Super Spartan Race
Marseilles, IL - October 27, 2012
Preparations
Having run the Chicago Marathon two week before and with the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon schedule a week later my cardio conditioning was pretty solid. After struggling with the rope climb during the Spartan Sprint, I hung a 20ft rope to practice. In my opinion, the Spartan Race series is the toughest out there but I felt pretty prepared.
The Course
The Super Spartan Race course was held in the same location as the previous year’s Spartan Sprint and the course. Even though the course was longer, the terrain was familiar with lots of hills and thick, slippery mud. Over the last year, Dirt Runner had turned the area into a permanent course available to run all year long and the quality of the permanent obstacles was impressive. The Spartan Race expanded on that base but many of the obstacles were the same as the shorter Spartan Sprint. I’ll just highlight some of the new and noteworthy obstacles.
The Obstacles
40ft Ladder Wall – Pretty much every obstacle course has some variation of the ladder wall but none that I’ve encountered matched this one. This wall stood an imposing 40ft high with pretty significant spacing between the cross beams. The wall was doubled up so that races climbing down the back side were not overlapping with racers on the way up the front. While that was helpful, it made crossing over the top a little more challenging. Even at just over 6ft tall, my legs didn’t reach the top beams on both sides when straddling the top. Everything was slick with mud which made that transition and intimidating task. There was some hay at the bottom (not hay bales, just loose hay) so a fall from the top pretty much guaranteed a serious injury. This obstacle was a good indication that this course wasn’t going to pull any punches.
Tire Flip – Flipping massive tractor tires is something that’s straight out of a strongman competition. As Spartans, our task was to flip the tire twice, then turn around and flip it back to the starting point. The tires are definitely heavy but the weight is manageable. Everyone knows to lift the weight with your legs instead of your back but the shape of the tire makes it difficult to maintain proper form.
Sandbag Carry - The Spartan Race featured the official Spartan Pancake sandbag. Men carried the 40 lb version and women a 20 lb bag. The bag was pretty comfortable to carry. The material was tough with a little stretch to it but it was also relatively soft. Carrying the sandbag itself wasn’t that difficult but that portion of the course was much longer than I expected it to be with several dirt hills.
Rope Cross – Two ropes, one for your hands and one for your feet, span across a watery pit. Falling off not only meant a dip in some icy water but also 30 burpees. Three racers were allowed across at a time. When I crossed, I was between two other guys and the three of us were pretty close together. Our weight caused the bottom rope to sag into the water. We were technically on the rope but the rope was also technically on the ground. It was a good obstacle but the execution was a little off. The ropes really needed to be a higher to make sure nobody got a free pass like we did. This was the first of three back to back balance obstacles that were a significant bottleneck. A backup at an obstacle isn’t uncommon but when you string three of them together like that in 40 degree weather, it gets pretty rough.
Horizontal Log Crossing – There was another watery pit on the other side of the Rope Cross. This pit had four logs spanning the width of the pit. Once you got onto a log, you had to cross the rest of the way without falling into the water to avoid burpees. The logs were spaced far enough the transitioning from one to the next wasn’t easy if you got too comfortable on a log. People definitely got gun shy on this one and spent a lot of time clinging to the logs. The best bet was to stand up and step one to the next. On this obstacle moving quickly takes a little faith but it ends up working better than any method that might feel safer at first.
Suspended Log Cross – After hopping from log to log on the last obstacle, racers climbed onto a massive single log suspended high above a watery pit. The log had a rough tread attached to it for added traction. I think the intention was for competitors to run the length of the log but everyone opted to straddle the log and shuffle their way across. Nobody wanted to fall 12 feet into icy water with an extra treat of 30 burpees waiting on the other side. The added stability from the tread on the log came at a price and it felt like sandpaper on my legs.
Stepping Stumps – We approached another pit filled with muddy water. Small stumps of varying heights protruded from the water’s surface. The tops of the stumps had a bit of rough tread to give racers a little extra traction. The stumps were in two staggered rows but one of the stumps was so short it was hidden beneath the surface of the water. Each Spartan was confronted with the choice of trying to make the jump to the stump that was farther and higher or to take that risky step onto the concealed stump. The racer in front of me slipped into the water and his splash was enough to reveal the stump long enough for me to lock onto it and successfully make the step.
Balance Logs – This obstacle was yet another variation on the log crossing. This obstacle was over dry ground and was made up of three low logs in a zigzag configuration. I think the intention was to cross the logs standing up but most racers were using the straddle and shuffle technique. The ground was littered with loose hay for safety… or something.
Over Under Logs – Getting over the raised logs wasn’t as easy as it looked. The logs had a large diameter so there was nothing to grab on to. They were also covered with some kind of plastic sheet that made them even slicker. Unlike climbing over a wall, there’s no purchase for your feet and nothing to prevent you from rotating under the log. Several people jumped up and threw their arms over the logs only to spin under, slip and land hard on their backs. The height got progressively higher and teamwork among racers made this obstacle more achievable. Getting under the low logs wasn’t tough but the last one was extremely low. At probably around 10 inches from the ground, I’m certain some people just wouldn’t fit.
Porcupine thing – This mound of protruding logs was located right in the center of the event grounds. The obstacle stood as an imposing greeting to prospective Spartans. When I first arrived at the scene, the first wave of elite racers was just approaching the finish line and tackling this obstacle. Despite the intense look, the obstacle seemed fairly straight forward and a reasonably easy climb. By the time I arrived at the obstacle it was a slippery mess with a three foot deep muddy pit in front of the apparatus. Teamwork was a requirement to begin the climb and several people hung out on the bottom logs to give their fellow Spartans a hand and racers in the pit were able to give a boost. Once you started the climb, it was easy enough to make your way to the summit.
Overall Obstacle Difficulty Rating: 4/5
Hardest Obstacle:
There were a couple of obstacles that stood out as especially challenging. The Over Under Logs would have been difficult to accomplish alone. The spiky mound of logs at the end was tough just because previous racers had left the base so sloppy and slick. Though not a feature of the course, the weather was certainly an obstacle as well. At the start of the race, the temperature was still in the thirties and it never got out of the mid-forties. Staying wet for the duration of the race was a little rough.
Time: Going in the Super Spartan Race, I was pretty comfortable at a 9 minute pace up to 20 miles on trails. I also knew that last year’s Spartan Sprint took much longer than expected. I played it safe and brought a Cliff Shot gel. My final time on course was 2 hours 13 minutes.
Mud Rating: 4/5
There was plenty of thick mud along the Super Spartan course – both in the obstacles themselves and along the trails. I had a shoe come off for the first time in an Obstacle Course Race after jumping into a mud pit.
Clean Up:
A standard grid of hoses was enough to get racers cleaned off without much of a wait. It was sufficient to rinse off the thick mud from the course. Though the water was chilly, I was cold enough that the water didn’t feel that different.
Atmosphere:
The Super Spartan Race was well organized with several bonfires to warm up cold racers. While some other obstacle race venues feel more like a party than a competition, this Spartan Race felt more serious. It was clear that there was camaraderie among racers who thrived off the competition. While they were there to have fun, they also took the course seriously.
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