When they’re not tackling the challenges of life and parenthood, Alsace and Astral Smith can be found engaging in their favorite sporting activities. The couple recently took up the Spartan Challenge held in Sabeto, Nadi after a suggestion made by Astral.

 

 

 

“It was a goal I had set for myself personally at the beginning of this year. I wanted to complete at least 3 events that challenged me,” Mrs. Smith stated when asked about how the idea sprung about. The first event she took up was the Pacific Harbor 10km run for Suva marathon followed by the 10km Namosi Challenge: Fijis Toughest Run. To end the year on a high, she coerced her husband into taking part in the just done Spartan Challenge Fiji where they competed in the 10km Super with 25 obstacles.

 

 

An auspicious challenge as such can make even the fittest of people struggle and when questioned on this, Astral admitted to struggling the most between the pair saying “My fitness is nowhere near Alsace’s. He’s a natural athlete (it’s quite annoying 😂) but it was one of the reasons I asked him to team up with me.”

 

The couple encountered a few laugh out loud moments while trekking through chest-high water that was part of the course. In the middle of it was a man dressed a spartan, complete with a helmet, waiting for participants to take a selfie with him. “It was the most random thing ever,” said Mrs. Smith jokingly.

 

While trying to come with a team name, the pair took into consideration the fact that they are both fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV Shows. The settled on the title “The Marvels” and even had t-shirts made that they donned for the competition.

 

Another humorous occurrence was during one of the obstacles when the pair had to carry a weight each on their shoulders up what felt like a 100m or 200m steep incline. Women had to carry 18.1kg whereas the men were required to carry roughly 25kg. It wasn’t until the two had completed the obstacle that Alsace admitted he was near giving up. Halfway up the incline, Mr. Smith was ready to throw the weight off. He looked to his wife for inspiration and decided “to suck it up and keep moving too.” Mrs. Smith mentioned that it was most likely the only time he struggled and looked to her for stimulus. “Once we completed, he told me “I was ready to rest and saw you, then I said ok don’t be weak- just guise it and keep going too”” said Mrs. Smith.

 

 

 

The two are not strangers when it comes to physical tests with both being actively involved in their respective hockey clubs. Alsace is currently on the coaching path and also plays with the Mavericks who are also trialing for the Heritage Cup which will be held in New Zealand in April 2025. On the other hand, Astral plays competitively with her Ventures Women clubmates. “We’re pretty active in the sport [hockey] and these marathons are our first activities outside of our sport,”

 

This is only the beginning for more physical feats for the sporty couple. Astral stated that the couple are discussing taking on the trifecta next year and plan to train in build up to that or perhaps give the same challenge another go. As challenging as the 10km Super was, Astral plans to recruit more teammates to participate as it will be more enjoyable that way. “We hope to take a bigger team and help them cross the finish line and feel the sense the of achievement we do right now.” Astral said on behalf of the power duo. This will be a power couple to keep a close eye on.