I003n a secret location north of San Antonio, there is an annual 5K Mob Run and a very unique one at that. It’s set up in an active rock quarry, meaning that every year’s course can be completely different from the year before. There are some permanent obstacles, but each year the race directors look for new ways to challenge the competitors. I was able to ask the race directors, Laura and Kevin Tift, some questions about ThunderDash.
The words that could best sum up the 2015 Spartan World Championship Beast held the weekend of Oct 3-4th are "spectacularly brutal". Spartan Race moved the venue for its World Championship race from Killington, Vermont to Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe in California, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
In OCR, there is nothing like the fall race at The Battlegrounds. The reason for this is there is not another venue with a winery onsite! This puts a certain buzz in the atmosphere for the events especially since the winery caters the race with food, beer and wine. Also, prior to this event, they added about five obstacles plus a wreck bag series that was about 200 yards long.
Spartan Race World Championships took place yesterday at the iconic Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, California. The race brought athletes in from all over the world, in total about 20 countries where in attendance. The first seven miles of the course were a climb up to the peak of Squaw Valley, and it was immediately clear that experienced mountain runners would have an advantage. Robert Killian quickly surged into the lead on the men's side, a position he would not relinquish for the remainder of the day.
The first ever Chicago area Battlefrog was held on September 19th at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. The winter ski resort located about an hour’s drive from Chicago and Milwaukee provided excellent terrain for what is becoming known as one of the toughest OCR series around.
Friday, September 18th I headed south to Salem, Oregon from Spanaway, Washington to participate in a newer obstacle run. “The Inferno” named for it's time of year is is the companion to the winter “The Freeze.”
Spartan Race uses the warriors of ancient Sparta as the inspiration for their events, so it is only fitting that Operation Enduring Warrior pitted itself against this Obstacle Course Race that tested determination, strength, commitment, and loyalty. Saturday’s race at Ft. Bragg was an incredible display of every positive quality that can be attributed to Veterans, Adaptive Athletes, and those who support them. I’ve now run in 16 Spartan Races and over 60 in total so far, yet running this course on this day with these people made it one of my best experiences ever.
Savage Race stages events twice a year at this permanent venue in rural Georgia, they succeed in making each race special and different. Familiarity may breed contempt, but every time a racer hits this course they are sure to experience something different from what’s happened before.
In the quest to complete my first Spartan Trifecta, I knew there was only one race worthy of the accomplishment. Thankfully, living in New England, we are close enough to head up Vermont, the birthplace of Spartan Race, for the always challenging Killington Beast. I attended last year's race and barely survived the 10-hour ass kicking that it delivered.
Last week I enjoyed the opportunity to experience Savage Race for the very first time. I have heard many great things about Savage Race but wanted to experience it for myself. Although there was one small obstacle or hurdle rather. Savage Race hasn't made it to the west coast yet, so I packed my bags headed to the lone star state of Grand Ole Texas to see why Savage Race boasts they have, " The World's Best Obstacles.
