By Laura Stokes
Finding Strength

“Come on mom! You can do it! Don’t look down!” yelled my 14-year-old son, Jacob as I carefully scooted my butt across a cargo net suspended 30 feet in the air. Never a big fan of heights, my son’s encouragement was just what I needed to get me though the Spartan Sprint obstacle. Reebok Spartan Race has enabled me to do things I never thought I could do and to become someone I never thought I could be.

Ted Rodgers, Tommy Duffey, Stewart Armstrong, Jacob Stokes, Laura Stokes and Chan Graham

When my husband, Kade, was killed in a motorcycle accident 2 ½ years ago, I was left to raise our 7- and 11-year-old boys alone. I felt weak and helpless. That was then. The weakness has left me, I am Spartan strong. I’m not alone in that strength. My son Jacob is also a Spartan. As a personal trainer, I took Jacob under my wing to help him get his body in shape to prepare him for the race. And on race day, he was strong. He ran and conquered obstacles like a champ. But he also gave me something I hadn‘t expected, he gave a lot of encouragement When he saw the trepidation in my eyes as I approached an obstacle. He stuck by me like glue to encourage me and give a boost when I needed it.

Race Day
Jacob and I ran the Spartan Sprint March 9 in Conyers, Ga. along with three of my husband’s poker/cigar buddies and a neighbor. One Spartan chick, four Spartan dudes, and one Spartan teen equal one helluva team. I think it was a life changing experience for all of us. We all came to the race with different obstacles we were facing in our lives, but we all crossed the finish line and proved something to ourselves. As for me and my Jacob, we are hooked. The training and the race was an awesome mother-son bonding experience. It has given us something positive to focus on and prepare for. After the race we immediately went over to the registration table and signed up for the Spartan Super in Leesburg, Va. on Aug. 24. We also plan to run the Beast in Winnsboro, SC in November in order to earn the coveted trifecta.

During one recent training session before the race, I gave my son a little insight into staying motivated when the race gets tough. Losing his dad was the most difficult thing in his young life that he has ever had to endure. Our family has dealt with this tragedy and we have come out on the other side as stronger people and the three of us are bonded to each other like cement. We were Spartan strong before we even approached the Spartan start line. “If we can conquer that, we can conquer anything,” I told him. These obstacles are just a few things to slow us down on our journey, but we will get over them and get to the other side of them just as we have done in our lives.

Jacob Stokes, Laura Stokes, Tommy Duffey and Stewart Armstrong

Moving Forward
Were it not for the tragedy, I would never have become a personal trainer. I never would have made miraculous changes in my own life and we never would have made it to the Spartan. I would trade all of that in a second to have my husband back. But that isn’t an option, so we have chosen to use our tragedy to make ourselves stronger. And as a personal trainer, it is my goal to make others stronger as well. And I’m not just talking about their bodies. To me that is just a nice side effect. The real transformation takes place in the mind, spirit, heart and soul. When that late-night knock on the door from the coroner turned me into a widow at the age of 42, I was a shy, stay-at-home mom and had no idea where to turn. After God, family and friends, I found my greatest source of strength to get up and tackle every day came from physical activity. There were plenty of days that I absolutely forced myself and my children to get out and go for a walk. There were plenty of days that I didn’t feel like doing anything, but I did it anyway because I know it is what we needed. Sometimes the spirit has to be stronger than the body in order to make it through.

When my husband’s friend first approached me about doing the Spartan Race with him, I was very hesitant. I went to the Spartan website to see if I thought I could do it and I just wasn’t sure. My whole life I have been afraid of everything – heights, water, roller coasters – you name it. My children informed me that I wasn’t the “fun parent.” I left that crazy stuff for my husband, but now it was just me. I decided I was ready to break out of my shell to become a better, stronger person. Being a part of the Spartan family is so much more than a group of people that finish a race together. Its principles translate into everyday life. When you conquer those obstacles, you realize you are stronger than you thought you were. If you can do this, what else can you conquer? At the Georgia sprint we witnessed a racer that had lost 400 pounds, one that was in a wheelchair and another missing an arm and a leg. That is what the Spartan spirit is all about – using the cards you have been dealt and being the best you can be, and perhaps in the process you will inspire someone else to be their best. I was a victim but now I am a victorious. Thank you Spartan for being a part of my victory. My next goal is to get my 9-year-old son Joshua in the Jr. Spartan Adventure Race so that it can be a true family affair. I’m also thinking about becoming a Spartan Group X certified coach in Greenville, SC. Everyone should have the opportunity to be a Spartan, and I welcome the opportunity to lead as many there as possible. Fitness has changed the lives of me and my family. I recently began a blog, Girlonfirefitness.blogspot.com, that I hope will inspire, motivate and educate others to give fitness its rightful place in their lives. There is no other drug on the planet like exercise.

