What is a Spartan Race?

What is a Spartan Race?
The Spartan Races are a series of Obstacle Course Races designed by Joe DeSena. They debuted in 2009 in VT and have taken the world by storm. It is an ultimate test of your physical abilities and fitness capacity with a combination of running, jumping, pulling, climbing, carrying. lifting, and a whole lot of MUD. They are now dozens of races around the U.S. and the world. There is even talk of making it an Olympic event!

Sprint? Super? Beast? Trifecta?
The Spartan Race series has 3 different levels of their races: the sprint, the super, and the beast.
Sprint: 3+ miles, and 15+ obstacles
Super: 8+ miles, and 20+ obstacles
Beast: 12+ miles, and 25+ obstacles
Trifecta: The coveted trifecta is my goal. This is earned when you complete at least one of each of the race types in one calendar year.
These courses are generally at ski areas, mountains, and other challenging locations to add the difficulty of terrain into the mix. All races are timed and when you earn the trifecta your time for all 3 of your races is added together.


What Kind of Obstacles?

• Slippery wall
• 8-foot wall
• Spear throw
• Rope climb
• Traverse wall
• Barbed wire crawl
• Weight carry
• Tractor pull
• Balance Beam
• Barbed Wire Crawl
• Fire Jump
• Kettle Bell Pull
• Over/Under/Through
• Rope Climb
• Sand Bag Carry
• Gladiator Pit
• Traverse Wall
• Water Crossing 

Spartan Sprint has a minimum of 15 obstacles, and the terrain varies by region and venue. Expect it to be a factor.

Spartan Super has a minimum of 20 obstacles, and the terrain varies by region and venue. Expect it to be a moderately significant factor.

Spartan Beast has a minimum of 25 obstacles, and the terrain varies by region and venue. Expect it to be a major factor.

BURPEES!
There is a 30 Burpee Penalty for any and all failed or skipped obstacles. There is one path for all racers from the start to finish lines; over, under, across, or through each and every obstacle.
A burpee is an all encompassing exercise. You start standing up and drop down into a plank, do a push up, come back up into a squat, and jump up off the ground. That is one burpee.

The Spartan Code:

• A Spartan pushes their mind and body to their limits.
• A Spartan masters their emotions.
• A Spartan learns consciously.
• A Spartan gives generously.
• A Spartan leads.
• A Spartan stands up for what they believe in, no matter the cost.
• A Spartan knows their flaws as well as they know their strengths.
• A Spartan proves themselves through actions, not words.
• A Spartan lives every day as if it were their last.

What Do I Get out of This?

Besides a total change in mind, and body? Bragging rights! You also get a kick ass day full of the best workout and inspiration. You also get a tee shirt, and two amazing medals. One is a circular medal, the other is a 1/3 circle. Red = sprint, blue = super, green = beast. When you put them all together you get a big full medal for your trifecta. You also get medical aid and water along the course as well as warm-up and cool down workouts and snacks.

Free Workouts!
In addition to obstacle course races Spartan Race also has a free workout tour. It runs for two hours and is a good way to get ready for a Spartan race or to give your fitness a boost. You get a tee shirt and a wristband too. Did I mention it's free?!

Newsletters & E-mails:
If you are still not ready to take the challenge Spartan race has tons of e-mails to help you!
WOD (Workout of the Day): Personalized workouts (Spartan level, Super level, Beast level, Trifecta level) help you to get ready to rock the race!
FOD (Food of the Day): Each week a healthy, real, and clean super food is showcased and each day a recipe using this food is given.
#Spartan30 Spartan has a Facebook group/event that promotes a monthly "challenge". Each challenge has 30 days of 30 repetitions of an exercise. There has been burpee, push-up, sit-up, and bear crawl challenges. It is an easy add-on to your workout routine to spark up your month.

ARE YOU READY?!
Yes, yes you are.
Sign up for a race, a free workout, or one of the newsletters at www.spartan.com