Local pro athletes Taylor Rapp, Austin Shenton complete 10,000-calorie burn challenge in memorable day

“I think the two words people use most is ‘You’re crazy!’ ” Austin Shenton said.

It was a workout that lasted close to 17 hours – and burned more than 10,000 calories apiece.

“I can’t believe I’m alive,” Taylor Rapp joked.

When it was done, Rapp, the former Husky and current LA Rams safety, and Shenton, a fifth-round pick by the Mariners in last year’s MLB Draft, had traveled 125 miles by bike, another four miles on a hike, three more on a run, and more than another mile on a swim. They had also traversed 7,300 feet of elevation.

“I wanted to see how mentally tough I was and to see how far I can stretch my body, stretch my mind,” Rapp said.

It was all just four days after deciding to try it on a whim.

“He just kind of texted me saying ‘Bro.’ And I was like, Oh, what’s he got for me?” Shenton said. “Because I was honestly planning on playing a little golf tournament like a little scramble.”

Instead, it was a 4:30 a.m. start from Bellingham on their bikes through Ferndale and up to Birch Bay, east through Lynden, and all the way down south to the trailhead at Oyster Dome – in all, a seven-hour bike ride that was close to 103 miles long.

“Then we went straight to the hike. And that was about another couple hours,” Rapp said.

After another 21 miles on bike, the challenge was completed in a swimming pool at Rapp’s girlfriend’s home.

“Actually if it was in a lake, it would have been a little dangerous because I cramped up. My body was starting to shut down at the end. So my calves, both my calves balled up huge softballs,” Rapp said.

Added Shenton: “I was like, are you okay? He was flailing his arms. I go underwater and stretch it out. I’m playing the athletic trainer in the pool. So it was pretty ridiculous.”

A team effort, so to speak, for the longtime friends and pro athletes who sought – and conquered – a new adventure outside their normal realms.

“I would put this up there with you know, draft day or you know, being a Pac-12 Championship MVP,” Rapp said.

Added Shenton: “I don’t know if we really expected ourselves to be able to actually complete it. You don’t really know what you’re capable of, until you kind of push yourself to the limit.

And you know, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.”