If you’ve been on the internet this week, chances are that you’ve seen the fantastic run through American Ninja Warrior’s famously difficult obstacle course by a competitor in an inflatable tyrannosaurus rex suit, getting a lot farther than many others wearing less cumbersome clothing. If you haven’t seen it yet, click on the video above before you read any further.
You shouldn’t be all too surprised that the person inside the T-rex suit is from Florida. He’s Reko “DKRekon” Rivera, who works as an actor and entertainer at the Universal theme park in Orlando and is also a DJ. He lives in Oldsmar, a city in the Tampa Bay area about a half hour’s drive from my place, named after Ransom E. Olds of Oldsmobile fame.
Here’s what Rivera looks like when he’s running the course and not wearing a dinosaur outfit:
Here’s his 2015 audition video for American Ninja Warrior, where he shows off his many skills and interests, which range from DJing, fire-breathing, dancing, parkour, and stuntwork:
You know what’s even better? His 2016 audition video for American Ninja Warrior, which is as over-the-top as Kung Fury, and features a finale with him in a lightsaber duel against a guy in a t-rex suit and a Chuck Norris lookalike:
Around the same time, he also appeared in this video, Jurassic Parkour, where he’s doing ninja warrior training in a t-rex suit:
Reko placed in the top 15 in the Atlanta Qualifiers round, and will advance to the regional finals. Well done, sir!