Tug-of-War for Special Olympics Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - It's the ultimate tug of war challenge. Teams attempt to pull a FedEx Boeing 757 aircraft 12 feet as fast as they can.  The event generates funds for Special Olympics Indiana by pitting teams of up to 22 people in a giant tug-of-war competition.

“The pilot has to take his foot of the brake and as soon as he takes his foot off the brake, we have to pull it and its all legs” says Special Olympics Athlete Paul Philhower.

While the event includes a number of other activities, the competition is the main focus of the fundraiser, challenging teams to pull the 164,000-pound aircraft 12 feet in the least amount of time.  The FedEx Boeing 757 is the largest aircraft in Special Olympics Indiana's Plane Pull history.

The event started in Indianapolis ten years ago when FedEx employee Eric Garrett saw video of a similar event in Washington D.C.

“I said ‘why can’t we do that here?’  So I just organized it and we’ve been doing it ever since” Garrett said.

At the event, teams compete in one of seven categories for their chance at the title of "Fastest Pull" within the division. An award is also given for the fastest pull overall.  The top two fastest teams from each category can then go on to compete in the lowest combined weight pull, in which teams attempt to pull the plane using either the fewest or the lightest of their team members.

More than 1,200 people signed up to participate in the 10th annual FedEx Plane Pull Challenge at the former Indianapolis International Airport Terminal. To participate, teams must raise $1,000. Fundraising prizes and incentives are then given at various levels. In its ten years, nearly $750,000 has been raised for Special Olympics Indiana.

"I see what this event -- what the money will do for these athletes” says Garrett. "It raises their self esteem and they learn how to work together to accomplish a goal."

The 2011 event also featured another portion of competition-the "Runway Run." New in 2011, Special Olympics Indiana will have a 3-mile run and a 3×3-mile team relay (each member of 3-person team to run 3-mile distance), in addition to the 1-mile walk/run.  The Runway Run begins at 8:30 a.m., and departs from the Plane Pull competition area between what was concourses C and D at the former Indianapolis Airport terminal.

Special Olympics Indiana is a not-for-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in more than 20 Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, reaching nearly 11,000 athletes across Indiana.  The organization receives no federal- or state-appropriated funds, is not a United Way agency and relies entirely on corporate, civic and individual donations.