Full Time Landscaper, Part Time Death Racer

Death - the Ultimate Landscaper

A few weeks ago I was at PLANET’s Executive Forum in Amelia Island, where I ran into Bruce Allentuck, a landscape contractor friend from Maryland – his company is Allentuck Landscape Contractors.   I personally know Bruce, and I can testify that he is an amazing man, husband, and father as well as a trained, focused, and deliberate athlete.  And perhaps just a little bit crazy.

Another good friend, Nanette Seven, mentioned that she and several others had met Bruce on the beach to work out.  Since Bruce has completed seven marathons, four ultramarathons (who knew there was something longer than a marathon?), three ironman triathlons, and 30 – 40 other triathlons, I think they were expecting a bit of cardio and some good stretching.  Instead, he had them running on the beach with logs in their hands – apparently a “lite” version of the training regimen he’s using to prepare for in Vermont in June – called the Death Race.  For fun, he’s been running through the forests near his home with a 50lb oak branch on his shoulder.  If that’s not bad enough, every ten minutes he drops it and does a series of push-ups on it. To mix things up, he might be sprinting along with a 40lb bucket of gravel in each hand, or jogging up a creek while sporting a delightful 60lb truck tire.  Sure sounds like fun…

The waiver for the Death Race is pretty simple – You May Die, which, coincidentally, is also the name of their website. They seem to have a theme going on, and they do everything they can to get you to quit before you start the race.

The Washington Post did an excellent article on Bruce – you can read it here.

If Bruce brought half of this commitment to training, focus, determination, and goal setting to his landscaping projects, he’d be doing well. But anyone that knows Bruce knows he doesn’t do anything halfway – and this is clearly shown in the work he does for his clients.

Bruce is the epitome of passion, dedication, focus, determination, and balance.  Good luck in the race, and congrats for being such an amazing person to know.  Please don’t die.

~Jason