Charlotte Spartan Sprint

I am back from North Carolina!

Another muddy Spartan Race done!

I signed up for the Charlotte Sprint awhile back, because it was cheap and I had heard last year's venue was really cool. It was at some whitewater rafting center and it had an obstacle where you cargo net climb over the rapids. Charlotte is 3 hours away which isn't too horrible so I decided to go for it. However, after I signed up they changed the venue to a farm. I wasn't too happy about the venue change but I knew Spartan would put on a good race as always. The farm stunk alot though.

The whole place was very very muddy. This course's length was 4.8 miles which is pretty long for the Sprint. But it was also a fairly flat course. Georgia was alot of hilly trails, and this course was mostly running through grass, gravel paths, and a bit of running through the woods but not as much as Georgia. The race started out pretty simple, but within the first mile or maybe even less, we got hit with the hard stuff!!! First big obstacle was the rope climb. I'm not at the point where I can climb a rope yet. I really need to find a rope to practice on. But for now, it was 30 burpees for me. Next up was the inverted walls, and they were muddy as hell! The first time I slipped off of the bottom part of the wall, which I'm not sure if it counts for burpees but no one said anything. The only reason I fell off is because it was so muddy and my foot slipped. The second time I got up it no problem.

Right after was the ladder climb which is easy stuff. I guess it's hard if you are afraid of heights, but for me personally this obstacle is not a big deal. After I got over that one, next up was the traverse wall. Here it is pictured to the left - I caught a glimpse of this gent as I was getting ready to start my race. I went to the very last one hoping it would be less used and therefore less muddy, but it didn't make one bit of difference. I did better here than I did in Georgia, but still fell off after the first set of blocks. 30 more burpees for me! I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed about the fact that they put 3 hard obstacles back to back, 2 of which I really suck at. Until I saw what was up next

Hercules Hoist. Yes. I kill this thing every time. It's absolutely my best obstacle. So I walked up to it and there was this lady who had walked the rope all the way out so it was fully extended and at a wide angle. Not really sure why she did this, but as I walked past her she said "Hey, can you help me here?" So I did, and got her sandbag the last 1/4 of the way up. I told her what I do is sit on my ass so I am in a stable position. She said that was usually what she did too, but decided to try something different this time. Not the best strategy really. So then I sat down with my sandbag. I noticed all the girls to my sides were all struggling with their bags which were just a few feet in the air. I started lifting fast. My sandbag reached the top as the volunteer cheered me on, and then I was lowering it back down before anyone elses's had barely moved. Yes. I freaking rock at this thing. It feels good to kick ass at something after failing 2 obstacles in a row!

All of this took place before 2 miles.I really wasn't expecting so much so soon, but I knew I had at least gotten my 2 worst obstacles out of the way. I hit the water station, kept running, watched a woman fall on her ass while running through a mud puddle and laughed about it with her.. and then hit the barb wire crawl. This was easier than Georgia's, as we have that thick clay down here. It was muddy and hard to get through, but I think I made decent time and had no issues with the wires. I saw many clumps of hair caught in the wires though.

Once I was through the barb wire I ran through a field for awhile, then proceeded on to the sandbag carry. Then it was the tractor pull, which we did not have in Georgia this year. Immediately after was a 7 foot and an 8 foot wall. These actually had the ledges unlike Georgia, and the volunteers were super cool and let us use the wall supports to get us up. I did the walls, hit the next aid station, and continued into the woods. Here was the mud pit. This big guy running next to me jumped in, and immediately froze. He had this look of sheer panic on his face and he did not move. Me and another guy were kind of talking him through but for whatever reason this guy was freaking out. Then the other guy pulled him out of the water and once I saw that he was ok I continued on. We all have different fears, and Spartan Race forces you to face and overcome them. After the mud we turned the corner and found the tire pull. Unlike Georgia, this one was not in the mud, it was in grass. I had no problems with that tire, it moved SO much easier than last time!

Next up was the gamble! This one was a muddy hill which had some tree roots and saplings that you could grab onto. Once again, it wasn't even a choice for me. I want to take the hard road and test myself. It wasn't really that bad, just climbing really. Then we ran on some more trails. Here I witnessed some people who were really in a tough spot - a guy who was running fast and bouncing over all the fallen logs - turn the corner, there he was saying "I made a bad decision..." and had a big ass thorn stuck in his leg. Then I saw a girl having a serious calf cramp, her racing companion massaging it while she was screaming in pain... ouch, I have been there before!!! There was also a guy with a handheld radio blasting Poker Face while we ran through the woods. Then we entered the fields once again to face...

The atlas carry. This one was totally new to me - I had seen it in pictures but never faced it before. You have to pick up this cement ball and carry it about 10 feet, drop it and do 5 burpees, then pick it up and carry it back. This mother was HEAVY. I could hardly pick it up. It took me a few tries but I got it and stabilized it against my stomach and thighs, then waddled over to the other side. The girl next to me couldn't pick hers up, but before I could help her the male volunteer came to give her a hand. On the way back once again it took me a few tries, but I managed to pick it up and carry it back over with 2 other chicks beside me. We all finished at the same time and the volunteer said "Way to go Spartan Chicks!!" I love when people cheer us on!

As I started to near the end of the course I reached the spear throw. I missed. 30 more burpees. But I took off running, and was one of the few people who was actually still running at this point. Before long we were near the finish line!

Got into another mud pit with a wall you had to go UNDER. Muddy hair time! I saw one genius go UP the
wall as a volunteer was yelling "UNDER! UNDER! UNDER" and the wall wobbled as he was climbing it.. probably wasn't meant for climbing, stupid! Immediately after was the incline wall, which was super wet and muddy from the previous mud pool. I made it up no problem though. And after a fire jump and a gladiator pummeling I was over the finish line! It's such an awesome feeling, and I felt like I did pretty well this time around. My time was 1:51, which is actually my fastest time per mile for a Spartan Sprint. This is also the longest Sprint I've run. I was not totally exhausted afterwards. With some more upper body training I will definitely feel like I could take on a Super - and I will, sometime over the summer most likely. I had a great time out there yesterday!

Side note - several guys were staring at me during various points of the day. Not that I am interested in any of them because I'm married, but it's a nice little confidence booster to know they're looking!

The soreness is hitting me as I've done a bunch of housework today. Tomorrow I must rest. But I'll be right back to it on Tuesday!