Obstacle Mud Runner - issue 6

A Year of Endurance! There has been much hype for the Spartan Race UK 2017 season. With new venues, new medals and a range of brand new to the UK endurance events scheduled I think everyone was excited to see how the year unfolded. By the time this article goes to print 3 of the 5 race weekends will have been completed, including the first team based endurance event (the Hurricane Heat) and the marathon distance Ultra Beast individual event. 2017 is looking like being the biggest and most successful year since Spartan’s UK launch both in terms of participant numbers but also in terms of what is on offer. We have already looked at the various new endurance disciplines being launched here in the UK, the Hurricane Heat, the Hurricane Heat 12HR, the Ultra Beast and the AGOGE. But other than a description of how they came about and what the aim of the event is what else do we know? Who’s competing? What sort of people compete in these highly- anticipated endurance events and what do they hope to achieve? Looking at the UK’s first ever endurance event, the Hurricane Heat, which took place in May at Aston Down you get a real idea of the people who take on these challenges. There was a relatively even split of about 60/40 percent male and female competitors ranging from teenagers to 60 somethings. There were people of slight builds and small statures and there were people of larger, taller builds. There was a mixture of first time endurance event competitors and old time pros. So, what did they all have in common that makes them want to compete in these dynamic and challenging events? I’ll tell you what they had in abundance – drive, grit, determination but above all else they had the will to come together as one team and find a way to push each other all the way to the end of the event! They were ordinary people who had been put in extraordinary circumstances and together they discovered they could achieve extraordinary things. The goal of Spartan Endurance is not to break people or beat them down, this would be easy, the goal is to introduce you to a better version of yourself. If you can do 100 burpees we want to help you reach 101, we want to push you to be the best you can be! Every choice, every action and every endeavour has the potential for failure, but also the potential for success. By teaching people to communicate, to learn new skills, to work as a team and to become like a family unit they will be set up to strive to make every scenario have a successful outcome. During a Spartan Endurance event, you will be forced to face truths about yourself. It will expose your weaknesses, allowing you to build upon them but it will also magnify your strengths so that you can fortify them. The bonds of friendship you will form on these events will be unbreakable, they say that strangers are just friends that we haven’t met yet and when people work together during testing and trying times they can endure anything. The UK’s first Ultra Beast At the time of writing this we are approaching our Edinburgh weekend, voted OCR Scotland’s Toughest Race of the year 2017 for last years’ event, this year we will again have a Sprint and a Beast on offer as part of our regular season. However, this year will also see us put on the UK’s very first Ultra Beast, the Ultra Beast is the pinnacle Spartan event in the world. Comprising of 26+ miles, and not for the faint of heart - you’ll face epic terrain, punishing obstacles and even some surprises thrown in. The Ultra Beast is the only Spartan event featuring strict time cut-offs that must be met. Not everyone who signs up for an Ultra Beast will finish. If every Spartan Race is a baptism, the Ultra Beast is an exorcism. If you have conquered the Sprint, dominated the Super, and laughed in the face of the Beast. You are ready for the Ultra Beast. RACE : SPARTAN Spartan Race UK 2017 season obstaclemudrunner.co.uk 18 They were ordinary people who had been put in extraordinary circumstances and together they discovered they could achieve extraordinary things ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners