SAC Philosophy Professor Dan Herrick led his men’s and co-ed teams to record-breaking victories Oct. 24 at San Antonio College’s 15th semiannual Backyard Beast competition, hosted by SAC’s Kinesiology Club in Parking Lot 3.
The competition, which consists of a circuit course of challenging exercise stations, drew 21 four-person teams in three divisions: men’s, women’s and co-ed.
Herrick fields a men’s team and a co-ed team for the competition every semester, and his teams had their best performance yet, setting new course records. Herrick’s “Team OTF” (Only The Family) beat their previous course record in the men’s division by 1 minute, 14 seconds, improving from 21:41 to 20:27, and Herrick’s “4L Gang” shattered the course record in the co-ed division with a finishing time of 23:21. The previous co-ed record of 26:36 was set in 2018.
“I just love the community of the whole event,” Herrick told the Sundial. “I love the teamwork, the strategy and the camaraderie. I love everything.”
Sofia Prieto, a fourth-year participant and sophomore kinesiology major at SAC, is a longtime member of Herrick’s “4L Gang.” She said Herrick keeps her and the team accountable during training.
“It’s always great to come back and compete,” Prieto told the Sundial.
Teams started on the top floor of the parking garage, running to the first station on the bottom floor where each team member rowed 500 meters on a rowing machine and rode a stationary bike for one mile.
From there, competitors moved up one level to a station where each team split into two groups to carry a cylindrical weighted “sand worm” down the ramp, around a cone and back up to the starting point. The station replaced a similar event that required teams to carry a dummy the same distance. Men had to carry a 150-pound sand worm, and women had to carry a 95-pound sand worm.
Competitors then ran to the third level of the garage to a station where teams had to complete 100 box jumps or step-ups. Adjacent to that station was the rope slams portion of the competition with teams completing 200 total slams before moving on to the next level of the garage, where teams had to flip a 275-pound tire, moving to a cone and back.
The reverse overhead cannonballs challenge was next, and competitors had to toss a 20-pound medicine ball over their head, traveling the length of the garage ramp and then running back down to the starting point.
Competitors then ran up the ramp to the top level before descending the stairwell and sprinting across level one before ascending to the rooftop again for the final event, where each team pulled a 275-pound tire roughly 50 meters and back to the finish line.
Several participants and volunteers sustained injuries or were treated by medical professionals after completing the course. Kinesiology Professor Martha Stephenson, who serves as faculty advisor for the Kinesiology Club and lead organizer for Backyard Beast, said organizers always ensure members of Alamo Colleges Police Department and Emergency Medical Services are on site to handle such situations.
“Unfortunately, it happens,” Stephenson said. “But we are always ready.”
The next Backyard Beast event is scheduled for spring 2026 in Parking Lot 3.
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