Best friends Ryan Grassley and Sam Durst have been on a mission to show the world that everyone deserves to have fun, no matter their ability. Recently, the duo have embarked on a series of all-ability obstacle courses to give individuals and families the chance to participate.
On May 30, an event called Berserker Blitz was held at Cook Family Park in Pleasant Grove. They hosted 300 participants in an obstacle course that was fit for walkers, runners and many in wheelchairs. This event was the duo’s second time spearheading something like this, and Grassley said that despite the weather being less than ideal, that the event turned out better than expected.
“It was awesome,” Grassley said. We were all a little worried about the rain, but we had about 60% more people show up this time than last time.”
Grassley and Durst recently started a nonprofit called Outdoor Access Project that helps people with mobility challenges experience the outdoors with family and friends. With that, they decided that they wanted to hold events that are inclusive of all abilities in cities and towns across the state, adding that the idea for an obstacle course came about because they both really love having fun.
“We met with rec center officials at Pleasant Grove and we were talking about doing some kind of event like a 5K or something like that,” he said. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? Nobody likes 5Ks.’ I mean, they’re a challenge, but they’re not fun and I wanted an event where the distance didn’t matter and the time in which you completed it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was how much fun these kids could have when they did the race”
Durst has cerebral palsy and requires the use of a wheelchair. Over the years, the two friends have been traveling all over the state at national parks and even trampoline parks in the Extreme Motus All-terrain Wheelchair, showing the world what can be done with a little creativity and lots of smiles.
In fact, several years ago, Grassley and Durst went to The Hive Trampoline and Adventure Park in Spanish Fork with the idea to have Durst and his wheelchair jump on the trampolines. Park owner Russell Jackson recalled being a little leary at first.
“They came to the park and they wanted to take their wheelchair onto the trampolines,” Jackson said. “As you can imagine, we’re not used to that. We hear ‘wheelchair’ and we’re worried that the trampolines will rip and we’ll have to shut down and no one can use it.
“I came out to talk to them personally and they showed me what they had and what they were doing and the type of chair they had created and we loved it.”
The Extreme Motus is a lightweight, manual, all-terrain wheelchair with three large, low-pressure balloon tires that are designed to glide over uneven surfaces. The design absorbs shock, allowing it to go on surfaces like sand, mud, snow, gravel, and even has a corrosion-resistant design that allows it to float in shallow water.
Jackson said that when he saw Durst having fun on the trampolines, not only did he want him to continue to come, but he wanted to allow others the same experience.
“We try to make everything as accessible to as many people as we can and when there’s opportunities like that, we’re all in,” he said. “We get a lot of special needs jumpers and we’ve got special pricing for that as well.”
Finding places and events for individuals with special needs and their families, Grassley said, has been a surprisingly uphill battle.
“The interesting thing about promoting adaptive events like this, people in charge will say things like, ‘We don’t have anybody in wheelchairs around here,’” Grassley said. “Then they find out that when they put on an event like this, that all of a sudden, there’ s a lot of people in wheelchairs — there’s just nothing for them.
“When you make a thing that’s for them, they come and they bring their mom and dad and their brother and sister,” he added. “And so, you’re not just doing a thing for one person; you’re doing things for hundreds of people because that mom and dad and brother and sister are going to come. That’s our message and it’s finally getting through to people, but it’s been a surprising battle.”
With the success of the recent Berserker Blitz, they are gearing up for their next event that is set to be held on June 13 in Payson as part of Payson Adventure Day. The event is called Payson Extreme Adventure Course and it starts at 10 a.m. with registration on the city website.
“We bring our Extreme Motus All-terrain Wheelchairs,” Grassley said. “If people want to bring their own equipment, they can bring their own equipment. If people want to run or walk the course, they can do that, too. The rule is to have fun.
“It’s pretty cool to see other cities recognize that and go, ‘Wow, this is a great thing to do.’ We hope that they spread all over the state.”
