Location: Flathead Lake, Montana.
This was the 5th Spartan Sprint I've done, and the toughest so far. By far. It was a great experience, especially being able to watch my wife complete her first obstacle race. She is an ultra runner, so this was new territory; a different kind of suffer-fest. She did fantastic, and finished with a muddy-toothed smile alongside a new friend she met on the course. There is always an element of camaraderie, which I love.
Spartan has 4 race types: Sprint (3+ mi, 15+ obstacles), Super (8+ mi, 20+ obstacles), Beast (12+ mi, 25+ obstacles), and Ultra Beast (26+ mi, 50+ obstacles). I've only done sprints so far because to me, the word "sprint" has always meant 100 to 200 meters. So I still consider 3+ miles a distance race.
The last 3 sprints I've done were about 5 miles. For comparison, I completed the SoCal Sprint earlier this year in 48:56, and Montana took 1:22:57 (20th and 23rd place in Men's Elite, respectively); both without any penalty burpees. The main reason for this was the incredible amount of climbing through rough, newly blazed trails. This made for a gorgeous, but extremely difficult race. After about 10 minutes in, this thought entered my mind: "Holy shit. I thought I trained for this." It was basically a beautiful hike for the majority of the first half of the race. But at least my feet were soaked from jumping in water for the rope climb. At the highest point, the trees cleared and the view of the lake was phenomenal, however short-lived.
Then came the steep, dusty, rocky downhill. I turned my feet sideways and went as fast as my body would allow without toppling forward on my face. Even though this was not comfortable, it felt good to be doing anything but hiking uphill. We had only done a few obstacles at this point, and I was ready for some more. The obstacles are always the best part of these races to me. The toughest ones this time, in my opinion, were the bucket brigade and the barbed wire crawl.
To the best of my blurry memory, here is a list of the obstacles endured in Montana (Click on the name for a google image):
High Log Hurdles:
Two barriers about 5 feet high that you climb over.
Double Log Farmer Carry:
Pick up a ~4 foot log with a chain handle in each hand and carry them ~20 feet and back.
Rope Climb:
Start in water up to your thighs, climb a ~15 foot rope and hit the bell. Tip: Use mostly upper body to save your legs if you can. If not, use your legs as much as possible.
3 Wall Over-Under-Through:
Jump over a wall, roll under a wall, climb through a wall.
Monkey Bars:
These bars were spread pretty far apart and at different heights. You have to get a good swing to grip the next one.
Z Wall:
Tips: Always keep 3 points of contact on the wall. Tuck your tailbone under to stay as close to the wall as possible. Take your time.
Ladder Climb/Rung Descent:
Up a ladder, down a fireman pole with rungs.
Atlas Carry:
Pick up a heavy cement ball, carry it ~15 feet, set it down, do 5 burpees, pick it back up and carry it back to the start.
Sand Bag Carry:
The sandbag is not very heavy, but you carry it up and down a steep hill. Tip: Rest the sandbag on your upper back, lean forward, and use your arms to help push your legs up the hill.
High Hurdles:
Up and over.
Wall Climb:
Up and over.
Log Carry:
Carry a log. You can put it on your shoulder or carry it in front. You might have to switch it up part-way through.
Slanted Cargo Climb:
Up and over. Try to skip rungs to go faster.
Double Wall Climb:
Up and over.
Bridge Climb/Cargo Net
Gravel Bucket Brigade:
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Fill your bucket with gravel, walk roughly a quarter mile up and downhill without spilling, and empty your bucket back in the gravel pit. The buckets have little holes in the side, and they check if any light is shining through. If so, you have to do it again. Sweet. I actually filled my bucket higher with gravel spilled from the day before, just in case.
Hercules Hoist:
Lean back and hoist a weighted sand bag (135 lbs for men, I think ~75 lbs for women) to the top of the structure, then lower it without dropping. Unfortunately for a lot of people, they don't realize until it's too late that raising it isn't the entire obstacle. They do all that work to get it to the top then drop the weight, and find themselves in the burpee pit with several of their newest, closest friends.
Barbed Wire Crawl:
About 100 meters of mud and gravel under low barbed wire. Most people log roll the majority of this one. Careful because you might get dizzy rolling that far. By the end of the day, there is probably a lovely combination of mud and throw up. Just kidding, that's gross. But maybe. This is one of the obstacles that if you skip, you are disqualified. Just grind it out.
Low Bridge Crawl:
Crawl under a wooden bridge that's about 2 feet off the ground. Luckily, it was only ~15 feet long.
Cargo Net Climb:
Up and over.
Wall Dunk:
Not pleasant, but quick. Submerge under water (shockingly cold) under a wall that sits a couple inches above the surface. So it's possible to keep your mouth and nose breathing sweet air, but you might as well dunk fast and move on. Tip: Keep your hands above water to keep your grip dry for whatever obstacle comes next. In this case, it was the spear throw.
Spear Throw:
The most unique Spartan obstacle. You have one shot to stick it in the hay target. This one just takes practice, but is by far the most commonly failed obstacle.
Slick Wall:
Use the rope to pull yourself up and over.
Ladder Climb:
Up and over.
Rings/Bar/Rope:
This was my favorite obstacle of the course. Very ninja warrior-esque. Get from one side to the other by way of rings, hanging horizontal bars, and vertical ropes with knots, then ring the bell. Tip: Keep your arms bent and use two different rows. You don't have to stay in one line.
Fire Jump:
The easiest obstacle produces the best photos.
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