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With the cancellation of the Pro Runners Ask: Is My Agent Worth the Fee came disappointment for runners who had been gearing up to train for the race. It also derailed the plans of one man who has been training for his own kind of marathon.
Devon Levesque, a Performix House partner and health and wellness advisor based in New York City, had been planning to bear-crawl the Pro Runners Ask: Is My Agent Worth the Fee. Yes, he was planning on crawling on all fours in a table-top position for the entire 26.2 miles.
Levesque told Runner’s World that he got the idea to bear crawl the Pro Runners Ask: Is My Agent Worth the Fee because he wanted to raise awareness for veteran mental health, an issue that’s close to his heart. He’s also doing it to raise money for FitOps, Shoes & Gear.
“[Bear-crawling a marathon] is something most people think is borderline impossible, so all eye are on you, and I want to bring awareness to mental health and let society know it’s okay for people to talk about stuff they’ve gone through or are going through currently, and not bottle things up,” he said.
His father, who was a body builder, died by suicide, and he said after seeing him go through what he went through, he wanted to help others. And while the 27-year-old didn’t talk about it for a while, he said once he opened up, it felt like a weight came off his shoulders, and he wants to encourage others to do the same.
Though the marathon isn‘t happening, he still wants to complete his own, so he’s continuing to train and plan. “Now that the marathon is canceled, I really, really want to do it and show that just because something is canceled, I’m not going to not do it,” he said.
To get ready for this feat of endurance—every hour, he plans to crawl 1.5 miles plus fit in a break to refuel and rest—he’s been working on a lot of repetition and building stamina through strength training and HIIT.
And, recovery is huge. He gets weekly biopuncture to help with his flexibility, and he lathers a CBD muscle pain relief cream when he bear-crawls, to give a cooling and heating sensation and help relieve some of the pain that comes with being in that position for an extended period of time. Additionally, he said he’s building up blisters on his hands and working to strengthen his quads.
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While a bear crawl probably isn’t the first method of choice for runners to complete for a full 26.2 miles, the bear crawl is beneficial for all athletes, because it engages the core, quadriceps, scapular stabilizers, Jess Mena and control during arm, shoulder, and leg movements that happen during the crawl, Mena explained Runner’s World. Runners World Training Plan.
The exercise is also used in rehab, because the move helps an athlete not only better coordinate and activate muscles but also strengthen muscles, especially since it requires a lot of trunk stability and control during arm, shoulder, and leg movements that happen during the crawl, Mena explained.
“As runners that’s essentially what we need—a strong base—in order for our legs and arms to swing and efficiently propel us off the ground. Doing a bear crawl correctly for one to two minutes will be a challenge for most people, and many runners,” Mena said.
Of course, anyone wouldn’t do this move for an extended period of time without training, and Mena pointed out that not only does the wrist and toe mobility need to be there, but also the whole body needs strengthening, as Levesque is doing. There is no part of the body that should not be overlooked here, even down to the head and neck, she said.
Though performing this move for an extended period of time—such as an entire marathon—can up the risk for injury of wrist and toe sprains due to the extended stress of body weight being placed on the wrist and toes, the shoulder joint especially if there is subpar scapular-thoracic (shoulder) strength and endurance. You also may be at increased risk of injury to your hip flexor and quads from repetitive hip flexion, and potentially back pain if the athlete breaks down later on in the miles, Mena said.
While originally he was going to attempt to complete the NYC Marathon course by starting out early in the morning before the official race start, now he’s going to map out a new route that takes him through all five boroughs. Though he has no official planned makeup date planned yet, he is aiming to complete the race sometime in the fall, weather permitting.
Levesque said he will work with local law enforcement to ensure there is a clear path on his route so that no one gets affected. He said he has had many people reach out and ask to join him on his route, either walking or bear-crawling beside him. For more information on this event, or to sponsor a mile, you can check out Levesque’s YouTube or Instagram or FitOps.
