RIVERVIEW, Fla. — When some people finish in last place, they tend to give up. But not 14-year-old Avery Coccia. It just made her try that much harder, and now she’s a Spartan champion.
From the backyard to the bedroom to the workout room, Coccia has turned her whole house into an obstacle course.
“When I grew up, I was always watching Ninja Warrior and stuff, and I remember I was begging my dad to get me a Ninja Warrior room one day, and I was so mad when he couldn’t get it there right then that second,” she said.
WATCH: From worst to first, teenage obstacle course star never gave up
Coccia started competing in obstacle course races when she was seven, eventually preparing her for the Raymond James Stadium Spartan Stadion Race 2024, where she would maneuver through 20 obstacles across five kilometers.
“I got last in my age group, last overall. I did really bad. It took me two and a half hours, and I thought I was going to die,” said Coccia.
However, despite the disappointing finish, Coccia wasn’t about to give up.
“After I got last, I realized like, ‘Wow, I need to step up my game.' So I used it for a lot of motivation," said Coccia. "I would be running, and I would want to stop, and I’m like, ‘If I stop, I’m going to stay like this forever and I’m always going to be last.'"
Earlier this month, Coccia returned once again to Raymond James Stadium for the 2025 Spartan Stadion Race. It was the same age group, same distance and same number of obstacles, but a very different result: she won.
“I was really shocked. I didn’t expect to get first,” said Coccia.
Coccia is now on to the Spartan World Championships in West Virginia this September.
She hopes her worst-to-first story is an inspiration for others, not just when it comes to sports, but when it comes to life.
“You can always improve, especially if you are starting last. You should always use that as motivation to turn it around and do better,” said Coccia.
When she isn’t training, the straight-A student is developing her own freeze-dried candy company, Freeze Fun. And when she isn’t making candy, she’s helping her parents care for her six younger siblings. No matter what the obstacle, she’s in it to win it.
However, Coccia admits, taking care of the younger brothers and sisters is the biggest challenge of all.
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