Citizen’s Bank Park Spartan Sprint Recap

Every year I set three goals.

After two years of trying, I finally achieved my goal of running my first obstacle race. I had multiple opportunities to try other races but for some reason I had my heart set on being a Spartan.

On November 14th I completed the Citizen’s Bank Spartan Sprint which was a little more than 3 miles and 21 obstacles. I registered for the race last May, thanks to encouragement of my friend Dan from the Spartan race headquarters and immediately needed a training plan. Not having a clue about what to expect for the race I depended on the Spartan website for guidance and before I knew it race day was here.

The first heat went out at 7am on race day. It was cold and dark and I was still in bed when they started. I was registered for the 11:45 heat which meant I was able to take my time in the morning get a good breakfast and arrive in plenty of time. We left the house around 9:30 which had us at the front gate by 10. I registered and checked in within five minutes of getting in line and next thing I knew, I was staring at the race course.

People were everywhere. The concourse was full of energy and the excitement was tangible. Anywhere you looked in the stadium you could see racers, obstacles, and spectators. The course wound us through the entire stadium and around the outside so there was a constant flow of people at all ends of the stadium. Spectators could choose a view from thousands of rows of seats to watch or move from one end of the stadium to the other to watch their runners. My wonderful husband Jon was there ready to cheer and taking plenty of pictures. The first thing we did once we got our bearings and took a stroll though the stadium was find a course map. We plotted which locations I would be able to see Jon and tried to figure out how the course was spread out in the stadium.

We were so early that there was plenty of time to see any vendors or obstacles ahead of time and I felt comfortable with my surroundings when it was my turn to head to the start line. Physically I was ready to race but mentally I was really nervous. Spartan races can be run by yourself or with a team and most people opt for the team. I really wanted to accomplish this by myself so I chose to run solo, but once it came time to start I wished I was running with a partner.

There could have been a regular starting line but what fun would that be? In order to get to the holding area for your heat you had to scale a five foot wall.

I was so proud of myself for hopping right over this one and it was just the boost of confidence I needed to get started. Once you were over the first wall we waited in line while other runners were set into rows of four and heats were released every minute or two. The very first obstacle was a bear crawl under bungee cords, up multiple flights of stairs to take us to the top floor of the stadium.

Right away I knew this was going to be a challenge but also something I could definitely accomplish. I felt strong, fast, and motivated so I started off quickly. Too quickly as I soon learned. The lady in front of me bear crawling up the stairs lifted her hips too high and accidentally starting snapping them back into my face. I took my first two steps of the race and got smacked in the face hard enough to think I was bleeding. Lesson learned. This was going to be a race that required patience as well as speed.

Once we got to the top of the stairwell, which felt like it would never end it was game time.

We ran the stadium, carried sand bags, jumped on boxes, climbed monkey bars, slammed medicine balls, threw spears, carried water gallons, ran more stairs, climbed ropes, scaled walls, ran more stairs, lifted heavy things, and did I mention the stairs? It was incredible to witness how adaptable the human body can be. Once second you are lifting something heavy then next you are dodging and weaving through a maze of stairs and seats.

The obstacles were spread out over different distances so you never knew what to expect next. You were given one opportunity to attempt each obstacle and if you were not successful you had to do 30 penalty burpees. I was able to complete all but three of the obstacles which was a huge success in my book.

It took me right around one full hour to complete the course and I was really happy with my time. I probably could have gone a little faster but a few of the obstacles were either crowded or did not allow for passing without opting for a penalty. The finish line was at home plate in the stadium and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I did it.

Post race was a blur until I was home and eating leftover pizza while doing yoga. I was tired, sore, and so happy because I accomplished what I set out to do. I ran a Spartan race. It wasn’t easy but I would definitely do it again.

The dust has settled and the bruises healed but the memories of running a #Spartan race will last…
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