Compete Like a Spartan

The other weekend gave me a cool first topic to touch on and recap for you guys! On Sunday, November 11th, I went over to good old Fenway Park, home of the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox, and participated in a Spartan Race with my parents. It was my mom’s Father’s Day gift to my dad, if you can call it a gift. The race was part of their “stadium series” in which they host these events at various professional sports stadiums across the country. Aside from the obvious amazement of running in and out the entirety of Fenway Park, the race itself was a great event.

It started on the ground floor just inside the stadium. Unfortunately, our first challenge was running up about four flights of stairs. The whole race included a lot of stairs throughout it due to the fact that between obstacles you were often running through the stadium seating to other parts of the park. Our first obstacle was to hurdle three six foot walls; not too bad. We then reached the sand bags. With one heavy bag we had to run down the ramp from the upper deck where we picked it up. A harsh reality I soon realized, however, was that all these weighted items that had to be carried throughout the race were always dropped off back where you got them. When we I hit the bottom of the nice gently sloped three story ramp there was a nice tall stair case waiting for me. What goes down must come up.

Obstacles ranged from cross fit style exercises like medicine ball slams and carries to American Ninja Warrior like stunts such as rope climbing and crossing a large matted area on swinging rings. There was even a spear throw which fits right in with the spartan theme. One catch to the obstacles is that any you fail to complete or elect to pass on means you owe fifteen burbees, which are never fun. All in all, the race was roughly twenty two obstacles over four miles. It took us up on the Green Monstah, all through the stadium seating, down in the visitor locker room, through the dugout, and out onto the field where we crossed that glorious finish line.

We were met with a medal and a t-shirt for our efforts. Most importantly, around the corner from the stadium at the Landsdowne Pub, I was awarded a free beer, and nothing has ever tasted so good. The race was a great time offering up challenges for all ages and skill levels. Obstacles are intense and tough, but fun to take on and theres no shortage of people cheering you on. I would recommend if you want to really amp up your competitive side, sign up in the elite category. There is an opportunity to win a cash prize, but it also gives you much more space to run your race. I was in the open group with my parents, but when I wasted to push ahead and sprint from obstacle to obstacle, there did tend to be some congestion. It didn’t stop me from having a great time, but if you are serious about your time and want to compete, see if you are elite status.

All in all, I could not more highly recommend giving one of these races a try. Stretching and getting ready for the start felt like getting ready for game day. I went out there with something to prove and had fun doing it. I will definitely be incorporating more of them in my future travels.