I’m a Spartan. | Part II: Five Things Most People Don’t Know About Me
Two hours ago, I was sitting at the airport in San Jose, California. Now, I’m sitting in the all-too-familiar airport in Spokane, Washington. Soon, I’ll hop in a car with an old friend for a five-hour drive to Bigfork, Montana, where I am going to run in three Spartan races over the next two days, a 5K (the Sprint), a 10K (the Super), and a half marathon (the Beast). I’ll climb over cargo nets and under barbwire. I’ll lift sandbags and stones. I’ll probably wind up doing hundreds of burpees as a penalty for failing obstacles, despite months of training.
When I explain this to people, they usually say “Wow!” I think what they’re really saying is “Why?”
My first Spartan race was in Bigfork in 2021. I signed up for the Sprint because it looked like fun and the timing fit in well with my training schedule for the Windemere Marathon in Spokane. I loaded my dog and now-wife into my camper and took a long drive through the beautiful open country to the north side of Flathead Lake. We found a turnoff on a forest service road and camped for the night.
After some early morning coffee, a shuttle ride in a yellow school bus, and more than an hour of waiting in the cold, I found myself at the starting line, at the base of a steep hill rising out of a wooded basin. Three hoorahs and we were off! There is something about running through the woods that feels wild and natural. Jumping over branches, wading through water, and traversing steep terrain feels like something our bodies were made to do. The running portion was easy for me – after all, I’d been training for a marathon. The obstacles were a different story. I failed the tire flip, the monkey bars, and the rope climb. My penalty was 30 burpees at each obstacle. I placed somewhere in the middle of my age group but walked away feeling accomplished and ready to do it over again.
Why do all three races in the same weekend?
Prior to that first race, as I warmed up near the starting line, I found myself standing next to another man, a few years older than me and in much better shape. He smiled as he stretched his legs and asked, “First time out on the course?” Assuming he was indicating he’d done the race in a prior year, I replied, “Yeah, and you?” It was only then I noticed that his legs were already caked in mud. He told me he was running all three races – the Beast, Super, and Sprint – in the same weekend. Apparently, it was referred to as a “Trifecta.” At the time, I was dumbfounded but, by the end of the Sprint, I saw how it was possible – with a lot of training. I immediately resolved to come back and do the Trifecta the next year.
Fast forward to May of 2022 – and I was all ready to go (or so I thought) for the Trifecta. I’d followed a marathon training schedule, culminating in a 20-mile run. I was in better shape than the previous year. This time my dad came along to run the sprint with me. After a six-hour drive from Ritzville, Washington, we camped on the same forest service road I found the year before.
As always, the Beast took place on Saturday morning. Throughout the race, there was ample precipitation which transitioned between rain and snow. My legs carried me just fine but I significantly underestimated the difficulty of the repeated obstacles. The cargo nets, vertical walls, ropes, and climbing walls were slick and I lacked the strength to hang onto many of them. With numerous burpees and penalty loops, I finished in four hours and five minutes. That night, I slept poorly. I was in pain all over. There were many times I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to race the next day. The next morning, I woke up stiff as a board. I struggled to put on my shoes, but as I moved along, I was able to regain my flexibility and make my way to the starting line. The Super took me a grueling two hours and four minutes. My time for the Sprint, which I did alongside my dad, was an hour and forty-seven minutes. After the races, I was sore for more than a week and struggled with everyday tasks.
Why do it again?
Because it was a fantastic experience and because I’m capable of doing it better! Because when you push your body to extremes, it makes the difficulties of everyday life seem trivial. Because it will continue to make me a happier, stronger, more confident, and more capable person.
To prepare for this year, I’ve spent the last six months weight lifting and rock climbing (indoors). I put myself on a strict running schedule this Spring, which culminated in the fastest 20-mile run I’ve ever had. I’m hoping to blow my times from last year out of the water.
Make no mistake, I am not particularly gifted in terms of size, strength, agility, endurance, or coordination. I have no intentions of becoming a professional athlete and no delusions that such a thing is reasonably likely. What I do have is a desire to push myself to extremes so that I can live my life to the fullest.
I encourage everyone to do the same.
— Tyler O’Brien —