Spartan Race Reviews
With the popularity of obstacle course races growing, there
are a wide range of races to choose from. Many races focus
on building a party atmosphere and making the races accessible
for participants of all different fitness levels. Some races
are untimed or allow users to skip obstacles they feel uncomfortable
completing. Those races aren't Spartan Races.
The Spartan Race series is unapologetically competitive with
timing chips for all racers, burpee penalties for failed obstacles,
cash prizes for winners and a yearly point series to crown
an overall winner. The venue becomes a different kind of party
with pullup, slosh pipe and tire flipping contests. The Spartan
Race is still very accessible to any fitness level (including
races for children) and encourages comraderie among competitors
but it is unabashed about pushing racers outside their comfort
zone. Mile for mile, the Spartan Race puts together the hardest
course I've encountered. An 8-mile Spartan Race will usually
take me about the same amount of time as a 12-mile Tough Mudder.
There are three main Spartan Race distances to choose from
including the Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super and Spartan Beast.
Completing all three obstacle course race distances in a single year earns a competitor
the coveted Spartan Trifecta medal. This feat often requires
both a dedication to training and a willingness to travel.
I ended up racing in three states to complete this achievement.
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Spartan Sprint
This race is billed as 3+ miles and 15 obstacles but the Spartan
team tends to over deliver with some courses covering close
to 5 miles. Though the Sprint distance is the most attainable
of the Spartan Races, it is still a course that should be taken
seriously. All Spartan Races feature taxing obstacles that test
strength, endurance, and balance. They also tend to use hills
and natural terrain elements to test the mettle of racers.
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Super Spartan
Averaging 20 obstacles across 8 miles, the Super Spartan ups
the ante with a longer course that will requires greater endurance.
This race distance tends to to weed out some less experienced
runners. It doesn't take a lot to get people to sign up for
a 5k race but an 8-mile course tends to draw more trained athletes.
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Spartan Beast
The Spartan Beast is an unforgiving race that should not be
taken lightly. Beyond the longer mileage, racers will
face the most grueling obstacles that Spartan has to offer.
The flagship course has always been held in Killington,
VT where Spartan Race was founded where the elite racers
cover the 13 miles is over 3 hours and even Olympic athletes
have gone home with a DNF. If that wasn't enough, the adventurous can tackle the marathon distance Ultra Beast. |
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Spartan Race Hurricane Heat
The Hurricane Heat is more of a team challenge than a race but it embodies the core values of the Spartan brand. Racers who tackle the Hurricane Heat will spend around 4 hours running the course carrying tires, logs and performing countless burpees. This challenge is build around the Warrior Ethos: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
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