By: Daniel Cimino
Over the recent years, ax throwing has seen a growth in popularity, so it’s no surprise that competitive leagues are on the rise as well.
A league season lasts eight weeks, with seven of those weeks being used to determine seeding for the playoff round that occurs to decide a winner. But for some people, an eight-weekseason seems too long… if you could get a season’s worth of ax throwing done in a single day?
That’s what a marathon is for, and Live by the Axe will be hosting four of these deadly events consecutively between Dec. 31, 2025 and Jan. 3, 2026. The event is aptly titled “Live (and Die) by the Axe”, and it provides a great opportunity to get a lot of throws in and to meet members of the community from all over the country.
“We have got people coming in from Baltimore, people coming in from south Florida, we’re trying to get some people in from the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area as well,” says Jay Grayauskie, a local league runner and southeast representative for the IATF (International Axe Throwing Federation).
“It sounds like a lot but it’s actually the best ways to learn, because you can start getting in a rhythm. You don’t have to come in, play a couple games and then try to come again next week and remember what you did right and what you did wrong.”
The owner of Live by the Axe, Nicole Fletcher, described the event as “the extreme of the extreme” and is very excited to host an event that according to her is “unprecedented”.
“The idea of doing four marathons in four days has never even been contemplated before. I don’t think anyone’s ever done it,” she said. “I’m not even sure how we’re going to pull it offbut it’s going to be a ton of fun. It’s going to be four 12-hour days of 20-plus people throwing axes. I can’t wait.”