If you remember anything from your high school world history class or from the movie 300, your idea of a spartan is a very strong male in leather armour and a helmet, charging into battle for blood and glory. They were ready for war at any second and mentally trained to take down any murderous creature that got in their way.
(Photo courtesy of butterboom.com)
I’m normally in jeans and hoodie, exercising a light jog to escape the cool fall chill and popping into the library for a hot coffee. There’s definitely glory in being in my last few weeks as an undergraduate, but no blood. I’m ready for a public relations crisis at any second and mentally trained to remind myself to not skip lunch before my political communication class.
Yet, I have more in common with that Roman warrior than you think.
In late August, I attended and watched my first ever Spartan Race, an obstacle course racing event where athlete scale walls, carry rocks, trudge through mud, and climb ropes, through a set course. Spartan offers 3 different types of these races, all varying in obstacles and difficulty. We were at a Sprint event, which consists of about 25 obstacles along a 4-5 mile loop, and usually these events are held in large grassy or wooded areas with varying elevations and ya know… mud. Not to mention, you jump a finish line of fire.
(Photo Courtesy of DistinctlyMontana.com)
Sounds like a blast right? Initially, I thought it sounded like an injury ready to happen.
Spartan Races, regardless of difficulty are designed to test your mental capacity more than your physical ability. Almost anyone, no matter your weight, size, or training regimens can finish a race. You could see racers all over the course helping others complete tasks or motivating each other to just keep pushing. Many of the competitors raced with a small team of friends so they could work through it together. This race wasn’t about going into war and coming out alive, it was all about getting really muddy and finishing.
(Photo Courtesy of Spartan Race Media)
Obstacle course racing has become an absolute phenomenon with races of varying styles and types all over the country. Many people train by doing varying exercises that you can even do in your living room. I’ve begun doing planks, light barbell exercises, and even some jump roping to prepare myself for the craziness in the spring. The plus side is that all of these exercises has helped me become stronger in my legs, abs, arms, and even my back! We have even begun to build a team of people to go with us when we decided to take on the mud and ropes. Plus, we all know that working out is so much more fun when you aren’t going alone!
So get to it collegiettes, let’s do this for bikini season and Sparta! (Oh, and the entire pizza you’ll consume afterward.)