Susan Bromley Staff Writer

Pat Deneau pulls tractor tires, lifts 40-pound buckets and swings a sledgehammer repeatedly on a nearly daily basis as part of his physical training regimen as a Novi firefighter.

Are you capable of doing the same, as well as overcoming other obstacles while running a 5K?

On June 11, Deneau and 11 other staff members of the Novi police and fire departments are ready to take on civilians in the Novi Emergency Challenge 5K.

“This race is pretty special for us because we come to work every day and handle our business and prepare mentally and physically to go on calls,” said Deneau. “It’s great for the community to experience some of what we experience.”

The race features 10 obstacles on the 5K route which starts and ends at the main entrance of St. John Providence Park Hospital, but deviates from previous emergency runs in that instead of three laps around the hospital, the course that winds through the ITC corridor with portions on Beck Road, Wildlife Woods Park, and the Novi Middle School soccer fields.

“We took a year off since attendance had plateaued because of how easy the course was,” said Police Sgt. Kevin Rhea. “We brainstormed some new ideas and with the popularity of other challenge races like Tough Mudder and the Warrior Dash. We created this challenge.”

He is hoping for 200-400 participants, who will encounter 10 obstacles, including: “The Road Hazard,” a network of tires to shuffle through; “Walls of Honor,” 6-feet and 8-feet high walls to be scaled; “Tire-d Pull,” tractor tires to be hauled 25 to 50 feet; “K-9 Crawl,” shimmying under a 3-foot high snow fence; “Brutal Break-in,” striking tractor tires 10-15 times with a sledgehammer; “Emergency Exit,” running up and down a 12-foot slanted wall; “On-the-run,” hurdling a series of 3-feet high jersey barriers; “First Responder Carry,” toting 5-gallon weighted buckets for 100 yards; “Box Jumper,” leaping 10-12 Crossfit boxes of various heights; and lastly, “Car Hoppin,’” in which participants jump or slide over nose-to-nose emergency vehicles.

“I think this will be a nice spin on the typical concrete 5K,” said Jason Porter, public safety performance analyst for the city’s police and fire departments. “We put a twist to have them compete against fire and police personnel in each wave.”

Besides Porter and Deneau, participants can also choose from a number of other police and fire competitors, including fire protection officers Joe Carpenter and Brian Luke; auxiliary firefighters Nick Cuozzo, Kim Giovannini and Zack Jackson; police officers Josh Johnson and Shawn Penzak; Police Cadet Nicole Lang; Police Detective Sarah Moulik; and Assistant Police Chief Erick Zinser.

The race begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, June 11 at Providence. Those who register before June 1 pay only $35, which will include a red or blue T-shirt, and contribute to a good cause. All race proceeds will be used to support fire prevention and crime prevention programs. This year’s goal is the purchase of a smokehouse trailer to teach children fire safety.

For more information or to register, visit cityofnovi.org/5Kchallenge.

sbromley@hometownlife.com