Adams Twp. resident takes first place at world event
ADAMS TWP — Savannah Deschamps was sapped, her body already feeling the effects of two-days worth of wear and tear after working through over 30 obstacles when she encountered her toughest challenge.
The 14-year old resident of Adams Township and freshman at Aquinas Academy, was competing in the Obstacle Course Race World Championships last month in Stratton, Vt. She was not far from finishing, a little over a mile.
"I had to carry two 25-pound sandbags up a hill and down the other side," she said. "My legs were cramping and my body hurt so bad, but there was one girl in front of me and catching her was my motivation."
Savannah estimates that it took her just over two minutes to rid herself of the sandbags and soon after, she took over first place and completed the course in three hours, 17.25 seconds to win the Girls 13-17 age division, which included nine girls. Only four finished the 15K race that included 40 obstacles.
“Before the event, I wasn’t expecting to win, was just looking to finish,” Savannah said. “It was fairly cold and rainy and some of the obstacles were slippery. I was surprised and thrilled that I won.”
Savannah also claimed first place among all females in a 100-meter run through a ninja course, a side competition in Vermont.
It was only the second such event that she competed in. The first was the Indian Mud Run, held in Coshocton, Ohio, in June, which Savannah also won. That event included 100 obstacles, but most were not nearly as difficult as what she encountered in Vermont. Plus, the terrain was fairly flat. The World Championships were held amid steep inclines.
“My wife (Amy) and I hiked the one mountain and it took us 45 minutes to get just halfway,” said Savannah’s father, Travis Deschamps. “We had a deal before the Indian Mud Run. I told Savannah that if she did well there, she could enter the World Championships. Because of COVID, there was no qualifying to get to Vermont.”
It was when she was entering sixth grade that Savannah began training at Steel City Ninja.
Travis Deschamps described his daughter as “very studious, always getting straight As.” But it seemed only a matter of time until she applied her strong work ethic to an activity outside the classroom.
“I started watching American Ninja Warrior when I was four or five years old. I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” said Savannah. “When I started going to Steel City Ninja, it was just once per week. Now I go three to five times every week and the sessions are between an hour and a half and three hours long.”
But she also gets in work on her own.
“My New Year’s resolution was to do 100 push-ups every day. When I started in January, it took me 10 minutes to do them and now I’m down to four minutes, 10 seconds.”
Savannah is making plans to remain on the obstacle race circuit next spring and aims to be even better than before.
“For a lot of the other competitors, I think they are able to rest a bit during the runs, but struggle with the obstacles,” she said. “I’m the opposite. I found myself struggling with the running. I joined the cross country team at Aquinas to help me with that.”
