With the first Spartan Race of the UK season fast approaching, many are training hard and getting ready to have one hell of a race come April 7/8th. With this set to be the biggest Spartan season the UK has seen, we already know that the regular racers are gearing up to climb 8ft walls, crawl under barbed wire and plough through muddy bogs, but what about the person that has never done a Spartan Race before?
A big aim for Spartan Race this year is to attract the ones that have thought about taking part, but have never taken that first step onto the course. The perfect place to start is with the 5km+ Sprint. Will it be a challenge, will it be like something you have never done before, will it take some grit and determination…Yes is the answer to those questions. But will you feel like and absolute legend once you have completed the course and have the medal hanging from around your neck…absolutely! The aim of the Sprint is to open the doors to those that may deem themselves unfit, not ready or just a bit anxious about taking part in the worlds most successful obstacle racing series.
Sam Lansdale, General Manager of Spartan Race UK, mentioned that ‘with a bit of training anyone – whether you’re unfit or new to running – can manage Spartan’s entry level race’. After completing multiple Spartan events personally and seeing the range of people that take part in them across the country, I completely agree! Seeing people across various ages, weights and levels of fitness jump over a bunch of burning wood to reach the finish line is always one of the most rewarding scenes. We all have a friend that went from being a ‘couch potato’ to running a 5km and all it took was a bit of training, motivation and signing up for a great event. That is exactly what the Spartan Sprint stands for.
With 25 races confirmed nationwide, including new venues including Ireland, there are even more opportunities for people to take part in what is shaping up to be an awesome year for Spartan Race UK. Which also opens up the opportunity for new challengers across the country to go and try something that may be completely out of the ordinary for them. ‘A big part of our race is about community and pushing yourself to achieve something more then you think you can’. Even better you will know that you are never alone along the way and that the challenge you are facing is being shared with hundreds of others in the exact same position.
To coincide with all of this talk, it only helps if there are some cases where this all rings true! Its easy to get people that are overtly ‘fit’ to take part in a Spartan Race, so I have gone and reached out to two people who have never run more then 5km, never lifted logs up hills and certainly never taken part in a Spartan Race before. Keep an eye on theurbanchallenger.com for my next post introducing the group I will be taking through their first Spartan experience and what they will be looking to achieve from the event!
Are you thinking of doing your first Spartan Race this year? Are you completely new to running and are thinking of taking on a new challenge? Do you run often but want to increase your fitness to the next level? let me know in the comments below and come back next week to find out more about our Spartan firsts! Take the first step by visiting www.spartanrace.uk
Thanks for reading.
[…] on from my previous post Starting Your Spartan Journey: The Sprint, I wanted to introduce the squad I will be conquering the Spartan Sprint with on April 8th. They […]