Spartan Tri-State NJ Race
Oct. 28, 2018 @ Mount Creek, NJ (Sprint distance)
It all started with water cooler chit-chat with bunch of millennials at work about obstacle races. I was intrigued but also hesitated as I haven’t trained for any race since running the NYC marathon in 2009. But then I figured, how hard can a 5K be with bunch of obstacle courses that I normally enjoy?
Oh boy, was I wrong?! In addition to the uneven terrain, we had to deal with the aftermath of nor’east as the ENTIRE course was covered in mud. At one point, we felt like we were on a slip and slide with a possible mud facial waiting for us at the bottom of the hill.
If you are brave enough to do this race, here are some things you need to know.
What to bring
I am not one for buying new outfits for every race so I use whatever athletic outfits I have at home. If you want to buy new stuff, do check out the Spartan site for some last minute sales.
Dry-fit pants or compression pants (no shorts as you can easily hurt yourself during all the climbing)
Dry-fit shirt and sports bra (don’t wear the build-in ones as you might want to remove your shirt for the water course)
Weight lifting gloves
Good traction shoes such as trail running shoes
Cash ($5-10) for bag check (cover your bag in a large plastic bag in case it rains)
Plastic bags (for all your dirty clothes)
Change of clothing (just assume everything you have on will need to be changed)
Towel
Spare shoes
What to expect
The Fun stuff
Water course where you’d get wet head to toes
Jumping/climbing over walls & bars
Crawling under the bob-wire
Jumping over fire
The physically challenging stuff
Carrying 40 lbs sandbag over your shoulder for ~0.25 miles (20 lbs for women, if you can find one)
Carrying Atlas stone from one end to another, round trip (approx. 60-70 lbs for men and 40-50 lbs for women)
Carrying a bucket full of rocks (approx. 60-75 lbs) for 0.25 miles
The almost impossible stuff
Bouldering across the board without anything to step on
Complete spear throwing on your first try
Other useful info
- If you can’t complete a course, you will need to do 30 burpees.
- A Sprint distance could easily take up to 3 hours to complete. Don’t start with Super if you are a newbie.
- The Mt. Creek location did not have a shower facility. They provided “wash off” area where you hose down your dirt.
- Show up as a team (for discount as well as physical support). If you are going solo, make friends with other runners to complete challenges together.
When you are done, make sure you snap your finishing photo at the winners podium!!
