If a regular 10K, half marathon or full 26.2 is getting a little boring to you now, you may be looking for a new challenge. How about a 5 – 10K course full of mud and obstacles? One of our Street Athletes, Tameka Small recently did Spartan Race – here’s her report:
Race Organisation

The Spartan Race organisation was really well done and on point. Registration was quick and simple, and any additional info that was needed for the day was sent via email. There was even a shuttle bus (that ran every 20mins) that picked us up from the station and brought us to the race site and back again at the end.

Race Expo

The races had good exposure, where finding general info such as videos and pictures of previous races and advice was easy to find online. Even on the race day, finding the shuttle pick up point at the train station was helped by well informed train station staff.

Starting Location

The start and finish of the race was within the same race site. The race took place on a site with a nice mix of terrain, from a section of wood, hills, mud even a lake to jump into once you completed the race to wash off!

Route

The route, was nuts! It definitely tested my endurance, mentally and physically. One minute I was running up a steep hill and the next, sliding through mud on my belly. The race was about 3 miles long, and with all the changes of scenery, terrain, obstacles, the time for me flew by, it definitely beat a straight 3 mile run.

Crowds

I absolutely loved the crowds. The event was pretty big with over 2,000 racers and the lovely weather definitely helped to bring out quite a few spectators. The encouragement from the spectators and fellow racers was phenomenal! The thing I really liked was that everyone was willing to share tips and techniques for completing the course and tackling the obstacles to help each other.  The race was competitive, but it was more about beating the race course itself, however there was a competitive heat for serious racers right at the start.

On Route Drinks and Snacks

There weren’t any snacks and drink on route. As a 3 mile race, I don’t think it would be too necessary.

Official T Shirt & Medal

Once completed, you do receive a really nice quality Spartan quick-dry aertex white t-shirt and of course a medal, which I didn’t want to take off.

Post-Race Organisation

After the race, it was well organised. You’re timing chip was collected, medal and t-shirt given to you and a few days after that, the race results and photos were emailed out.  There was food and drink to buy after the race, but thought they could have had a little more variety as there was only one food stand.  Even though there was a lake to wash off in, simple wash up facilities would have been great, as you do get absolutely covered in mud.

Marks out of 10:
9/10

I’ve never done an obstacle race before, so it was a little hard to compare, but I had a really great time. I actually signed up for a season pass and did it all over again the following week!

For more info on Spartan Race, check out their website.