Tags: Reebok Spartan Race, spartan beast, spartan chicked, spartan sprint, Spartan Super, trifecta

by Tom McCormack

In 2012, we issued a challenge to the Spartan Community.  We asked for teams to come out, in force, and that the biggest team of the year would be handsomely rewarded.  We had quite a showing, but none more so than a team from the West Coast, going by the team name, “Weeple Army.”   The Weeples were not just the biggest team on the year, they were the biggest team at THREE events in 2012.  They were the biggest team at the SoCal Super, the Sacramento Beast, and the Malibu Sprint earning a Biggest Team Tri-Fecta in CA!

Captain:  Dave Huckle

Final 2012 Biggest Team Results

Top 5 teams for 2012 based on the amount of finishers at every event.

Malibu 2011 was the first of the three Weeple Army appearances.   They arrived with 20 team members and participated in the Hurricane Heat.  Just 60 days later, they arrived at the 2012 SoCal Spartan with 73 members, many of them again participating in the Hurricane Heat at 6am.  They were hooked!

The Weeples are focused primarily on mud and obstacle races, 5ks, marathons, but while having fun and enjoying the event, regardless of their finish times.

David Huckle, Weeple Army team captain did 39 events throughout the course of the year finishing all types of throughout the year and in some cases two events per weekend.  The Weeple Army Running Group now almost 800 members.  From racers that are running their first 5k mud run, all the way up to the Ultra Beast and Death Racers.  They are a varied and dedicated crew.  In fact, two of the Weeple faithful are now Spartan Race employees!  Matt Trinca and Steffen “Cookie” Cook.

Ricky Ignacio, another Weeple,  started his journey with the Malibu Hurricane Heat by showing up late and taking a beating from Joe D. and the Spartan staffers but he finished Ultra Beast less than a year later.  Spartan elite racer Ang Reynolds is also a proud Weeple. We featured one of her blogs recently for Spartan Chicked Tuesday.

Six Weeples arrived at the Spartan Death Race, and four of them finished!  Not too shabby! Congratulations Weeple Army, and keep a lookout for team captain Dave, who will be traveling to a number of 2013 events around the world, paid for by Spartan Race.

Think you’re ready to put a team together?  Get signed up today.

Tags: Biggest Team 2012, Dave Huckle, Malibu Spartan Sprint, Sacramento Beast, SoCal Super Spartan, spartan beast, trifecta, Weeple Army

by Carrie Adams

When Team X-T.R.E.M.E. stepped out onto the Leesburg field, escorted by a bagpiper, the festival area that is normally buzzing with activity suddenly quieted and turned their attention to the eight figures crossing the lawn.  What would follow as the team took to the course, two wounded warrior athletes included in the effort was unlike anything we’ve seen at a Spartan Race.  Hands down, this was the most widely read story we published in 2012.

It was the first time the team would take on a Spartan course, but it wouldn’t be the only time we’d see the team, complete with blacked out gas masks, run in 2012.  They’d return to the Carolina’s Beast and will also be onsite in our upcoming Times Square demonstration.   They’ll be coming with two of their wounded warrior athletes, Eduard Lychik (single leg hip disarticulation), and Marine Corporal Todd Love

(trimembral amputee of both legs above the knee and left arm below the elbow.)  Love was a part of the Leesburg team and his performance and determination throughout the course was nothing short of inspiring.

I had the privilege to see them in action on that day in Leesburg and the blog post from that day was our biggest of the year.
What’s your excuse now?  Get registered TODAY.     To read about that memorable and emotional day, click HERE.

Tags: Eduard Lychik, Leesburg, spartan beast, super spartan, Team X-T.R.E.M.E., Times Square, Todd Love

by Carrie Adams

When we announced early 2012 that we’d be having the world’s first marathon(ish) distance Obstacle Course Race, the response was overwhelming.  Application only, thousands of race resumes flooded HQ with runners wanting to be a part of history.  When all was said and done, we had a line-up of Spartan Ultra-Beast participants that ranged from National Champion Trail Runners and Olympic athletes to first time marathoners.

