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What They Were Thinking: Spartan Race at Fenway

Aja Varney, Christine Fried, and Eric Tobin, scaling cargo netting in front of the Green Monster as part of the 2.5-mile Spartan Race at Fenway Park.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Every Sunday, Boston Globe photographer Stan Grossfeld asks the subject of one of his photos to explain what's happening in the shot.

Who's up today: Aja Varney, Christine Fried, and Eric Tobin, scaling cargo netting in front of the Green Monster as part of the 2.5-mile Spartan Race at Fenway Park, Nov. 17, 2012.

Varney (above, far left) — "I was reflecting on what an outstanding season of races it has been with Spartan Race and how much my life has changed. Here I was, sitting atop a cargo net, in front of one of the most iconic walls in one of the most historic sports venues in the country, clad in spandex (of all things! in public!), at the end of my 12th Spartan Race. Thanks to a decision to get healthy and fit and stop being a couch potato, I began training a year ago (losing 90+ pounds!) and racing Spartan Races. That decision has brought me all over the country, I've met an incredible community of people, but I could've never dreamed that I'd be jogging down the warmup track that the Red Sox use to climb a net in front of the scoreboard."

Fried (lower left) — "I'd like to say that I was thinking about what an amazing opportunity it was to be on the field at Fenway. And I'd like to tell you I was beaming with pride for being that close to the finish line. But the truth is, my inner thoughts weren't nearly as profound. 'Holy crap, I am going to pig out after this!' about sums it up."

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Tobin (far right) — "I was thinking, 'The end is in sight!' My whole body was spent and I'd been questioning why I signed myself up for this torture test for the last 15 minutes, when suddenly I realized I was looking at the final 250 feet of the course. In my exhaustion, I didn't have time to bask in my proximity to the Green Monster, because unless the Red Sox sign me as their next left fielder, I won't be there again anytime soon. So, Ben, will my time of 1:01.37 get me a contract?"

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