Race Reviews

After two years of torture; from God sending downpours to the Lone Star State, a memorable fire ant mud fest in Houston, a dry weekend finally aligned with the Spartan Race calendar. The Glen Rose/Dallas race is always a special weekend on the Calendar for two reasons; it is the Team Championship Beast and the Kyle Littlefield Memorial Run. If you do not know about the Memorial, head to Google and check out the foundation along with the significance of Rough Creek Lodge. In light of this, I decided to make it a team themed weekend. My bright idea was this, Team Beast, Volunteer, Kyle Littlefield 12-Hour and then Volunteer some more. I would not succeed unless my team succeeded.

It seems like each year we are up in the air as to whether or not Spartan is going to have their race in Tuxedo, NY. The venue has been battling some legal issues after some issues with a nearby casino project. Either way, this race has been one of the Spartan staples for years (7 to be exact) and each year we wonder if it is going to be the last time we race here. For many of us, when that day comes, it will be a bitter farewell as each year we flock here like moths to a light to run up and down this mountain.

A trip around Circuit of America’s Grand Prix race course - how bad could it be? Seems simple enough. Bonefrog was kind enough to find a centrally located site to the Texas Metro areas. Some hills but nothing that comes off as too drastic. Oh, they now have that #EffNorm charm? There’s no mountain so he’ll be neutralized. It is April so it will be comfortable. Oh, wait, it is going to 90+ degrees with 80%+ humidity? Okay, this will be an interesting 12 miles or so.

This year was supposed to be different, and it really is different. Having dealt with some serious injuries, I hadn't much considered participating in this year's Tri-State New Jersey Ultra Beast. As time drew nearer, I found myself feeling less like myself and more like a "never will". The decision came to run the race somewhere in the March time frame, and those that advised against it quickly realized that there would be little standing in my way. Last year's NJ UB was challenging, but I knew with all that I had been challenged with physically this year, my best bet of completion was here, not Killington.

I'm sure most of you are looking at the article title and wondering "What is this about? I don't see Spartan, Savage, Tough Mudder, or any other OCR series name." Although I started my running adventures in OCR, I've started to branch out into the world of ultrarunning more recently. I've participated in many of the more well-known OCR series so far, completed multiple Trifectas in a single year, and attempted/finished my first (and attempted a second, which ended in a DNF...I need revenge on Killington!) Spartan Ultra Beast last year in New Jersey. The year before that, I completed my first Beast as well as a double Trifecta. I had looked at the Ultra Beast before and thought there would be no way I would ever do one. Way too long (both distance and time on feet), way too hard (so many obstacles!), and more vertical gain than I could imagine. However, it really opened my eyes to the world of ultrarunning, even though the Ultra Beast is not technically an ultramarathon.