Here's the scenario. We have four reasonably intelligent, thirty-something guys. These four reasonably intelligent, thirty-something guys like sports. And these same four (see the above) guys like to do crazy things to get attention.
Last year at this time, these fellows determined to attempt as many sporting activites as they could between 6 a.m. and midnight. At that time they managed to complete 11 events by the stroke of 12. And it was a long and grueling day. This year they did the same thing. Only this time they participated in 26 events in those same 18 hours.And lived to tell about it.
It all began with 18 holes of golf and ran the gamut of horseback riding, rappelling, scuba diving, biking, parachuting and bowling. And the list goes on and on.
"We wanted to achieve something that hasn't been done before," said Ron Cram, 33. "We wanted to participate in a greater variety of events in one day than most people do in a lifetime."
Cram, of Sandy, was the mastermind behind this event, named the"Die-Athalon.' The fearless foursome even wore shirts that read "Do It 'Till You Die-Athalon" and "The Right To Die-Athalon." The first Die-Athalon last year served only to whet the appetites of these die-athletes. And they liked this year's activities better than last's.
"It was a sports-lovers day," Ron said. "It was the ultimate day. We had every sports sensation."
The rest of the group consisted of Ron's cousin, Kent Cram, 30, of Murray; his brother-in-law, Henry Holmes, 34, of New Mexico; and a friend, Lynn Van Roosendaal, 32, of Sandy. Two of last year's five participants were unable to join in the "fun" this year, and Holmes was new to the group.
"This year was a lot more intense," Kent said. "There was a lot more to do logistically and a lot more ground to cover."
Van Roosendaal said this year's die-athalon was great fun. "I think it was better than last year," he said. "There was more variety and more fun things to do." Besides, Roosendaal added, "Our wives don't let us do any sports the rest of the year, so we have to fit it all in in one day."
Asked what brought him all the way from New Mexico for the event, Holmes summed it up in one word: "Insanity." But then he added that he came "just for the fun."
However, at 9:30 p.m., after more than 20 sports activities, when Holmes ran the mile in five minutes and 47 seconds, it wasn't just for the fun.
"When it comes to running, you can bet I'm serious," the marathon runner said.
Showing few signs of fatigue late in the day, Kent said, "I'm having the time of my life." Evidently, life's been a bit slow for Kent lately. His wife, Tammy, said the men had amazing stick-to-itiveness. "I can't believe their stamina," she said.
Even the KUTV newsman who had followed the dynamos for the day had had it. "I'm dead on my feet," he was overheard to say.
The sports guys' stamina, however, seems to be saved for this yearly occasion.
"I wish he had the same intensity about hanging up his clothes as he does about this Die-athalon," Marcy Van Roosendaal said of her husband.
But what kind of intensity was left on the day after?
"I'm doing pretty good, actually," Kent said. "Just give me a neck brace." He said he had the usual aches and pains, but "we all came away pretty much in one piece."
Holmes had a 10 hour drive back to New Mexico to look forward to Saturday. But that didn't stop him from staying to play an unscheduled game of billiards. Van Roosendaal called Holmes "the die-athlete that wouldn't die."
So how are they going to top this next year? "I don't know that this can be topped," Ron said. "But I'll probably think of something."
Was it worth it? "It was definitely worth it, because we did something no one else in the world has ever done," Ron said. "Maybe they wouldn't want to. But it was an accomplishment."
And that's what four reasonably intelligent, thirty-something guys call fun.