Spartan Race – Malibu

December 07, 2013 · Malibu, CA

Distance: Obstacle Course

Spartan Race will take place December 7th and 8th in Malibu. Spartan Sprints obstacle races are muddy 3+- mile events with 10 or more obstacles. The challenging 5k sprint trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. From beginner trail racers and mud run participants to hardcore warriors, tough guys and marathon runners, they all come out to test themselves on the insane obstacle races! 99.9% of all people who try this event will finish, and 100% will have their thirst for mud & trail racing fully satisfied! Top 3 Males and top 3 Females at each Spartan Sprint qualify for a free entry into a Super Spartan of their choice.

Click here for registration information

pre-race	course	post-race
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Review

I did the Spartan Sprint race in 2012.
Pre-race: I followed the parking instructions where we had to park by the beach, and they’d have shuttle buses to the race area. I came 1hour 15mins before my scheduled race time. I waited 50 mins in line for the bus. Then, for some reason, the bus I was in was just sooo slow and it took 30mins to get to the race. So by the time I reached the start line, I was too late to run with my friends (apparently, they just parked at the street, and was there early). So I had to wait for another corral and had to do the race all by myself. That was my only complain about the race.
Race: The course was fun, exhilarating, and provided good enough challenges. There was a huge line going thru the barbed wire crawls (as expected).
Post race: good enough shower (need stronger water pressure, tho), changing tent was muddy & dark.
My suggestions:
– more buses, and newer buses that could go uphill at reasonable speed.
– more volunteers keep track people who “fail” the obstacles, and make sure they do burpees. I saw some people “escaped”.
Overall: good challenging race, and I will return to tackle that monkey bar

Review

I really enjoyed this race. As is always the case with a Spartan event, it was well organized, a challenging course layout and well attended. It was wet and on the colder side which made for slow going but a very fun day.

The only bummer about this race was the fact that you had to park quite a ways away and get shuttled in. Because of this I had my wife drop me off so the family wasnt able to watch the event. My guess is the organizers did this because the forecast was for rain and the dirt parking lots probably would have been destroyed and cars would have gotten stuck etc. For that reason I am giving pre-race a “B”, but if parking would have been easier this would have been an “A” as well.

Review

Did this race yesterday. So, I have ran 20+ Half’s, 1 full marathon and 1 triathlon. This was my first obstacle course/mud run. So keep this in mind I can’t compare it will anything else.

Positives:
-Something new and different!
-Malibu offered amazing views, steep hills and LOTS of mud, did I mention LOTS of mud?
-Race swag- Medal, T-shirt, swag bag. Very low key pickup and registration
-Good team work and friendly environment for a race

Negatives:
-LOTS of injuries with no fast medical help (this bugged me cause I stopped to help a girl down the hill with a hurt knee trying to find anyone to help us.)
-Be prepared to bleed!!! The course was filled with sharp rocks that you had to army craw through. Might have been because of the rain and mud.
-LONG bus lines (25 minute bus between the venue and parking) Many said the waited in line for hours in the rain. I didn’t have this issue but reading race comments sounds like a HUGE issue.
– Lots of little fees. Such as $10+ for medical insurance (required thru them), and $5 to gear check.

Overall, I will race this event again. Be prepare to be wet and muddy. Don’t wear anything you wouldn’t want to ruin (rocks and barbwire will rip your clothes) Practice BURPEES!