Pocket Life
By Corky Mau
February 2026
New Heights
Races are perfect antidote to middle-age blues
Pocket resident Devin Lavelle found a way to push body and mind. Approaching his mid-40s a decade ago, he joined the Spartan race movement and turned pain into purpose.
“It’s been a journey of personal transformation,” he says. “Today, I know more about what I’m capable of accomplishing, physically and mentally.”
In high school, Lavelle swam, wrestled and played soccer. In young adulthood, sports took a back door to family, work and volunteering with civic organizations, including time as city parks commissioner for Greenhaven and Pocket.
Lavelle tried his first Spartan race in 2016 at Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe). After that, he finished many Spartan Sprint and Super races, three 21-kilometer Beasts and several 36-kilometer trifectas.
His most challenging Spartan race came four months ago, when Lavelle headed to Greece for the Spartan Agoge 300, a 72-mile trek through Sparta. Ancient youth had 11 years to complete the Agoge. Modern athletes get 60 hours over three days.
The event started at the Leonidas Tomb and wound through mountains with 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Then nature intervened.
“After climbing steadily uphill for hours and almost reaching the top of the mountain, the weather turned bad,” Lavelle says. “For our safety, we were told to get off the mountain. I couldn’t finish the race as I had hoped. I heard only 10 people finished, but seven hours after the cutoff time.”
The outcome was disappointing after training for one year. To prepare for Greece, Lavelle logged 600 miles on trails in the Auburn State Recreation Area, Pocket canal, Seymour Park greenbelt and Sacramento River Parkway. He trekked Mt. Tamalpais, Point Reyes, Shasta Dam, Kings Canyon and Desolation Wilderness.
A memorable hike was a 20-mile jaunt in Yosemite. “I stayed at Tamarack Flat and hiked an awesome trail that took me to the top of El Capitan and Eagle Rock,” he says.
partan events are family affairs for Lavelle. His two boys compete in kids’ races. They’ve done two trifectas and are training for a third.
Spartan events are more than races. Courses are designed to test physical and mental toughness. Events involve wall and rope climbs, barbed wire crawls in mud and hauling buckets up hills.
Lavelle plans on at least two Beast competitions this year. Why? “I’m just a recreational racer trying to tackle fun challenges and swim against the current of my middle-aged desk job life at the California Research Bureau.”
He encourages everyone to join him. “If you can hike a few miles, you can do a Spartan race,” he says. “They’re challenging, but you can go at your own pace. Course obstacles are adaptable to different skill levels. The Spartan community is great at supporting newcomers.”
For information about Spartan events, visit spartan.com.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Take your sweetheart to Winter Blast on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Elks Lodge No. 6. Festivities start at 4:30 p.m. For $30 per person, enjoy a beef bourguignon dinner and dance (or skip dinner and pay $15 for the dance). Leaping Blennies will play ’50s tunes. For information, call (916) 422-666 or visit the lodge.
Corky Mau can be reached at corky.sue50@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
