Running on Three Hours Sleep, Tustin Still Wouldn’t Miss Tough As Nails
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WHEELING - When lifelong resident Darrell Tustin said he wouldn't miss the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge, it was less a figure of speech and more a literal declaration. Tustin's 24 hours prior to the citywide obstacle course proved he meant every word.
"I got up yesterday morning and watched my daughter do the half marathon ... then I drove to Indianapolis five and a half hours to go to a wedding," Tustin said.
After staying until about 9 p.m., he drove "five and half hours back" to Wheeling, arriving home around 2:30 a.m.
A few hours later, he was back on the move.
"I went to sleep, got up at six, got ready, went and played softball this morning," he said before tackling the course. "Now, I am getting ready to do the Tough As Nails."
If not for the wedding, Tustin's weekend would have been even more packed. He skipped the Mud on the Mountain event at Seven Springs so he could attend the ceremony.
Tustin, 49, said slowing down has never really been an option.
"If you stop at my age, you're not going to get going again," he said. "You can't stop."
That mindset has kept Tustin active across the Ohio Valley softball circuit, playing in leagues and tournaments in Steubenville, Barnesville and as far away as Morgantown and Columbus. He said competing in challenges like Tough as Nails helps keep up with the younger players.
"I'm around young kids all the time," Tustin said. "Softball is a younger generation so if you don't stay active you're going to be in a wheelchair."
The Tough As Nails Urban Challenge is now an annual highlight on Tustin's long to-do-list. The five-mile obstacle course debuted in 2019 as part of Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend, winding competitors through downtown Wheeling streets, stairways and hillsides.
The Tough As Nails Urban Challenge is now an annual highlight on Tustin's long to-do list. The 5-mile obstacle course debuted in 2019 as part of Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend, winding competitors through downtown Wheeling streets, stairways and hillsides.
"I’ve done the Tough As Nails every year. I haven't missed it," Tustin said. "Usually, I'm here with people from work. Last year, I had to beat my son and this year I am here by myself. I wouldn't miss it."
For Tustin, the appeal goes beyond the obstacles themselves. Growing up in Wheeling -- and living along part of the course -- gives the race a personal connection and a chance to meet competitors from all over while showing off his hometown.
"What's fun about it is the people you meet on the course," he said. "The stairs are where you meet most of the people. You try to encourage them."
As runners pass through neighborhoods he has known his entire life, Tustin becomes part competitor and part guide, especially on the grueling staircase section participants have nicknamed "The Stairway to Heaven." The notoriously difficult climb is one Tustin grew up running up and down as a kid, giving him both an advantage and a deeper appreciation for those taking on the stairs for the first time.
"I grew up in this area, I live on the hill and they go right past my house," he said. "My neighbors will be up there with sprinklers and handing me beers."
That hometown atmosphere is what keeps bringing him back year after year.
"It's just an overall fun day," he said. "I made sure I wasn't missing this. As long as they keep having it, I will keep running it. I'll be here."