June 6, 2011

• Spartan Race

  On Saturday, a bunch of my friends did Spartan Race, one of those obstacle course type of races that I have become really popular. Last year, I did Warrior Dash, a 3.2 mile run that begins up a green on a ski lodge and then spend the next 2 or so miles zig-zagging downhill through these obstacle courses designed to slow you down. A week before Thanksgiving, I did Tough Mudder, a 12+ mile run through mostly natural obstacles like swimming a river and running through miles upon miles of mud.

  I was not excited going into this race. I thought it was going to be much like Warrior Dash (easy) and the only thing I found amusing was that our team wore shirts and ties as our costume. I went as far as wearing dress shoes. If James Bond can do it, so can I.

   

  

  The race totally owned me. Sure, I wasn’t in the shape I was in as compared to the other two races, but I wasn’t in bad shape. Sure, doing it in dress shoes were extremely difficult, but it would have been difficult regardless.

  There were two things that made it different from the others. First, the race course was alternating between uphill and downhill pretty much the entire way so just when you thought you were going down and close to the finish, it would go back up with more uphill. Second thing were the obstacles themselves as they were extremely difficult. Some of these obstacles include running with a car tire, loading up 3/4 bucket of pebbles and carrying it uphill on a steep incline and then back down. Pulling a sled that’s loaded with sandbags, traversing across a wall without falling and crawling through about 100 yards of rocks covered with mud, with dangling barbed wire that’s hanging so low, it’s impossible to get through without getting snagged. People were either getting cut up from these wires or from the sharp jagged rocks below the mud.

   

  

  My time for Warrior Dash (3.2 miles) was like 40 something minutes. My time for Tough Mudder (12+ miles) was 2 hours and 50 mins. My time for this race (3.5 miles) was close to 2 hours (will find out exact time soon).

  It really put me in my place. And while running through the whole thing, I desperately tried to keep my shirt clean. At least everything from the stomach up was clean, until at the end in the final obstacle where I got knocked to the ground and then tackled again, by three body builders.

  It was a really humbling experience and it has reinvigorated me to push harder again and train. Surprisingly I woke up feeling not too bad–even going as far as tilling the backyard for my dad for his vegetables.

  For anyone interested in doing these races, always prepare for the worst! Amongst our group of 11 people, I finished 9th. The person who finished first, beating me by at least 30-40 minutes was my friend’s girlfriend. I heard she had the third best amongst the female racers. Crazy!

  Update:  After picture!

  • 2:55 pm
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