Athletes — Competitors race through obstacles on the roof of the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center on Sunday during the Health Plan’s “Tough as Nails Urban Challenge,” an annual six-mile physical challenge that stretches across Wheeling. — Staff photo
WHEELING — Events Sunday at the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend, presented by West Virginia University School of Medicine, began with participants biking through the city in the morning on the Wheeling Heritage Trail Bicycle Tour, before moving on to the afternoon, when athletes climbed, ran and jumped to the finish line in the Tough as Nails Urban Challenge, presented by the Health Plan.
Both events were well attended, with around 200 people hopping on their bikes to take part in the 15K, 50K and 100K courses. Around 600 participants headed to the Tough as Nails course, which featured more than 20 obstacles over a five-mile course, testing their athletic ability and willpower.
The day began with a 100km bike race starting at 7:30am, with participants cycling along a loopy and hilly route to Bethany College. The less challenging 50km and 15km routes departed at 8am and 9am respectively.
The Tough as Nails Urban Challenge began at midday with three heats starting every hour with an attempt to conquer the course.
Aside from classic challenges like the “Wall Climb” sponsored by WTRF-TV and the “Stairway to Heaven” sponsored by Braunlich Orthopedics, several new obstacles were added to the course this year.
The main attraction was the new “Slip N Slide,” sponsored by Dean’s Water Services, which created a slip-and-slide track on one of the upper levels of the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Center at the bottom of Main Street.
Tough As Nails veteran James Hurley, who has competed in the event twice before, said this year’s course was significantly more difficult than usual.
“This year was definitely tough because it was a little bit tough to start off and climb the ‘Stairway to Heaven’,” Hurley explained. “Usually you climb the stairs later in the course, after you’ve warmed up a little bit. It’s pretty tough to start off and climb those stairs.”
Hurley’s favorite addition to the course this year is the “monkey bars” sponsored by the welding program at Northern West Virginia Community College, which he said allows the course to build upper body strength.
Hurley said she keeps coming back not only for the opportunity to test her athletic abilities, but also for the camaraderie with her fellow competitors.
“We’re all here to challenge ourselves, so we support each other,” Hurley added. “Overall, it makes it a really great experience.”
Adding the new obstacles has been a success, said Eric Anderson, director of Tough as Nails and publisher of The Green Tab, the Tyler Star-News and the Wetzel Chronicle. He noted that enrollment is “up from last year.”
For Anderson, what sets Tough as Nails apart from other obstacle races is its “uniqueness” – “there aren’t many races like this in the area,” he said.
“The key is that it’s unique,” Anderson said. “It’s unique, and that’s what draws people in. It challenges you in more ways than any other race. It’s a full-body workout, and people have fun.”
“We’d like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors who make this event possible every year,” Anderson continued. “It was a great day and we just wanted everyone to have fun.”
Following a weekend filled with hard work from participants, Perry Nardo, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, noted the hard work of those who organized and ran the Wellness Weekend.
“I think it speaks to the hard work of our volunteers, employees, sponsors and the city of Wheeling,” Nardo said. “They’ve worked really hard since we were closed down because of COVID. We reopened in 2021 and managed to get back on track, but we really committed to improving. Every year we sit down and think about what we can do.”
The addition of the Tiny Tot Trot hosted by WVU Medicine Children’s to Wellness Weekend is one example Nardo says shows Wellness Weekend continues to evolve.
“We’re constantly asking how we can do it better, involving the Pittsburgh Pirates and many other members of the community,” Nardo said. “I think that’s been the mantra for our employees, volunteers, sponsors and the city.”
Nardo noted the efforts to improve the event have paid off, recalling overhearing a woman taking the Wheeling Heritage Trail Bicycle Tour Sunday morning say, “I’ve been doing this for three years now, and every year we try to make it better and add new obstacles, so I always tell people to come.”
“I think what we did planted the seed of word of mouth and helped this really grow,” Nardo added.
