For as long as I can remember, I have played sports. Playing sports kept me active and gave me something to train for. When I got to college, I no longer played sports and I lacked motivation to work out regularly and go to the gym. Then, my Dad asked me to do a Spartan Race, and the training begun.
This past year, I participated in three popular races, the Spartan Sprint, the Spartan Super and the Spartan Beast. In this blog, I’ll talk about training, the races, tips and my overall thoughts.
The Beast
I completed the Spartan Beast on April 27th in New Jersey. The Spartan Beast is 13 miles long and contains 30 obstacles. A lot of these courses have a lot of uphill terrain plus a lot of rocks and sticks in the path. This race was very difficult, but very rewarding to finish. I started training pretty much every day about 6 months prior to this race. When training, it is important to do a lot of incline running, grip strength exercises, pull ups and weight training because there are obstacles where you will have to carry having objects. Another exercise that is important to add to training is burpees because if you cannot complete an obstacle, you have to do burpees instead. This race is challenging and proper training is really important. Warning: You will be sore!
The Super and Sprint
The second race that I completed was the Spartan Super on August 10th. This race is 8 miles long with 20 obstacles. I then completed the Spartan Sprint that same weekend, on August 11th. The sprint is 3 miles long with 20 obstacles. Both of these races were in Boston. If you want to see was a Spartan race is like, the sprint could be a good place to start. The training for all of the races are pretty much the same since they are all pretty similar, other than the distance. Also, if you pay an extra fee, you can get a weekly workout plan sent to you through email which contains workouts for each day and how to do each workout. I used these workouts and I think it is very helpful because you know you are doing the best workouts to prepare.
So, What’s a Spartan Race Like?
When you arrive at the race, you head over to the check in. I recommend trying to arrive about an hour before hand so you have plenty of time. Around the start line, there are lots of booths (and lots of free stuff). One thing to keep in mind is if you have people coming with you to watch the race, there are a lot of places where spectators can not see you. They will only be able to see you at certain points in the race. Once you complete the race, you receive a T-shirt, a metal and lots of snacks. If you complete all 3 races in a year, you become a Spartan Trifecta and all three of your metals fit together.
Tips for Spartans
Camelbaks are key, especially for the Beast and the Super. There are water stations on the course, but I know for me and a lot of others, that’s not enough. The Camelbak is also a great place to store snacks if you need energy during the race. Having a bag is really great for staying hydrated throughout the race. It is also really important to eat right and drink lots of water leading up to the race. Also, creating a team of people makes it a lot more fun. I did the Beast with my Uncle and my Dad. My sister joined us for the Sprint and the Super. My Dad made us matching shirts, we stayed together throughout the race and encouraged each other to keep going. (I probably needed the most encouragement of the group). Doing this race with my family was a really great experience.
Spartan races are a huge challenge but very rewarding when you finish. They push you both physically and mentally. These races take place year around all around the world. Do you have what it takes?
