By Steve Featherstone
syracuse.com
MANLIUS, N.Y. — Do you have what it takes to be a first responder?
Now you can find out at the inaugural Strength to Serve Challenge, a three-mile obstacle course race featuring 30 first responder-inspired challenges designed to test participants’ physical strength, mental toughness, and ability to work as a team.
| DOWNLOAD: What Paramedics Want in 2026
Race organizer Brian Fontaine, a retired volunteer firefighter and EMT from Manlius, said the event grew out of his experience as a first responder, and his desire to continue serving the Central New York community.
“I wanted to create something that challenges people physically,” Fontaine said, “but also brings people together through teamwork, community and purpose.”
The Strength to Serve Challenge will be held on September 13, 2026, at Green Lakes State Park. It’s open to people of all fitness levels, ages 12 years and older. Entry fee is $54; register online.
Proceeds from the race benefit the Joyful Giving Project, a new charitable initiative that supports CNY children and families affected by divorce, distance, and loss of a loved one.
“I saw trauma for 25 years as a first responder and now is an opportunity for me to help those kids,” Fontaine said. “So it’s really about the community sharing with kids, showing that we love them and that we’re here for them.”
Participants can race, walk, or run the course as part of a team, making the event accessible to both competitive athletes and people looking for a unique personal challenge.
Course challenges are drawn from the work of firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel, and even 911 dispatchers.
The race begins with a half-mile warm-up run on the beach that transitions straight into the first obstacle: a simulated “fire breach,” Fontaine calls it, requiring participants to push through wall studs.
The other 29 challenges include a wide range of demanding tasks, including performing CPR, hauling hoses up and down hills, carrying extrication tools and sandbags, dragging victim dummies, traversing mazes and balance beams, even memory tests.
The challenges are designed to be scalable, Fontaine said, not punishing. Instead of completing a particular obstacle, participants have the option of doing pushups or burpees in a penalty box.
“I’m trying to make it fun and accessible to everyone,” Fontaine said, “but certainly challenging for those that are a little bit more advanced.”
Fontaine said competitive athletes who are “gunning for the podium” will have the opportunity to compete for championships in each division: Fire, Police, EMS, 911 Dispatch, Nurses, Teachers, and Open.
At a recent demonstration at Green Lakes , Kristen McKenna and Brittany Lioto, members of Burn Kickboxing gym in Liverpool, an event sponsor, showcased several obstacles that await race participants.
Kristen McKenna slung the nozzle end of a firehose over left shoulder and began dragging it across the wet grass, leaning forward as low as she could get.
The other end of the hose was strapped to a tire and a duffel bag of weights totaling 100 pounds. The challenge simulates dragging a charged fire hose through a structure fire.
Switching to the next obstacle, McKenna carried two extrication tools—a cutter and a spreader, each weighing 40 pounds—about 50 yards. Resembling garden tools on steroids, these are the same life-saving devices firefighters use to pry open cars to rescue crash victims.
“We cut the roof back, we cut the door off, or roll the dash to get them out safely,” Fontaine said. “The tough part about these, really, is that we’re in full gear, and you got them in very awkward situations. It takes a lot of strength to do it properly.”
On the other end of the field, Brittany Lioto wrapped her arms around a 100-pound dummy dressed in firefighter gear and dragged it backwards for about 50 yards to simulate a victim rescue.
In perhaps the most dramatic demonstration, Lioto and McKenna expertly punched, elbowed, and kicked stand-up punching bags, landing blows with satisfying smacks. The challenge mimics the physical skills police need to subdue a combative suspect.
“They’re showing different things: palm slaps, forearm hits, punches, kicks. So you can do what you’re comfortable with,” Fontaine said. “You’ll probably have to do around 30 before you progress to the next obstacle, which will be really close to the finish line.”
Curtis Pastore, founder of Burn Kickboxing, said everybody loves a good race with fun obstacles, but the Strength to Serve Challenge is unique.
“When I saw that it was here within our local CNY community and the funds were going back to families in need with children that have gone through different traumas, I just thought it was for a great cause,” Pastore said.
The event will also feature a community expo with a Life Flight helicopter landing, food trucks, and information booths from local businesses and hospitals. Registration remains open with waves filling quickly at 10-minute intervals.
“We’re getting a real, real good turnout right now,” Fontaine said. “The first three wave are filling, fourth is almost full. So now’s the time to register.”
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit syracuse.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.