FORMER HOUSTON MAYOR BILL WHITE AND HIS SON STEPHEN PREPARE FOR THE DEATH RACE!

The last time we checked on former Houston Mayor Bill White and his family he said they were going to live a nice and quiet private life. That's not quite true.

White's 19 year old son Stephen has talked him into a race that could literally claim their lives.

Stephen White

Stephen White has entered the highly controversial Spartan Death Race.  It's held annually in Vermont where contestants from all over the country sign up for a competition described as part Survivor and part Jack Ass.

The grueling competition that tests your mental and physical abilities lasts 24 hours.  Contestants are required to endure tough competitions ranging from mud runs to obstacle racing.

Stephen has signed up for the 2011 competition.  Serving on his team will be his father, former Houston Mayor Bill White.

The Insite has learned Stephen is taking this competition quite seriously.  How serious?  The Texas A & M freshman has actually been practicing by pulling trucks harnessed to his body, dragging tires through rough terrain, and now he's at survivor school in Colorado.  That's serious.

Stephen believes the Spartan Death Race will be as big as the Ironman competition in Hawaii. He says, "by doing something hard, and pushing myself past my comfort levels, I learn more about myself and the environment around me."

So, why is Stephen taking on such a crazy competition?  I'm told he was looking for other avenues to funnel that energy after a knee injury ended the young Houstonians hopes of playing college basketball at West Point.  Solution: The Spartan Death Races in Vermont.

Former Mayor Bill White

The event has been held for the last three years and in 2011 expect Stephen to be in that competition.

Bill seems excited about his son's adventure in the Spartan Death Race.  He says, "each of us can do more than we think, and I am proud to be a father and support crew of a son who tests those limits."

Those limits will definitely be tested because Stephen actually plans to scale a mountain the day before the competition begins on June 24th.  Good luck guys, you will need it!


Stephen White Training by Pulling a Truck: