I had previously done the Warrior Dash so I felt fairly confident that I could survive the Spartan Sprint! After registering online we all received a notice that they had moved the location of the Sprint to Wakefield, Quebec. I found it interesting that they still said it was in ‘Ottawa, Ontario’ and yet they had completely changed Provinces. We arrived early for the event and found that parking was a bit of a nightmare. The main lot was full as they had begun heats early in the morning and we were not scheduled to race until 10:30 -we needed additional time to make the 2+ hour drive north. We were told by the parking attendants to drive up the road about a 1/2 km or so and there would be a bus waiting to transport us back to the site. We chose to park on the busy sideroad (and “risk being tagged and towed” the attendant barked at us) and walk back so we could have the car closer for when we left the event. The line up for race kit pick up was fair and we managed to get through the process within 10-15 minutes. They had plenty of volunteers to help with marking numbers, attaching bibs and timing chips and there was an additional fee for bag check of $2.00. Lockers are available on-site but then you have to carry a small key during the race. The centre concourse area was well laid out with some signage and there were a few vendors and staging areas for starting, photos, food, beer and washrooms. The start line was a large corral and it begins with a fairly steep hill that progresses as you make 3 runs up and down the slopes. Throughout the course you are challenged to the max with very sturdy and well-built obstacles. Some of these included: tunnel crawl, ammo box carry up hill and down hill, cinder block drag,walls, rope climb, monkey bars, mud crawl under walls and the list goes on. This was one of the most challenging ones I have done to date for my upper body. Water was provided at the end of the event but was too far between stations during the event itself. Medal is okay, and the shirt is a nice tech one.
Recommendations: Hill training and upper body workouts. Bring a snack as the line-ups for food were long. Bring extra towels for clean up as there are only hose stations available. Carry extra water. Wear sunscreen as you are wet throughout and a hat or headband based on comfort.
General tip: if you duct tape your laces it helps keep your shoes on in deep mud
Overall: 4/5
- You do “know at the finish line”!