When all was said and done, 386 were accepted (86 more than originally planned) to compete and on race day 345 would toe the line, 321 as individuals and 24 in eight separate three person teams.  Rules were laid out and it was decided at HQ that athletes could compete in both for cash prizes with the assumption that any Spartan tough enough to win both races deserved both cash prizes.  $5,000 was up for grabs for the top spot of the single and double loop Beast and Ultra Beast for top male and female, $2,000 would go to second place and $1,000 for third.  On the day, $50,000 would be handed out in cash prizes.  Other awards were also presented, making it the highest payday for any single obstacle race ever held.

When several of the Ultra Beast runners wandered off course, the time cut-offs were backed up so allow the runners to finish

the over 27 mile course.  Running as much as six miles extra, some were pulled from the course before they could finish when the dark and rain made it impossible for them to continue.  And when the day was over, 162 finished and 69 of those finished in less than 11 hours.  The Ultra Beast medals are special edition and will never be re-created.  They’re larger with a special ribbon, oh, and they glow in the dark.  That’s pretty badass.  We shared photos on our wall all day with breaking stories on Saturday that you can see HERE.

Some of the most compelling stories on the day were of those who DNF’d the course.  For those who missed cut-offs, dropped out due to injury, excuse, or exhaustion, they shared their candid stories with us that you can read HERE.

Results:

Men’s Ultra Beast Top Finishers:

Cody Moat – 7:01:26

Junyong Pak – 7:29:38

Brakken Kraker- 7:38:47

Female Ultra Beast Top Finishers:

Claude Godbout – 8:09:32

Amelia Boone – 8:35:55

Jenny Tobin – 9:00:46

Want to read the rest of the race report from the Ultra Beast?  Click HERE.   And if you want the Ultra Beast by the numbers including stats on fastest and slowest times, transitions in the pit, and average laps… click HERE. 

Not to be outdone, the Vermont Beast was the true World Championship of the 2012 season.  The monster Ultra Beast certainly captured a lot of attention, but the crowning jewel on the season was wrapped up in the Beast where a lot was laid on the line by those brave enough to race for the cash.

One look at the results board and one thing stands out immediately.  Hobie Call’s name is NOT at the top.  In our review of the male competitors coming to the race that we posted last week HERE, several names were visible at the top of the leader board that we predicted would be.  It would ultimately be Cody Moat’s day two times over, taking the top spot and besting Hobie Call in the Beast (one loop) and then continuing on and winning the Ultra Beast (two loops).  Call, nursing a hamstring injury was second on the day, finishing almost five minutes after Moat.  Other high finishers included Brakken Kraker who took third, Ben Nephew who captured fourth, and Sebastian Monette who snagged fifth.  We talk more about the Ultra Beast, HERE in this blog post published yesterday.

On the women’s side it was a tight race!  We previewed the ladies last

week HERE. The top spot went to Canadian biathlete and Obstacle Racing phenom Claude Godbout, who, like Moat, went on to a second loop capturing both race victories!  Godbout took not only top spot for females, but 7^th overall, beating all but six men on the course.  Godbout was our top place finisher in the 2011 Vermont Beast last year and was able to reclaim her first place status.  Amelia Boone was a notable racer as well in Vermont.  The Death Race veteran swept in from the windy city of Chicago and took second place in the Beast and the Ultra Beast.  Like Godbout, she out paced many of our top men, her 14^thoverall in the single loop Beast performance landed only 12 men total ahead of her.  Boone was followed by Ella Kociuba in third and Jenny Tobin in fourth a battle at the finish line.

In addition to the elite Beast heat Nearly 6,000 competitors and spectators from across the U.S. and several foreign countries representing every walk of life, age and stage and varying degrees of athletic abilities converged on Killington, VT to tackle the 2012 Spartan Race World Championship. Consisting of a Beast (one loop) 13 + and a first of its kind Ultra Beast (two loop) 26+ mile race, presented by Dial For Men on Sat., September 22^nd and Sunday, September 23^rd it capped off our season with one hell of an Obstacle Race with $50,000 being handed out before the day was over for the top finishers.  The most EVER given out at an Obstacle Race event.

The Ultra Beast will be making an appearance in the 2013 season.  Stay tuned, details coming soon!  In the meantime? Can’t wait to race again?  We understand.  Click HERE and find your next Spartan finish line.

