Saw my start time today, 11:30AM. As for the multi-rig, I have been doing the monkey bars at the park with the kids and traversing some i-beams at the gym I go to.

Good luck this weekend!

Even if they put bib numbers up online take a few seconds to look at the board posted just outside of registration to verify. At Charlotte on Sunday mine was completely different than what the web said.

Last year the multi-rig was pretty easy compared to any other I've done. It was just horizontal pipe-rope with knot-rope with knot-rope with knot-horizontal pipe from what I can remember.

Depends how far along in the course the rig is placed. Less than two miles in its not so bad. 2015 beast had it at like mile 10. No way in hell Ibwas making it at that point.

Thank you. I also had a question about what to take with me. I have the usual, wallet, phone keys, etc, but I was going to take a complete change of clothes and shoes, a couple of towels and a couple of bottles of water and some larabars for the ride home. As far as bag check, I was going to leave my keys, wallet and phone there and everything else in the trunk of the car to get after I finish. Any problems with this plan?

Bag check will be close to the showers, and since your paying for it might as well keep your clothes nearby. They dont have a size restriction, but I was able to fit everything in a book-bag. I bring a small bottle of soap, washcloth, flipflops, towel and the clothes to take back home. Bring a trash bag for the wet stuff. The water will be very cold, you will be tired, and you may cramp while cleaning up. Do it anyway, and really scrub yourself down. To me its a huge morale boost to feel clean. Makes the ride home a lot more comfortable.  

They give out bananas, clif bars, and fitaid at the finish.  Water isn't a bad thing to have onhand.

Thanks for the advice. I try to stay minimal with what I bring anywhere I go. I always have a couple of 42 gallon, 6-mil thick garbage bags with me in case it rains at a shooting match. I have a gym bag that can fit everything without being too bulky.

A few last minute things:

Dont start out too fast, likely 70% of your start group will go too fast out the gate. You'll pass most of them at the halfway point if you start conservatively. Based on you 5k time, about 10:00 min/mi pace will be about right. If you have anything left in the tank, pour it on after the 1/2.

At an 11:30 start, the course will be congested. Bottlenecks happen at the obstacles, so pick low traffic lanes ahead of time

Stay moving. Walk the steep hills but try to run the flats and downhills. I try to run to the 10 yards before the obstacle, take 5-10 big deep breaths while approaching, do the obstacle, recover for 10 yards and then back to running

If you get dinged with burpees, try to break the sets up as needed to get done pretty quickly. Burpees are worse than most of the obstacles

You will get scratched and bruised from the course. Leggings and longsleeves mitigate that some, but I'm not sure if the weather will be cold enough to really need it. If its above freezing I go shirtless with shorts anyway, you will be wet within the first mile

For the most part, people at the events are really cool, if you need help getting through an obstacle they will help you out.

Take it all in and enjoy the event. People watching is the most fun part of the festival area, they have some decent freebees as well.

Once again, Good luck!

Got back home about an hour ago. I think I finished in under 2 hours and had to do 90 burpees. Missed on the spear throw, the wall traverse and the rope climb. Rope was real slick and I couldn't get a good technique going. The wall traverse hold points were slick too. Just couldn't hold on.  Made it through the uneven monkey bars and the multi-rig no problem. Pumped hearing that cowbell ring. Also made it over all the walls and the inverted wall OK. Lots of very steep hills up and down. Lots of trail running.

Started at 11:30 and by the end I had passed people who started at 9:45 and even 9:30. No cramps and just kept moving. Lots of mud and muck from rain the night before. Glad I tightened my shoe beforehand. Had t contend with lots of walkers and slim trails.  Helped a few people along the way and made some small talk going up hills. Overall was a good experience and definitely let me know what parts of my workout I need to improve.

ETA: Official time is 1:51.

Traverse Wall is tough, have to maintain 3 points of contact. Spear throw sucks now, because Spartan. Rope climb, get either the wrap or s-shook or a hybrid of both.

I have fallen out of love with the Spartan series thanks to Reebok...

Two very good friends of mine were there doing the Beast on Sat and the Sprint on Sun...they said the footwork to the course was awesome, the rest...

Glad you had a good time. Take a look at other races..one of the crappy things about the OCR world is diff series/ brands do races at same venues..Like BF is going to Marseilles, IL this year..

