This article is totally of topic of this technical site, but why not?
Few years I just admire how interesting is run, get dirty and be strong at the same time.
It is like army exercise, not forced by someone, but from my own will to push the limits.
As a first spartan we chose SPRINT, what is short 5km race with approx. 20 obstacles. Actually it was 6.2km, around 500m elevation and 24 obstacles.
then there’s also another categories: SUPER – 10km/25+, BEAST – 21km/30+ and there’s also CHILD competition and on another side extreme one – Hurricane Heat and Ultra (50 km/ 60+).
Training
So we (me and my friend Peter alias Jogy) decided to sign to Spartan race competition as HUNCUTI group, around 6 weeks before start date.
I prepared the training plan and we began with running and train obstacles similar to Spartan Race. I also prepared some obstacles at my backyard and than we did another ones at Jogy’s.
And we did burpees
a lot of burpees
Some exercises we did on workout
We also trained outside: trail run uphill 10 x 500m with exercises between runs, mostly burpees, jumps or crawling
and HIIT run: 20s maximum speed / 90s walk 8x repeating
of course ice cold shower every morning and some stream enjoying
Spartan race
It was in the western Slovakia in the ski resort “Valcianska dolina” near the Martin city.
When we came to the place, the competition was already started and there were a lot of runners around, but no audience because flu fad.
Weather was really hot (32°C) and we afraid of direct sun during run a bit.
Children class just started, I was really surprised how children was agile and fast.
There was collectives warm up of our group moderated by professional trainer on podium 5 minutes before start.
Than quickly true the first 1m barrier filter to the start line, prepare smartwatch’s
few Aroooo Arooo Shouts
10.9…..5.4.3.2.1, start with smell of smokestack
START
We started to run 20.6.2021 at 14:00 in the group of 50 Spartans and same size group started each 10 minutes. We decided to run as team with Jogy, and we mostly run together and encourage ourselves.
Obstacles:
1. OUT
2. Rolling mud
Few meters after start, there was mud obstacle, of course is good to run with soaked shoes from beginning 🙂
3. Vertical cargo
4. Monkey bar
Little bit harder than expected as bar diameter was larger – around 45mm and with combination of wet hands was different like during training
After start we were on around 20th place, but after few hundred meters we got on second/third place (of group).
5. Swimming
after around 2.5km of run there was first cooldown. Very expected
There was thin guy in blue T-shirt at the first place, which we were making a jokes and wished him a slip 🙂 Than after few minutes we met together and get a new running friend from Ukraine – Ivan.
So we ran together for a rest of the competition – till finish.
6. Dunk wall
7. Hurdles
8. Slip wall
9. Sandbag
Sandbag was 27.2kg heavy and we run downhill around 200m with cca 30m elevation and than back uphill
10 atlas carry
stone ball weight around 52kg and we have to walk 30m with it
11. Balance
Uphill
This was not obstacle but one of the hardest part where we run (walk) around 500m uphill with elevation of 300m
12. Inverted wall
13. Bucket carry
Those was around 40kg heavy and we walk for a 100m with 20m elevation
15. Multi rig
15. Plate drag
This was not so heavy (50kg) to drag, but you have to drag it also way back and my rope was tangled, so I spend some additional time here.
16. Small cargo
17. Rope climb
18. Z walls
19. Spear throw
Not me, either Jogy and our friend Ivan hit the target with the spear, so all of us gets 30 B.
missed so 30x burpees
20. Barbed wire
Second cooldown after around 6km run, very good for hearth rate relaxation. Even that wire was around 10cm above water, it was much easier compare to no water barbed wire as water lifting your body a lot.
21. Big cargo
22. Hercules hoist
Lifting 50kg sandbag via rope and pulley
23. 6ft wall
Last obstacle just before finish. I just use my special kind of inverted jump, used during my Firefighting competition in my young age – but no picture of me here 🙂
Finish:
I expected fire barrier here, so I even not recognize that I’m done 🙂
basically we get the finish line together and after getting the medals and T-shirt I found out that is over 🙂
In the day of competition there was only ELITE group announcement of winners, so we don’t know how we end up.
But taken final picture and go eat..
But after few days we found it on the Spartan webpage.
This was the results:
9 place from 137 runners in age group of 35-39y
58 place total from 928 runners
total time: 1:12:40
maximal hearth rate – 207bpm (after burpees)
You can find recorded track, heartrate, elevation and so on on my Garmin page:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/6991270734
And what I underestimate and can be improved?
throwing of spear
train more running, specially uphill running
burpee
monkey bar on 45mm wet bar