“Beast Games” winner rucks across ENC to help son fight rare brain disorder

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A father whose son lives with a rare brain disorder is rucking five marathons in five days across eastern North Carolina, hoping every mile brings children like his son closer to a cure.

Jeff Allen, the $10 million winner of Season 1 of “Beast Games,” spent the past five days rucking from Atlantic Beach to Beaufort County, the equivalent of five marathons, finishing Thursday at the Voice of America Game Land.

He made the trek with a weighted backpack representing the weight of his son, Lucas, joined by fellow Beast Games contestants who are also pushing their bodies to the limit for the cause.

“My son Lucas has an ultra-rare brain disorder called creatine transporter deficiency, only 400 diagnosed in the world, and we’re raising money to be able to fund research and ultimately clinical trials to get us closer to a cure,” Allen said.

According to the Association for Creatine Deficiencies, CTD prevents creatine from reaching the brain and can lead to severe developmental challenges, seizures, and speech impairment.

Allen said the idea for “Ruck4Rare” grew out of a moment on Season 2 of “Beast Games,” when he was offered a chance at another million-dollar payout.

“In Beast Game Season Two, on the captain bribe, I was up there and had the chance to press a button to get a million dollars, and I said no, I’m coming back to North Carolina, that’s where Beast City was, and I’m going to ruck across North Carolina and try to raise a million dollars,” Allen said.

In recent years, Allen said his family and supporters have already helped raise well over a million dollars for CTD research. But he says the estimated cost to help move a promising treatment into clinical trials is around $8 million, so his family is increasing their commitment.

“So, if someone comes in and writes a $500,000 check, my family is going to match it,” Allen said. “We’re doing everything we can to get us closer to a therapy.”

Allen’s Ruck4Rare effort is part of a broader fundraising push in partnership with the Association for Creatine Deficiencies’ “Race for a Cure” initiative, which is designed to support research projects with the strongest potential to advance to clinical trials.

It’s not just Allen’s family on the trail. Walking beside him is U.S. Marine Kristofer DeVault, who told WITN that he and his wife learned earlier this year that their young son has the same rare disorder.

“Right then, my wife and I were super devastated,” DeVault said. “Couldn’t find a moment where we weren’t completely torn up.”

DeVault said that after receiving the diagnosis, he and his wife knew they didn’t want to simply sit with the fear. Instead, he laced up his shoes and joined Allen on the ruck, hoping the miles they put in now will help fund the research their sons need.

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