My knuckle was still swollen, and shin was hurt from my last fight, so instead of coming back to sparring session, I did my 2nd Spartan in western Mass. Well, it was the wrong decision. If you don’t train for a fight, you are not ready to compete in a cage. Shame on me! I was the smallest kid in the elite division and had not been prepared for this same as last year. Did OK... better than average in all, but will come back better for next time!

What is Spartan Race?

Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. They are held in the US and have been franchised to 30 countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, and several European countries. The series include the Spartan Sprint, the Super Spartan, the Spartan Beast, and the Ultra Beast. I participated in "Super" division, which as about 8.5 miles at the race offered in Barre, MA. Obviously, "Super" is not for first-timers, but I made myself in the middle rank of a whole entry in the elite division. 

I have never successfully made spear throw before. The spear throw is the bane of many racers. It is a 20-to-30-foot throw from behind a barricade, often to a target made up of two or three bales of hay. Believe it or not, I used to play baseball for my life until I was 18 years old. However, I still need to practice throwing footballs and darts at targets to get some foundational skills and accuracy with throwing objects “past the ear” and not over the head. For my next step to get better in the spartan race, follow up my practice by building strength behind the throwing pattern by using hip-driven medicine ball throws against a wall. At the race, when throwing the spear, point front foot at the target and when throwing, ensure the spear passes ear. Always finish by following through completely until throwing hand is also pointed directly at the target. According to the Spartan website, Spear Throw, even in the Elite heat, has a very high failure rate. I found a video for how to throw a spear at Spartan.

Hope I can make it at the next spartan race. Spartan Race is the ideal choice for the trail- and road-runners looking for a new challenge and adventure. Although Spartan Race consists of a lot of running, and many elite racers have running backgrounds, training for a Spartan Race and training for a running event are two completely different animals. I also couldn’t do a tire flipping because it was too heavy for me. These unique obstacles are interesting to those who are physically active and seeking some new athletic skills every day.

There’s nothing mediocre about this middle distance race. The Spartan Super offers the ideal blend between distance and speed. Offering racers a real athletic test. If you consider yourself a more seasoned athlete determined to push beyond excuses, you just might have the mettle for a Spartan Super. Serving up 24-29 Spartan Obstacles and 8-10 miles of rugged terrain, the Spartan Super spares no one. Developed as the second race in the Spartan Trifecta, the Super is where you prove to yourself you’ve got everything it takes to face the Beast. MMA and Spartan race are entirely different sports, but I see something in common such as explosive power demand and grip strength.

Spartan race is more than just a running race. Same as the last year, I felt OK because I did Super previous year for the first time. Sprint, the shortest Spartan distance offered, is the perfect starting point for adventure-race newcomers who may be nervous about completing such a challenging course. Since they offer Spartan race Super in Western Mass, I think my annual spartan race participation is becoming Tateki’s usual event every summer. They will be back in Fenway Park in November, so I may have my wife run together. That would be fun.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the venue, especially when racing in the elite division. I am not a professional race but I want to see how I perform during obstacle races. If you are interested in or participate in the first race, tell yourself you can take a sip of water when you complete an obstacle, take a break after beating obstacles for five minutes, or just do burpees. It’s easier to complete the race mentally when you break it up. just saying…