By FRANCIS FEDOR
Fourteen-year-old Avery Coccia, a student-athlete from Riverview, FL, achieved a remarkable victory on May 12, 2025 by taking 1st place overall in the Female 14–17 age group at the Spartan Stadion Race held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Avery and her step-mom pose after completing the Spartan Stadion race. Nicole Coccia, an inspiration to Avery, runs in the Elite category finished first in her age group and fourth overall for females.
The Spartan Stadion race is a 5K and 20 Obstacle event held across the USA in iconic sports stadiums. The Tampa event at Raymond James, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, welcomed thousands of participants. The event consists of climbs, stationary leaps onto platforms, and stair runs to get to the next obstacle. The course winds through the entire rise of the stadium, through concourses, club levels, past offices and locker rooms. One participant described it as an “incredible experience, especially if you are in a stadium where you are a fan of the team”. It is truly a mix of endurance, strength, strategy and skill to complete the course while in the midst of hundreds of other competitors. One of the challenging obstacles is a 38 ft rig of metal monkey bars. The race concludes with a run through a gauntlet of heavy bags to complete the course and obtain a medal for finishing the event. The average duration of a competition is 1H 32M. Rings, Avery replied, were her toughest obstacle. She found motivation in a race-in-a-race between her and another competitor giving her the extra motivation to finish in front.
Avery emerges from the final obstacle en-route to pick up her medals for her first-place finish in the Spartan Stadion race on May 12.
Avery’s win is even more impressive considering her age — having just turned 14 weeks prior, she competed against older, more experienced teens from across the state. Her performance was the result of relentless training and focus, all while balancing a demanding schedule that includes school, competitive gymnastics, obstacle-specific training, and operating her own small business, Freezy Fun (Freeze Dried Candy), at local events.
This year’s win marks an extraordinary turnaround. In 2024, at the same race, Avery finished last in her age group (39th out of 39) and 1,179th out of 1,219 in the overall female category. Rather than be discouraged, she used that result as motivation, dedicating the past year to personal growth and physical development.
She currently maintains Straight A Honor Roll status at Randall Middle School, reflecting her commitment to excellence both on and off the course. Avery will move on to high school at Bloomingdale and I asked what sports she may pursue and she offered that “I’m going to look into Track and Gymnastics” which lines up with her Spartan Stadion competition.
Avery offered, “I just wanted to prove to myself what I was capable of if I put everything into it. To go from last to first in one year means the world to me — but I know I have a lot of room for improvement and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey.” She will take part in 3 more events before the end of the year. One in Orlando, another in Central Florida and World Championships in West Virginia in September. She credits her athletic step-mom for her inspiration that drove her to the competition.
As she continues to climb the ranks in the competitive world of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR), Avery hopes to continue her growth and inspire other young athletes across the country. And if you see her with her Freezy Fun business out and about, congratulate her for her amazing accomplishment.
Anthony Coccia contributed content and photos to the article. FreezyFun website: www.FreezyFun.com
For more South Shore action, look for Steve Jackson’s write-up covering the other South Shore HS games.
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