So ..how hard/difficult are these Spartan races ..?

Having done quite a few Spartan Races, I can tell you that they can be tough.

These are NOT the mud runs that you see frequently. The Spartan series is geared to be hard.

If you run a lot, you probably would not have too much trouble with the Sprint distance (3-5 miles). Your issue would be the obstacles, the walls, rope climbs, cargo nets, etc. This takes more upper body than the typical distance runner has.

The Beast races (11-13 miles) can be brutal.

^..thx

If you are a strong upper body runner you will have no problem.

Obstacle races suit the 17-18 minute 5km runner who carries a bit more muscle bulk.

The running portion quickly finds out the athletes who are too specialized at purely going over or up things.

They can be as hard as you want to make them. If you just walked from obstacle to obstacle none of the obstacles would be that hard - assuming you're not a total pencil neck - except maybe you'd have trouble with the spear throw if you never played baseball - but if you ran as hard as you could you would find the obstacles a bit more challenging.

Lots of pictures of women with all the gear on promoting Spartan trying to look hardcore

dayblazer wrote:

Looks like some think this is a solid accomplishment...what's the real deal..?

if someone took a dump in the mud at a tough mudder, would anyone notice?

Thread useless until now

http://www.rocktape.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Amelia-1080x675.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJpJBy-WgAAxjGW.jpg

The courses can be quite brutal. I ran a Bonefrog race this morning and the time was 2:28 for 13.2 miles. (Bonefrog is an obstacle course race comparable to Spartan.) For comparisons sake I did a half marathon on a rails to trails back in springtime in a time of 1:26. So an extra hour for the 50+ obstacles and the course which was mud, motorbike trails, and constant hills. The YouTube videos that people post will give you an idea of what the obstacles are like but is not likely to show everything in between. My advice is to start with a sprint race, work on upper body and grip strength, practice your burpees and hit the hills.

I am a decent runner and an elite rock climber, but I simply refuse to do burpees. Nyetski on that shvitski.

Excuse moi wrote:

Thread useless until now

http://www.rocktape.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Amelia-1080x675.jpghttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJpJBy-WgAAxjGW.jpg

That is the answer to how "hard" it can be...

Congratulations to your coming-out!

A REAL Biochemist wrote:

I am a decent runner and an elite rock climber, but I simply refuse to do burpees. Nyetski on that shvitski.

I am a 52 year old guy and I will NEVER EVER do a race that involves burpees. If you just got a time penalty, I may waste some money and do one. I remodel houses for a living so I am pretty F'ing wiry strong so I wouldn't have much trouble with the senseless obstacles they have you do.

I am a moderate runner and in late middle age. I jumped in my first obstacle race with no real idea of what the obstacles were like and was in the money in the elite field.

The key seems to be smooth execution of the obstacles and being able to quickly get back into top running speed. Like a full body steeplechase.

A lot of pure obstacle specialists really need to take a breather and gather themselves before and after every obstacle.