Luke De-benedictis is on the Spartan UK Pro team, Co-Host of Multi-Sport Media Podcast, Ambassador/Representative of many companies, and in my experience, and all-around good guy. We asked Luke to give us a few minutes of his time between work and training, and he is the next to join us on “10 Questions with…
How did you get introduced to obstacle racing? What was your first event, and what were your memories of it?
I found OCR via a Facebook suggested video of a spartan race back in 2016, and though it looked pretty fun, so I signed up for the London Olympic Park event; it was great! Kind of just had fun and learned how to do most of the obstacles on the spot. The main thing I remember is wearing the wrong shoes that didn’t help me on the course, and I ripped them too; they got thrown away after I finished.
When did you say to yourself, “Hey. I am pretty good at this”?
Well, I came 17th in the open wave, so it started off as something fun, and then came the hours of web surfing to find other races in the UK.
You have success in the sport. What has been your personal highlights, and what are you most proud of?
Over time, I have managed to improve my running and skill on obstacles to achieve some success in the OCR scene, and id says my highlights include my first Spartan Race win in Ireland, followed by standing on the overall UK series spartan race podium in 2018 & 2021.
You are also involved as a host of Multi-Sport Media. What led to that formation, and what has been the highlight?
Yeah, so MSM or OCR Audio as we started came alive after I had been racing for a few years, and I was consuming OCR content everywhere, podcasts, blogs, websites, so I’d start my blog (i think it’s still online somewhere!) but I didn’t really take to it but always felt I could create some fun contact plus I learned that I have more fun talking so I team up with fellow UK spartan Jack Carpenter, we just chatted away and to the podcast was born!
How often do you train? What is training like for you, and do you train differently for different types of events?
My training right now is 5-6 days a week and has taken a bit of a shift since I had my first child; I’ve had to focus more on getting in quality sessions in the time I have, but it’s been working well, so I’m happy with my route. Yeah, I’ll adjust my training slightly if I’m doing something different; when I did my ironman 70.3, I added in more biking and swimming than when I’m training for a spartan race.
What advice do you have for someone in obstacle racing which is looking to take that next step forward?
Have a clear idea of what you’d like to do, say if it’s an open wave to age group, then set your goals to be achievable. Also, if you are looking to take a setup to be more competitive, then seek out a coach or join an OCR club.
What are your goals for the rest of 2022 and beyond?
My main race this year is the Spartan Race European Championship in the UK; I’m looking to put together my best championship performance yet.
What do you do when not racing or training? What do you do for relaxation and for fun?
Most of my time outside of training and work is spent with my family, going to the park or beach and then also playing other sports for fun like tennis or football
What would surprise us to learn about you?
I lived in Saudi Arabia for 2 and a half years working in the fitness industry.
In closing, what do you see as the future of obstacle racing?
I think OCR has a huge future is a great sport that’s fun to take part in and exciting to watch, and very intrigued about what the next big thing in OCR will be …
Follow Luke on Instagram: Lukedeben Instagram
