This past Saturday (8/27/17) I completed my first Spartan Race. This specific race was a five-mile obstacle course co-hosted by the United States Army Academy in West Point, New York. This was a great excuse to be active, get out of the city, and get out of my comfort zone a little bit.
Early Morning
My day began before 4 a.m. with two different bus rides out to Astoria Queens. My friend Kevin rented a car to get out to the race. He also promised breakfast burritos. We met up with our friend Andre who completed our trio. After quickly eating our breakfast, we hit the road to West Point.
Getting to the Race
The drive was supposed to be fairly simple. However, after missing an exit that almost caused an extra 40 minutes to our drive and not realizing that the parking lot for the race was a twenty-mile shuttle ride from the course, we were running a little late. Our intention was to start in the 8:15 a.m. competitive heat. Kevin is a seasoned veteran and prefers the earlier heats because the track doesn't get too crowded. We didn't get to the parking lot until 8:30 a.m. and there was quite the line to get on the bus. After getting to the course, checking in, and stretching, we hustled to jump into the 9:15 a.m. open heat.
The Race
The race started in an open grass field. The first two miles were a narrow uphill trail that snaked its way up the ridge above where we started. Other than a few walls you had to scale and some other obstacles that required some basic climbing strength, it was really just a trail run. Because we were paying for our tardiness the track was fairly packed, especially on the uphill sections. We spent several minutes of the first three miles passing other racers whenever we got the opportunity.
At around mile four the entire race changed. All those tuff obstacles we missed going up and down the ridge were all packed into the last mile. We went from a 400-meter bucket carry with 50 lbs of gravel, to a twisting cork screw bar that we had to scale, to a 20 ft rope climb. I missed the second two of these obstacles after taxing my grip on the bucket carry. In Spartan Races, you have to do thirty burpees every time you miss an obstacle. After my 60 burpees, we moved on to traverse three muddy pits filled with water, an atlas stone carry, and a ring traverse (I missed the rings and earned myself another 30 burpees).
The last portion of the race was the iconic spear throw, barbed wire course, and one final wall to scale before the finish. To my surprise, I stuck the spear throw. However, I thought I was going to die of nausea after rolling under the barbed wire. That nausea sapped the rest of energy and I was very happy to get my first race over with.
(race enterance)
(before photo {me with the eyes closed})
(after photo)
Post-Race Festivities
Lucky for us, all adult participants are given a beer voucher that they can use after finishing the race. This was the first thing we went for after showering and changing. The beer wasn't anything special but it was very refreshing. After hanging out for about an hour at the race entrance, we decided to get back to the car and start making our way back south to the city.
We took a slightly longer route south through the Hudson River Valley. We stopped in Tarrytown, NY for some lunch and coffee. The food was delicious and a great way to cap off a very long and fun day.
One Down, Two to Go
I have made a commitment to doing what is called the "Trifecta." This is completing one of each of the three varieties of Spartan Races in a calendar year. The next race will be in three weeks in Killington, VT and will be a 14-mile race up and down a skill hill.
What did I get myself into...