Spartan Race held a Super at Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, New Jersey this past Saturday. The Elite and Competitive waves began with temperatures in the mid-30s. Spartans were decked out in extra layers in preparation for the cold temperatures. The course was just under 9 miles in length, featuring 25 obstacles well placed on the course.
The Course:
Like years in the past, a large climb kicked things off with a few of the easier obstacles to ease you into the course. The conversation before the race centered around the Dunk Wall and how it was placed as the fourth obstacle on a very cold morning.
The good news is that your heart rate was elevated when you arrived at the water obstacle. The bad news was that you still had to fully submerge your body. Most athletes shed as much of their clothing as possible to keep some clothing dry. I took off my t-shirt and cautiously entered the water.
Surprisingly, it felt really good as the water was at least 10 degrees warmer than the air temperature. The Sandbag carry was in the first part of the course and it was one of the easier carries I have done in some time. The Multi Rig quickly followed and provided the first burpee opportunity for those who could not complete the rings and bar combination.
Towards the middle of the course, things really got interesting. Olympus and Twister were back to back and by the looks of the burpee pit at each of these, the cold temperatures were taking their toll on the hands. It was also around this time that two small black bears were spotted roaming on the course. Unable to see the mother bear, it made me very uncomfortable and certainly caused me to move faster than normal.
The Monkey Bar, Spear Throw, and Z-Walls followed next and these were the final obstacles before the final descent towards the festival area and the final handful of obstacles concluding this race. A steep Bucket Brigade was quickly followed by the 8-foot wall and the Rope Climb. The only challenge left was crossing the warm fire and enjoying your medal wedge and free beer.
Josh Zitomer attempting to break the World Burpee Record at the Mountain Creek Spartan Race Super.
Personal Thoughts and Feats:
This course is a great spot for a challenging Spartan Race. Even with the cold air temps, I honestly was not cold once on the course. The festival area was lively with music and a pig roast taking place. The mountain makes this one of the more challenging courses on the east coast and 2 years ago almost to the day, this was the course that introduced me to Spartan Race. I have been a fan ever since. This was my best race of the year. I completed all but one obstacle; Spear Throw. Completing Twister, Olympus, Multi Rig and Monkey Bars is a great feeling and I am sad to see this Spartan season end.
Rating: 5/5
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The layout of the obstacles was great but the course route has been the almost the same for years for The Super and The Beast held at Mountain Weak. Spartan needs to mix it up next year! Not a fan of the pig roast.