History of Spartan Race
Over the last decade, the popularity of mud runs and obstacle course challenges have met with international success. Clearly, runners thirst for a bigger challenge, and greater adventure, than the monotony of simply running. Among the most successful events out there is the Spartan Race.
The Spartan Race is not for the faint of heart. It all started back in 2004 upon a philosophy of the necessity of pain and suffering for happiness and success. No stranger to suffering himself, founder Joe De Sena’s personal life story of growing up poor and overcoming hardships to his eventual success becomes a sort of blueprint for the Spartan Race.
Obstacles are inevitable in life, and learning to avoid them is hardly the answer. It is only by overcoming them can we move forward and grow, and it is this sense of accomplishment that brings happiness.
So what’s a Spartan Race like?
A lot of mud, primarily. Spartan Race offers 3 different events, the Sprint, which includes 15 obstacles over 5km, the Super with 20 obstacles over 13km, and the Beast presenting 25 obstacles over 20km.
The race will have you crawling under barbed wires, leaping over fire pits, plunging into mud pools and scaling greased walls. It is an extremely physical challenge, and you will be covered in filth by the time you complete. You will also feel like a Spartan.
Prepare Yourself
Unlike a fun run, a Spartan race is not an event where you can show up unprepared. It requires an all-rounded athletic ability for completion. The race is also more than simply running, so consider swapping out one or two of your weekly training runs for cross-training.
You will need to ensure you’ve got a rotation of endurance and strength training on top of your cardio conditioning, in order to tackle the obstacles. Ideally, you should be
To help you prepare, the organisers of the Spartan Race have provided a 30-day training plan, which is accessible here.
Spartan Sprint Singapore
Perhaps the esprit of Spartan Race has spoken to you. You’re not put off by the promise of pain, and you’re ready to embrace pushing your limits. You’re ready to push yourself, to work harder, to become better.
Spartan Race is bringing the Spartan Sprint to Singapore in November 2015. More information will be unveiled over the following weeks. You can pre-register for the event to access exclusive early bird rates, and join the Lion City Spartans Group on Facebook.
Ready to Spartan?