Glad to hear you had a good time. Do you think you'll do more OCRs in the future?

Probably. I wasn't too impressed with the pricing model for Spartan Race. There was the entry fee, then processing fee, then insurance fee, then parking, the bag check. Plus, the price varies with the frequency of people signing up at any given time. I paid my fee in January and saw it drop up to $20 a month later. Kinda shady, but I will know for next time.

I cant see myself travelling more than 2 hours to do one, either. Doing more OCRs will require they be relatively nearby. With young children, its hard to get time to stay overnight somewhere for an event and leaving mama at home with them

I got a hotel when I got my Trifecta in Ohio.

pay attention to govx for 20-25% off the early prices..cheapest I ever paid for a Spartan was like $27.00 prior to the scam insurance. Parking..well that is shared revenue with the host/ venue.

When I did Wintergreen, wife and fam came with as they had other things to do besides just sit and wait..the chairlifts were going, food (cheaper), band, venue..etc.

I feel you there, 3 and 1 year old kids at home.  I dont travel outside of that range either, but it's a lot easier for us on the east coast to stay closeby and pick races. As Chris said, watch for the 20% off rebates. Usually the best rate is to sign up as early as possible while looking for a discount code (Google ). Corporate is sponsoring a Battle Frog team in October, hope that event is ran well.

I am not gov-affiliated, so if they don't require proof, I could get into govx. There is a Battlefrog about an hour from me in October and another Spartan Sprint about an hour and a half in October as well. I think my brother-in-law is gnawing at the idea of doing one, so he might talk me into another one. I'd be interested in doing Battle frog just to see his much, if any, difference there is between the two. If I did another Spartan, based in my time for a first try, I might sign up for the Competitive class for the sprint or do a super in Open. Thinking back, I had to wait a lot with people walking and through a couple of obstacles like the barbed wire crawl. I may have been able to save a combined 10-20 minutes through everything.

I started a thread to see if anyone had experience between the two. No bites. I like the competitive waves much better if nothing more than what you mentioned: the waiting. The cost is higher, but I also like starting early in the morning and getting the whole thing done with. I think it would suck to start a 3+ hour beast on 11:00 am  Later waves have more recreational racers in them, after a mile or so the walk between the obstacles. The Sunday waves seem to be a lot more relaxed, even in the competitive ones.

I usually use the % in overall and in age/gender groups to judge my finish. Unlike a 5k or 10k there are just to many variables to use finish times. Thats how I get my "PRs". I want in the top 8% for my age group in October

I looked at some videos of battlefrog on YouTube and all of the obstacles look pretty similar, walls, pits, hills, rope climbs of some type, etc. That being said, now that I have had a chance to get over the soreness, I might do another one, the Pittsburgh Sprint, in October. I feel like I can train a little better now that I have an idea of what the race requires. Also, I'd like to see hoiw much better I can do by going into the competitive division.

Good luck. Will you do anything different training wise?

Get out and trail run and hill run first off. If I can't get out because of the kids, hit the incline more on the treadmill with longer runs or do the hill program on the treadmill.  Need to work my calves and thighs more to handle the hill climbs. Also, hit the local parks with the kids a lot during the summer and make the monkey bars and other climbing stations my friends. Try to climb a bunch of walls and find a rope and set up something. My father in law has a bunch of wood that needs cut, so during the summer, I am goin to head out to their place and cut firewood for them, that should build me up some. Also, I am going to get back on the paleo-ish train to try to get down to 210-220 for the next race. I did this one at 228.

Other than those aspects, I have worked a bunch of stuff into my daily workouts already. I don't strictly do the WODs, but I combine them with strength and cardio exercises as a long circuit for daily workouts. An example would be my chest day from this past Monday (day after the race):

1. Stretch/Warm-Up
2. Cardio
3. Barbell Bench
4. Burpees
5. Cardio
6. Dumbell Bench
7. Box Jumps
8. Pull-Ups & Hanging Exercises
9. Stretching
10. Cardio
11. Auxiliary exercise if time permits

I try to do each exercise in 9-10 minute blocks to get through everying before I have to get the kids from child care. Sometimes I get to 11, most times not. I do 5 days a week like that with each body group (chest, legs, shoulders, back, arms).

