comfort zone and push your boundaries
to the limit is a common trait. You hear
about people doing fun runs or corporate
triathlons to get that competitive fix but
some individuals need something bigger,
something harder, something called the
cross fit revolution.
during the lead up to another
corporate triathlon, there were some in
my office who thought a 4km run, 10km
bike and 400 metre swim would not be
tough enough.
in a moment that will forever be etched
into my memory, Steph, a fiery young
marketing consultant, announced, "We're
doing a Super Spartan race, who's in?" In
an instant the hands shot up, followed by
a resounding, "yes" from the athletes in the
office and then, a "yes" from me.
and, before anyone had a chance
to find out trivial things like `'what is a
Spartan race?" five team members had
agreed, paid and signed their injury and
death waivers. Once the euphoria wore
off, the enormity of what we had taken on,
hit home; as the least fitness conscious in
the team, I was overwhelmed with fear.
the group worked hard to build
fitness and strength over the next two
months. As we trained together, the team
began to work more cohesively in the
office. We found a mental sharpness, an
edge that came from the knowledge we
could take on any challenge, in the office
or in the race, as a team. The camaraderie
that grew from our combined
commitment to the cause permeated
into every aspect of our lives, ensuring
everyone stayed on course for race day.
cold, winter's morning we arrived at the
outskirts of Brisbane to take on the 14km
Super Spartan race. The atmosphere
was one of anticipation and suspense as
everyone steeled themselves for the trials.
we didn't know what to expect we
only knew that there would be pain. We
charged head first into the unknown; a
short dip in an ice-cold creek soon lead
us to the first major hurdle - a 100 metre
crawl under barbed wire through mud.
Face down, crawling through churned
sludge we were faced with the sort
of physical and mental challenge we
hungered for; no one could have possibly
been disappointed.
for the next 14km I ran up and
down trails through rugged terrain,
waded through creeks, carried cement
blocks, climbed over walls, hurled a spear
(poorly), hoisted kettle bells and crawled
through more and more mud. The esprit
de corps amongst competitors was
incredible and, as I struggled through,
strangers yelled out encouragement;
"Good job", "Just keep running" or "Hang in
there" they cried.
finally, after what seemed like an
eternity, I could see it, the finish line.
All that was left was a leap of faith over
fire and a charge through a gauntlet
of spartans. I saw my team at the line,
medals around their necks, urging me on
and, with a final charge I summoned all
that was left in me to get over the finish
line to join them as an official Spartan.
The complimentary beer could not taste
sweeter.
while the spartan race will
take you back to your ancient roots,
running through woods and getting
dirty while facing physical and mental
challenges, other hard core endurance
events include tough mudder, a
20km obstacle course testing strength,
stamina, mental grit and camaraderie
and the stampede, a gruelling 5km
or 10km course focusing on teamwork,
outrageous costumes and good fun.