The ancient Greek Sparta were brave and undaunted and that’s exactly what we tried to embody when we took on the Hunter Valley Spartan Race against a backdrop of vineyards and mud.
I took a scroll through the Spartan Instagram page to see what I was in for, and I was immediately intimidated, but also in awe of the obstacles and the all the cool places around that world that Spartan events are held.
There are various levels and groups you can choose to compete in; the Hunter Valley event was called a Trifecta weekend. You could choose from a 5 kilometre event with 20 obstacles, a 10 kilometre with 25 obstacles or a 21 kilometre with 30 obstacles, all with sub-categories like elite or age group. For the truly crazy people you could compete in all three events!
For the little ones there was a kids race, and for the super serious endurance competitors there was a 12-hour version of Spartan to take on.
Safe to say that despite being relatively fit, we chose to do the 5 kilometre option for a bit of fun since we had never done a Spartan race before. We joined a group from CrossFit Audax which made the afternoon even more fun because we could encourage (and laugh) at each other along the way.
The obstacles started off easy, a 4ft wall and then a 6ft wall that we had to launch ourselves over; followed by a high cargo net wall (which felt much higher than you’d think once you got to the top!), then monkey bars which is where I came unstuck…
When you can’t successfully complete an obstacle you have to take a penalty. I couldn’t make it across the monkey bars, so I had to carry a pipe along a short course and back which took a lot longer, I really should’ve practiced at the kids playground before the event!
Next was a sandbag carry, piece of cake for this CrossFitter, same for the Atlas carry and the rope climb. Some friendly rivalry between the boss and I saw me get a little cocky on the rope climb and lose… but of course I told her that I let her win!
There was a spear throw (that had burpees as a penalty if you missed the target) and a z wall which was kind of like a balance beam. The slip wall was fun, you hold onto a rope and climb up the smooth face of the wall and down the other side like a ladder.
More running took us to a bucket carry, followed by a Hercules hoist where we had to hoist a heavy sandbag up and bring it back down, then we hit an obstacle that nearly brought me unstuck. It was called an inverted wall. You climb up on an angle going out from the ground at 45 degrees, get over the top and slip down the other side.
Getting up the first side was very difficult, I felt like I was going to fall backwards onto the ground before reaching the top! I was panicking and I honestly didn’t think I could do it but with the encouragement of teammates I finally made it over. Then it was on to the last obstacle, a huge a-frame which we climbed before crossing the finish line and collecting our medals – and even better an ice cold beer!
The Spartan events are held all around the world and there a few in Australia each year with the next one coming up in Sydney in June. They also host other events such as the Tough Mudder which will be held in the Hunter Valley in September.
Whether you’re a serious athlete or just after a bit of a challenge and a few laughs with your mates we will see you there!
