Search 4 Hurt pushes contestants to the max!
Local Dee Why athlete and gym owner Peter Day, 33, is officially the ‘Most Savage’ of them all.
Peter took the title at the finale of 7Mate’s endurance reality television show Search4Hurt, which aired on 19 October. The reality show is known for testing contestants grit and determination through intense physical challenges.
With a background in marketing, Peter had always been into fitness and was a keen sports player growing up – soccer, water polo, rugby, tennis and swimming. He played soccer semi-professionally in his early 20s. “I was just obsessed with competitions,” says Peter.
A chance encounter with the F45 playoffs on Manly Beach about 10 years ago saw Peter turn to fitness.
“They had a fitness competition on Manly Beach that invited people to ‘come test your fitness,’ so I competed and ended up coming fourth,” says Peter.
Ultimately, Peter ditched his marketing career and bought an F45 Gym in Seaforth and then one in Chatswood.
Peter’s video application for Search4Hurt got him into an initial Hurt Camp, a day full of rough activities in Gosford, where he was one of four people chosen for the show which was filmed in various locations around Australia.
Over six months, the four contestants trained with experts to prepare them for challenges designed to mentally and physically push them to their limits.
Those challenges included the backyard ultra, powerlifting comp, beach obstacle racing, turf games, chase the sun and obstacle enduro.
“The idea behind the show is that they find everyday savages,” Peter laughs. “And get them to really push themselves in incredible fitness challenges with no limits to see how far they can push the body. The winning title is ‘Most Savage.’”
Peter was pushed to the limit in Search4Hurt
Peter says they were kept on their toes, and they had to be ‘ready for anything,’ whether it was triathlon, powerlifting or CrossFit. He also stresses that mental fitness was as important as physical fitness for contestants, and you have to be smart to be able to cope with the pressure.
“One weekend, we had a powerlifting comp on the Saturday followed by a triathlon on the Sunday,” says Peter. “They were trying to push us, test us and break us. At the end of the day, they needed to find the savage.”
The contestants even ran from the Gold Coast to NSW in 24 hours!
“It was over 300 kilometres in 24 hours as a relay and you had to beat the sunrise – so start at sunrise and finish before sunrise at the finish.”
When you push your body to its limits as intensely as Peter did, it is essential to recover properly to avoid injuries.
“The recovery for Hurt Camp was almost a week,” explains Peter. “We were all pushed to the limit six times, with no one backing down. You have to pick yourself up when you’re fatigued and exhausted and go again. It’s one of those mental games where you really do have to push yourself when you are fatigued, which is a big challenge.”
Peter grew up in the Hills district but moved to Dee Why 12 years ago for the outdoor lifestyle, where he lives with his partner Lara.
“I just love the outdoors,” he says. “I love the fitness, the energy and the people. And I love to surf and go for beach runs. The Beaches just tick all the boxes.Manly is stunning. (The path to Shelly) is one of the best walks in the world.”