I have been meaning to write this Race Report for a bit now. But you know, LIFE. LOL. Actually, it’s the weekend of the Spartan Beast in Killington, VT which is supposed to be one of the hardest, if not THE hardest Beast on the East Coast. So, AROOO!!! Go, Spartans!
So, thoughts on this race. Wow wow wow. I really didn’t know what to expect. I have never done this distance before. Quite honestly, I can’t remember the last time I ran 13 miles. In my training I only went up to 10. And adding 38 obstacles on top of that? Ha! Yeah, so it was just one big “fingers crossed”, hope-I-did-all-the-right-things kind of day.
It was fun. My brother and I drove up the night before. It was Spartan Central in WV, let me tell ya. This venue, the host of the most recent World Scout Jamboree (literally wrapping up a few days prior), was big enough to hold all three events in one weekend. Technically five if you count the kids’ race and trail run.
Yeah, there are people crazier than I who do the Beast, Super AND Sprint all in one weekend!!!!
(I won’t lie … the seed was planted. LOL!)
So, all things considered, I felt pretty good going in.
In the end, it turned out to be waaaaaay easier than the Super (8 miles) I did in PA for two reasons:
- It wasn’t a mountain course.
- It wasn’t nearly as hot.
That made all the difference. I took me only 30 minutes longer to complete the Beast than it did the Super.
So, here we go! A recap of all the obstacles and whether or not I had to do burpees…
(I put an *** by the obstacles I had never done in a race before)
Gotta smile right before! 🙂
1. Hay Wall***
2. Over Wall
3. Monkey Bars
I had to do burpees for these. Notice how the monkey bars are at different heights? Yeah…
Burpee count: 30
4. Olympus
I was super proud of myself because I did this one completely on my own this go around. During the Super I had assistance. Not a bad thing AT ALL, just happy to have been able to do it solo.
5. Stairway to Sparta
6. The Box
7. Beater
That’s my “Oh sh*t.” face. Those bars twist. Fun times. I did not complete this obstacle. BUT instead of burpees, they had a penalty run (lots of uphill). I’ll take a run over burpees any day.
8. Log Carry***
9. 7′ Wall
10. Twister
They do exactly as they say. Yeah…no.
Burpee Count: 60
11. Z-Walls
12. Atlas Carry
13. Sandbag Carry #1
14. The Armer***
Basically a super heavy ball with a chain on it.
15. Tyrolean Traverse***
I was really nervous about this one, but I made it! Phew!
16. Sandbag Carry #2
17. Cargo Cliff Climb
18. 8′ Wall
19. Irish Tables***
I couldn’t find a race picture, but this was the obstacle. Three times. UGH. Not easy.
20. Swim***
This would have been sooo much easier without the life vests. Everyone had to wear one. I get it, but geez. This triathlete was dying to rip it off! LOL
Let’s not forget all the climbing in between…
21. Hercules Hoist
22. A-Frame Cargo
23. Inverted Wall
24. Bucket Brigade
25. Pipe Lair
26. Bender
27. Hurdles
28. Helix***
This is actually a new Spartan obstacle. You have to navigate it without touching the top bars.
29. Rope Climb
I still struggle with my footwork. Boo.
Burpee Count: 90
30. Spear Throw
Yeah…missed it.
Burpee Count: 120
31. Tire Flip***
32. Rolling Mud
33. Barbed Wire Crawl
Trying hard not to get stabbed. LOL.
34. Dunk Wall
35. Slip Wall
36. Multi-Rig
Yup, didn’t make it.
Burpee Count: 150
37. Vertical Cargo
38. Fire Jump
Tada! And DONE.
BAM.
Nearly 6 hours later…
With my free beer, of course.
So, I did it. I completed my Trifecta in 4 months. I started off with a Sprint in May, got hooked, did a Super in July and Beast in August.
It was a fantastic race. Here are some views from the course.
Will I do it again?
Absolutely. I am loving this sport.
I’m not sure if I see another Spartan Race in the more immediate future, but I will definitely continue.
My next goal will be to complete ALL the obstacles without doing burpees. That is certainly a feat in itself!
But for now, just enjoying the feeling of completing yet another goal. AROO.
Do what makes you happy.