Conquering the 2019 Carolinas Spartan Beast

The 2019 Carolina Spartan Beast was a muddy mess. While running, hiking, crawling and often sliding through a wet and muddy North Carolina mountain, I kept moving hoping I didn’t succumb to hypothermia. 5 hours in the rain and cold does that to a man. You’re probably wondering, how did I get into this mess?

Well, for starters I was pressured into running a 13+ mile Spartan Beast by my friends. You probably get pressured into going out for drinks and late-night fast food. This used to be my typical weekend. But recently I found more motivated friends that live a healthier lifestyle. When you pick better friends, they pressure you into better habits.

Well, about 18 months ago, these friends approached me about running a Spartan Race, and I immediately said no. I didn’t think I had it in me, but they encouraged me and said that we had time to train. Not wanting to back down from the challenge, I agreed, but I had my doubts. I signed up anyway.

With a newfound inspiration and a deadline, I began eating better and training more regularly. For more on my routine, check out this article I wrote on How to Conquer Your First Spartan Race.

After months of abstaining from sugar and alcohol. After months of early mornings running. After months of burpees, pullups, sit-ups and so much more. I was finally ready to take on the Spartan Sprint in Atlanta.

It was a cloudy and rainy day, but it wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t raining by the time the race started. For that, I was grateful. Spartan Races challenge you in a way that a rational human would simply say no. But most Spartans are not rational. Still, I admit I had some reservations when I saw the 70 ft cliff that I had to scale on a cargo net. With no safety nets or ropes. You find out what you’re made of during these races.

Because of this race, I did many things that seemed impossible to me in the past. I never thought I would be able to climb a rope. I never thought I could scale a cliff due to my fear of heights. And I didn’t think I could run this far, but I made it happen and it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

Next up is the Spartan Super. A funny thing happens in your brain when you conquer something that you thought was impossible. The word begins to lose meaning. You start wondering what’s next? What is the next impossible event to conquer?

Naturally, we signed up for the Spartan Super which as of 2020 are 10K races. But this was in 2019 so it was “8 miles.” My Garmin told me it was actually 10.50. We signed up for the Nashville event, but it was actually at the Ft. Campbell Army Base about an hour away. This made for a neat venue though as we got to “storm” a building while carrying rubber rifles. By the end of this race, my body was wrecked. I wasn’t quite ready for this yet, as I had a nagging ankle injury. I also have to admit that I wasn’t running enough hills, so the elevation wore me out. But I survived.

I could barely walk. My camelback wasn’t working right so I was getting dehydrated. And I had to fight off a leg cramp as I scaled the 8-foot wall. (Fun fact: Mustard packets will instantly stop a leg cramp. Not fun fact: Mustard is disgusting when not on a hot dog.) My ankle was throbbing, but I was proud of myself. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done. After the race, I remember saying, “I don’t think I can do a Spartan Beast.”

ENTER THE 2019 CAROLINAS BEAST…. This is a race that will live in infamy.

The Spartan Beast is a 13+ mile obstacle race on trails. This one was unique though due to the weather. It was raining and about 50 degrees at it’s warmest. And for those who aren’t aware, there are 28 obstacles, like the 80-pound bucket carry and the rope climb, so this slows down your pace significantly. We were sliding down hills, dodging trees and running through “puddles.” My shorts didn’t survive this race. No idea what snagged them, but they’ve been retired.

It’s typical to face adverse conditions at a Spartan Race. They aren’t your run of the mill 5K where you run on pavement. These races are on grass, gravel, mud and even waste deep creeks. But this was exceptionally difficult terrain, even for Spartan. This was so much mud that it was a struggle to keep your shoes from being eaten by the thick mud. It was impossible to run at times as it was so thick. And there were several hills that you struggled to climb up and then struggled to stay on your feet as you basically skated down.

As the race wore on, it began raining harder. The temperatures dropped down to 42 degrees as the sun set. This stopped being a fun challenge and literally became survival. People were catching hypothermia from being wet and cold. Despite all this, we powered through finishing the Beast and earning our first Spartan Trifecta.

It was cold, wet and muddy, but I did it. And even as I started thinking I’d never do another Beast, there was a voice in my head poking and prodding. Gee, I wonder what it would be like to run one without this insane amount of mud…

Spartan Race is more than just some obstacle course race to run on the weekend. It is a way of life and it has been completely life-changing for me.

By having an event as tough and grueling as a Spartan Race, it inspires me to work out harder each day. It’s given me a purpose to push myself past what I thought was impossible.

If you’re reading this and think that you can’t do these things, I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. I ran my first 5K ever just 18 months ago. And now I’m going to run a 50K next month. You just have to believe in yourself.