I signed up for the Pittsburgh Sprint this morning, but not competitive. I signed up for the early morning Open class (9:15A-11A) because I am a cheap ass and want to see if I get out earlier, will I have nearly the wait from people in front of me. Plus, the discount codes can't be used for elite or competitive times, which kinda sucks, but I understand that you want serious people going in those flights, not people like me who just want to save money.

Look at the Hurricane heats...as of now, its probably the only Spartans I would do.

I've heard those a pretty tough, as much of a mental and problem solving test as much as a physical feat.  Isnt there a cutoff time?

How about GoRuck events?

Can you explain a little more about why you stay away from Spartan? What about it now doesn't appeal to you anymore?

Congrats!

I ran the Spartan Super and Sprint this past Weekend in Colorado Spring. Good, tough courses. Heck of a lot of fun! A little cold for my liking, but nothing you can do about that.

Was it at significant elevation? As a flatlander (500'), I've always wanted to do an event at altitude.

No, we were were in Colorado Springs, so about 6,000 feet. Nothing compared to Spartan Beast I ran last summer in Breckenridge (about 10,000 feet).

I didn't wear my Garmin watch during the Sprint, but the Super had about 1,700' of elevation gain.

Sounds brutal. I dont wear any tracking gear during events, but I'm sure its not near that. We just dont have the terrain around here for it.

What would you like to know about GORUCK events?  I've done a few myself and I know there are a couple of others here that have as well.

How challenging are they? How do they compare to OCR events? They are completion based correct?

Most easy answer is Reebok.

They have made it 53' foot trailer cookie cutter predictable, done away with what made Spartans special. The whole series has been watered down and commercialized.

If you did one when Spartan was in it's infancy and compared today, you would feel much more prideful about that finisher medal than that of today. Rope climbs used to be out in the middle of nowhere with hoisted tree limb's holding the ropes, burpee penalty area's used to be in creeks, 3 prong barb wire used to be lower, mud was used through out not just as an annoyance "just because" obstacles were put along the tough terrain, water, swimming..etc..the whole dynamic has changed since Joe D sold the rights to Reebok. No tutu parties blocking the path, no walkers bitching along the course holding everyone up, the staff used to motivate and hold people accountable for their burpee's, there was no god awful 550 cord on the spear throw..

The whole thing changed. Social media driven for pictures..prefabbed non- organic to the area obstacles...

GoRuck is alright, done a few here. Love rucking. My GR0 goes everywhere with me, and my plate. Just did a 1/2 marathon with my ruck and a 3x5 American Flag.



If it isn't a cadre ego stroke fest, they are great events.

Great.  The cadre for this weekend's event is a SEAL.

Overall my experience with GoRuck has been great.  Getting your mind right is the biggest part of success in my opinion.  I've seen very fit people quit right away while people with mediocre fitness (myself?) succeed.  Having a never quit attitude is the key.  

Unfortunately, I never got to experience that. My first obstacle course race was a Tough Mudder in 2012, and I branched out from there.

From a logistics standpoint, I understand the props used.  I guess thats the cost of a standardized race.

My biggest problem is the people that show up and dont give it 100%. I dont care if it takes you 8 hrs to complete a Super, you just better not be taking selfies at each obstacle. You should be very uncomfortable for the duration of the race.

Sounds like GoRuck is what you should try then.  There sure as hell aren't any selfies happening there.

It does sound like it was much more mentally challenging. I can see how the "pre-fabbed" obstacles take away from the "you and the environment" aspect. That does sound like it would be more mentally motivating.



I didn't mind so much people needing to walk, but it did seem like there was a lot of unnecessary traffic and hold ups from people trying to be cute. I don't mind people not trying their 100%, they paid their money for their race, but get out of the damn way for those of us actually trying to get through it and put in the work for the challenge.

I did sign up for the Pittsburgh Sprint in October. I checked online yesterday and saw the prices drop, so I upgraded to the competitive division for only $5. I want to see how well I can do and hopefully that clears out a lot of the traffic I had to deal with at Ohio. Another guy at my gym did the Ohio and said it was tougher than previous years because of the trails they used, instead of using the access roads. I can't attest to it, but it did give me the experience to know I need to hit the trails, hills and stairmaster more, which I have been doing. I also hooked-up with a workout group in my area that does some OCR-specific training with a wall, monkey bars and a big hill behind the building. After this Sprint, I am going to look down the road at the longer Spartans and some other OCRs like Battlefrog and whatever else is relatively close to me.