Chris Peat has returned from what is described as ‘the toughest two minutes in sport for a firefighter’, calling the experience a success after testing his strength, speed, and endurance to the limit.
Peat, who volunteers for the Rolleston brigade and works in the Christchurch Airport Fire Service, recorded a best time of 2min 0.41sec on day three of the World Firefighter Challenge in Dallas, Texas, his first time competing on the international stage.
“I walked away head high, and I was happy with that,” Peat said.
The competition tests the strength, speed and endurance of firefighters by simulating real-world tasks in full turnout gear.
It starts with carrying a 20kg hose up six storeys, then hauling another 20kg of hose up by rope.
Competitors then descend the stairs and use a sledgehammer to drive a 70kg steel beam along 1.5m of rollers.
That is followed by a 42-metre sprint through a slalom course, dragging a charged hose back 22m, and then finishing by hauling a 74kg dummy down a 32m course.
Peat ran the course four times over four days. On his final run, he was on track to break the two-minute barrier, but a fall prevented him from doing so.
"I gave everything I had (on the dummy drag), and right before the finish line, I fell – the legs just went.
"You get to a point where your legs go to jelly, and before the mind could overcome, I was on my bum. But I got up and still got to the finish,” he said.
Peat, 40, was 24th out of 38 in his age category and 149th place overall.
New Zealand finished third on the medal table behind the United States and Canada.
Peat said one of the challenges was adjusting to the course, which was slightly different from others he had completed, including a slightly different scaffolding layout in the six-storey tower.
“It is the microseconds that can make or break winning a race, breaking a PB or smashing a record.”
He admitted there was a “truck ton of nerves” for his first race, but said they eased as the event went on.
After competing, Peat spent time sightseeing in New York, including a visit to the former World Trade Center site, where 343 firefighters were among the 2997 people killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Peat last visited the site in 2003.
“At the time, there were no memorial pools, buildings around the area were covered, there was armed police on every corner – that was quite a strange, surreal experience,” he said.
“This time, it was a very serene spot… walking around there, it is pretty emotional.”
Peat said the trip would not have been possible without the people who donated to his Givealittle page and sponsors.
- Peat and other firefighters from the district are set to compete in the United Fire Brigades Association Mid Canterbury challenge in Lincoln on November 22.
