Parking was easy. Then you walked about a half mile to packet pick up which was nice and smooth. The only real issue I had with pre-race was having to pay for bag check. That’s not mentioned on their website. At first I wondered why there were fire pits all around with smoke that would mess with runners breathing, but later after we were wet and cold, those fires were greatly appreciated. The course was one of the hardest I’ve done. Toughmudder Snow Valley is still harder with combine hills and elevation. However Spartan race chose much rougher terrain here than Toughmudder did last year, and Spartan race is sadistic putting climbing walls at the top of every big hill climb. But… if it was easy, anyone could do it and it wouldn’t be as cool. The runners I was keeping pace with and I were wondering “if we’re at a lake why aren’t there any water obstacles in the lake?”, until we got to the one lake swim at the end. The water was painfully cold and sucked the energy right out of you along with the heat. A 30 burpee penalty for not being able to complete an obstacle is no joke, but there wasn’t anyone criticising form or speed. At the finish line after you got your medal and t-shirt, there were cups of water and bananas. Festival village was not organized very well, a few food trucks were scattered about making it difficult to figure out what was available. Also, with claiming to be the best around, you’d think they’d get more of the sponsors to have some freebies at the end like sports drinks and protein bars. Super Spartan was definitely a great race and the competitors make it a great time, but I think the organizers care more about money than the full experience. I still plan on running more Spartan races. I want that trifecta medal. Next time though, I’ll be more prepared with my own supplies.
