The Spartan Race-Do You Have What It Takes?
May 8, 2012 
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Do you have what it takes?
In October of 2011 I was introduced to the amazing world of mud runs! I absolutely became addicted to them after I ran my first one with a group of friends. It really challenged me and gave me a sense of comradery and personal achievement. I found the Spartan Race online in early 2012 and decided I would try out the easiest race they offered when they came to Charlotte, NC at the end of March. From what their website suggested, the Spartan Race seemed like it was going to be crazy and really push me to my limits, which is exactly the motivation I needed! I wanted to be in the best shape I could possibly be in for this race. I trained hard and completed the easiest race they offered, the Spartan Sprint. See how my race went and what I did to prepare for it, then decide whether or not you have what it takes to be a SPARTAN!
What is the Spartan Race?
So you may be asking yourself what the heck the Spartan Race anyways? So here is a quick general overview of what the Spartan Race is. The Spartan Race is a grueling obstacle course run, which can be anywhere from 3+ miles with 15+ obstacles (the Spartan Sprint), 8+ miles with 20+ obstacles (the Super Spartan), 12+ miles with 25+ obstacles (the Spartan Beast), and the undetermined distance with an untold amount of obstacles (the Spartan Death Race). Each one of these races are harder than its predecessor obviously.
The Spartan Race Obstacles
So I am sure you are wondering at this point well what exactly are the obstacles in these races? I have only done one of the Spartan Races and that was the Spartan Sprint so I can only tell you some of the obstacles that I faced. Also a good thing to note is that since the Spartan Race travels around the country every race is different even if it is the same type, and not every race will have the same obstacles in them. With that said some of the obstacles in this Spartan Race that I went up against included the following:
- Jumping over walls ranging from 4 feet to 8 feet
- Climbing straight up a rope with about 20lbs of mud on you.
- Dragging a cinder block by a chain for about 200 ft.
- Carrying about a 30 lb sandbag up an incline hill.
- Scaling a wall side to side hanging on to small boards. (harder then it sounds)
- Crawling under barb wire for around 200 ft. (low barbwire)
- Climbing a steep hill with a rope.
- Monkey bars.
- Jumping over fire.
- Throwing a javelin (Pretty sure no mud run, but the Spartan Race has this haha).
- ….and many more!
What I did to prepare myself for the Spartan Race.
The Spartan Race really got me excited about training and preparing to tackle this grueling course. So at the time that I signed up I had about 3 months until the big race. I wanted to have day to day motivation and an intense workout to really reshape my whole body to prepare me for this race. So naturally I decided to commit to doing P90X. It fit my time window perfectly and would tell me exactly what I needed to do each day and keep me pushing towards my goal. This was my personal way of training which I would highly recommend since it is a total body workout, something the Spartan Race definitely requires. Now that I have been through the program and experienced its results I would love to help you get similar results to conquer a challenge like this. I can also give you a little more detailed information about the Spartan Race and give you my own tips and advice about preparing for it. So sign up for a FREE beachbody account and let me help you tackle these races. I’d love to do any of these Spartan Races with anyone interested in doing them if I am able to as well (maybe not the Death Race though haha).
Overall Results and Summary with the Spartan Race.
I am very proud to say that I finished in the top 25% out off all the Spartans (about 5,000) and in the top 35% of all the males (about 3,500). I really enjoyed the Spartan Sprint and it definitely challenged me mentally and physically. I would highly, highly recommend this Spartan Race to anyone looking to get up and out of the house, challenge themselves, and to really get down and dirty for an awesome experience. Currently my next race that I am training for is the Spartan Beast in mid-October. I am hoping Insanity will help give me the cardio that I need to run these longer distanced races in the future. I can’t wait for this next Spartan Race and hope you will ask yourself if you have what it takes to be a SPARTAN!
Finishing the Spartan Sprint!
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Brett Banford
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