his love for the sport. We don’t think there’s anything more inspiring and downright SAVAGE than that!

Thanks, Dustin, for being totally awesome and representing Savage Race with such heart and dedication.

~~

If YOU or anyone you know has an inspiring story to share with the Savage Race community, please send an email to carrie@savagerace.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Comments are closed.