This year, the Spartan Race World Championship will be televised on NBC sports and will have $250,000 of prizes on the line. I had to laugh that this has been around for three years and already is throwing cash out like this.
I think it is funny how people fight tooth and nail for some NCAA championship coverage, and this easily glides into a time slot.
xfitguy FTW?
I have a buddy who literally is a "professional Spartan Racer" and trains and runs these events around the country and makes decent money placing in these races.
I think the Tough Mudders are a joke, but the Spartan Races are cool.
Of course, they all go to people who are basically classically trained runners who supplement with upper body work.
Makes perfect sense. People are sick of seeing a bunch of SCRAWNY Kenyans run in circles. They want to see testosterone driven hardcore athletes with their huge muscles covered in mud. These events are insanely popular and (other than T&F) are respected well and marketed by professionals.
Btw, I see many folks coming to our box in order to get fit for some of these events - may it be Spatan or Tough Mudder and after a couple of months, they are usually ready to take it on.
I admire your persistence at keeping this schtick going. It's sad and admirable in equal amounts.
What is a "classically trained" runner? Does that mean he studied the art of running under the grandmasters at the great conservatories of Europe?
Where can I find info on the prize money for these events?
Do all the events have prize money or just the 'World Championship'?
Also their website gives a description of one of the races as "It's a 5km+ race". That's all they say. wtf!
I want the full details..
This is dumb, seriously what is next? Swimming competitions in Jell-O? Tennis in zero gravity?
Kenyans would dominate this too, with this much prize money it wouldn't be too surprising if a couple of them tried it out.
Xfit_guy_the_real_one_1 wrote:
Makes perfect sense. People are sick of seeing a bunch of SCRAWNY Kenyans run in circles. They want to see testosterone driven hardcore athletes with their huge muscles covered in mud. These events are insanely popular and (other than T&F) are respected well and marketed by professionals.
But they are not sick of seeing a bunch of NOT scrawny Jamaicans (Bolt) and Americans run in straight lines.
People watch things like this and Crossfit once or twice because of the novelty. Once the novelty wears off they realize that these people are not athletes and they go back to watching actual athletes. Pro track and field in the USA out rates hockey, but we are talking real athletes, not a bunch of skinny kenyans in long distance races.
I notice now that the Crossfit Games are only being covered by ESPN W (meaning it's a girl thing). Same thing will happen to Spartan Races.
I just watched a few of their youtube videos. If these races are actually 10+ miles as they claim then any competent distance runner wins every time.
sign me up wrote:
I just watched a few of their youtube videos. If these races are actually 10+ miles as they claim then any competent distance runner wins every time.
They are not continuous. Meaning you have to slow down and sometimes stop in line to do an obstacle....perhaps it is not like this up at front...but it is different than regular cross country running. Most guys who do it look like ripped soccer players.
sign me up wrote:
I just watched a few of their youtube videos. If these races are actually 10+ miles as they claim then any competent distance runner wins every time.
The problem is that the runners usually don't get over the obstacles so they have to skip them. They still finish first but are being disqualified while a more BUFF all around athlete will bring home the $$$.
Instead of bemoaning these developments, I actually welcome them. Hopefully that will trim my competition once everybody gets tired of being a scrawny distance runner and I ascend to supremacy in my local circuit of races with sub-16 credentials.
I am assuming all the skinny nerds here at Letsrun will be entering and winning these Spartan races. I mean with significant prize money on the line, easy for the taking, you guys will be cashing in right? Oh, not a one of you has decided to steal this easy money? That's what I thought.
EPOpian wrote:
They are not continuous. Meaning you have to slow down and sometimes stop in line to do an obstacle....perhaps it is not like this up at front...but it is different than regular cross country running. Most guys who do it look like ripped soccer players.
From the videos I watched there wasn't a single obstacle that would cause me any trouble. I'm no Arnie but I can easily climb a wall or crawl through some mud or drag a few weights up a hill.
I wouldn't have a hope in a cross fit event but I'd expect to win these Spartan events if the videos are a true representation of the race.
This Miami race is supposedly 8 miles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t05AD8C9KVYA 16 minute 5k guy wins that race every time.
Also I checked up on the prize money for local races.. all you get is free entry to the next race. f*ck that.
I just checked mine after hearing about this 250,000 but it's free entry to a spartan beast or something. Plus I don't think I could get over the obstacles tbh.