Hey FTND,
I wanted to share a little of my experience leading up to, and during my race on Saturday. The Spartan races are built to test everyone who enters. Preparation for not only includes rigorous training, but ensuring that you are wearing the proper attire so you can fully focus on completing the race, rather than chaffing or having your shirt doubling in weight from absorbing mud.
I have never put my body through something like this before, and wanted to make sure I was wearing the proper attire. Some people wear funny outfits to try and get a laugh out from their fellow athletes, but many wear as little clothing as they can, and what they do wear often is extremely form fitting. The majority of these people do this to try and minimize restriction or potential weight, making it as easy as possible.
Despite the intentions of the racers themselves, I would always find online comments about Spartan racing attire, degrading both the men and women competing. One individual I found stated half the reason he competes is to stare at the women leaving little to the imagination, and he would purposefully fall behind these women so he could use them as “motivation to continue.” Others agreed, and the comments became more and more carnal. Not okay, in my book.
These men (and a few women) were degrading HUMAN BEINGS. They did not care if the individual was married, what their dreams where, or even their names. I was infuriated. Then, FTND popped into my head. I have been following and supporting FTND since 2013. That lead to my idea.
I could not stop the thoughts of others, but possibly I could create some. I am not a fast individual. I knew long before I started my race, I knew I would be passed by many racers. However, I am a rather large individual. I stand 6’4” and knew my back can work great as a billboard. With some of the trails being rather narrow I knew many would HAVE to look at my back and see my shirt, if nothing else just so they wouldn’t run into me.
I contacted FTND because all of their shirts are cotton-based, and a cotton shirt holds water and would make an already difficult task that much more challenging. I was given approval to use their logo on a custom shirt, and I went to town. My friend Trevor took the initial “F” logo and changed it as it is shown on the front of my shirt. I took his altered logo and placed it on the front of my shirt, and in the largest font I could find put “PORN KILLS LOVE” on the back with the website below it.
When I arrived to the race I was nervous, both because I had never put my body through anything like this, and I was slightly nervous as to how some would react to my shirt. In the parking lot I heard some guys a few cars down making comments after they saw me. Saying things like, “Are you kidding me?,” or “What an idiot,” and so forth. But immediately afterword, I didn’t care. My idea had worked. Now, they were at least thinking about it.
Before the race I had a few people give me high-fives and compliments. One racer told me he helped invest when FTND started and is now shocked with how big the movement has become. During the race I had racers complimenting the shirt, shouting phrases like, “Porn Kills!” Also, I heard “Keep it up, Fighter!” fairly often.
Related: I Wore My ‘Porn Kills Love’ Tee To The Gym, And This Happened
I heard two racers behind me talking about FTND. One had never heard of it before and the other was teaching him about it. They were thinking about it. One individual passed me saying he thought my shirt was funny. It didn’t matter to me. He read the shirt, and for whatever period of time, he thought about it.
To all the Fighters who saw me gasping for air on the trail, thank you for your support. To all fighters trying to overcome your own addiction, you can do it! Running 5.4 miles was one of the hardest things I completed in my life. But I had support from my friends and strangers along the way. The best thing about FTND is you have support, too. Change is hard. But you are NOT alone!
Now that I have completed a Spartan race they say I can call myself a Spartan. They can call me whatever they’d like, because at the end of the day I am a Fighter!
-Dan
One in two million
This is what the movement is all about! We love to see all the unique and creative ways that our Fighters are getting the word out about how porn kills love. Like Dan says, just getting someone to think about the harms of watching porn gets their wheels turning—even if they laugh at first. Make sure to contact us if you’re thinking of a way to share the movement in your own unique way—we are all about getting the message out in everyone’s communities!
Changing the conversation starts with you. No matter where you are, what you’re doing, or however long you’ve been a Fighter, you can raise awareness on how porn kills love. Fighting for real relationships and real love is worth it!
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