Tags: amelia boone, Claude Godbout, Cody Moat, DNF, hobie call, junyong pak, marathon, spartan beast, Spartan Ultra Beast

by Carrie Adams

“The military is in Spartan blood.” – Joe Desena

Spartans are active soldiers, former soldiers, Veterans, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, fathers, mothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends of troops.  Veterans and military personnel are even entitled to a discount when registering for a Spartan Race as well, a very small gesture of “thanks,” but one that we are honored to provide.   Since mid-2011, Spartan Race’s main military partner has been the Air National Guard. We could not be more proud to align ourselves with such a courageous group of Americans!

If you are a Spartan Race finisher, chances are you have been face-to-face with ANG’s logo, as you were attempting to successfully complete the traverse wall obstacle.  Some of you, whether racing or spectating, have competed in the Air National Guard Pull-Up Challenge – the most popular festival challenge at our events.

In 2012, a portion of all Spartan USA revenue is donated to Homes for Our Troops,a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that assists severely injured servicemen and servicewomen and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and to coordinate the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently.

Spartan also launched a Military series in Fort Carson, Colorado in May of 2012.  We’re returning in 2013 May 4th!  Click HERE for event information on this special edition Spartan Race.  The Military series was a huge success and it was coordinated through the Army Department of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR), a comprehensive network of support and leisure services designed to enhance the lives of soldiers (active, reserve and guard), their families, civilian employees, military retirees and other eligible participants.

In keeping with the longstanding Spartan Race tradition of giving back, a portion of the proceeds from the Spartan Fort Carson event was donated to direct military nonprofits including the Green Beret Foundation.  Future military series events will do the same and will donate to other organizations to help address the unique needs of each respective host installation.

In 2011 Spartan teamed with Pro vs. GI Joe to create a rehabbing with the Troops program that featured MMA superstar Tito Ortiz.  We put up a special Spartan Race course in Southern California, see the video HERE.  SR also partnered with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that annually sends 100,000 care packages to military personnel, their families and wounded service men and women.  Donating money to their cause for FB likes going into the 2012 Calendar year.

Team X-T.R.E.M.E.’s Todd Love

Many military service men and women have graced our race courses.  From Team Riley in Glen Rose, TX, to Team X-T.R.E.M.E. in Leesburg, VA and everything in between.  Every Monday on the Spartan blog, we’ll be featuring some of our favorite military inspired stories.  Last week, we gave you the recap of Team Riley, an inspiring team running to honor a fallen brother.

Each Spartan finisher runs for their own reason, many of those reasons are bigger than themselves and we’re excited to tell you their stories in 2013 each and every Monday on our blog.  Spartan Race would like to say “Thank You” to so many men and women who have served, who serve still, and who will serve in the future.

For his week’s installment, we’re introducing you to a Beast.  Kevin Phillips took on his first Spartan Race, the Beast no less in Killington, VT.  That’s quite the introduction to the Spartan Race series.  Phillips enjoyed the race so much, he’s planning on earning his Trifecta Tribe status in 2013 (finishing a Spartan Sprint, Super Spartan, and Spartan Beast in one season) and in his own words, reflects on what the Spartan Race series has to come to mean to him.   Kevin spent four years in the Air Force and is currently a graduate student pursuing his MBA at the University of Michigan.   We look forward to welcoming him to future Spartan battlefields.

My Spartan Experience

by Kevin Phillips

I was once like you. I had participated in races, competed in mud runs, and finished tough workout programs, but the thought of doing a Spartan Race was daunting. The idea of subjecting myself to that type of torture didn’t seem to make sense; crawling under barbed wire, jumping over fire, and climbing up cargo nets seemed ridiculous. Why would anyone do this?

However, while I wanted to stay in shape, my desire to workout wavered because of the lack of having an end goal. Lifting weights at the gym, going out for a run, or completing a workout program was no longer appealing, and though I put emphasis on getting in shape every January, this past year was different because I lacked the motivation to stay focused. Because of this, I decided to take a chance and sign up for a Spartan Race.

What I got in return was one of the best experiences of my life!

While there was significant apprehension in the days leading up to the race, shortly after the event started the uneasiness disappeared. Concerns over not being able to get past an obstacle were replaced with the joy of conquering a challenge; uncertainties of whether I would be able to complete the race were pushed aside, as other Spartan racers motivated me to continue to push forward; and the anxiety and stresses of everyday life becoming too much faded away, knowing that if I could slither through the mud, navigate up a mountain, and perform hundreds of burpees, I was capable of conquering any challenge that I would ever face!

My Spartan Race was unlike any other experience I have ever had, and the way I felt throughout the race and at the finish line was nothing less than euphoric. The demanding course, dedicated athletes, and exuberant fans created a lasting memory that I will never forget.

Now it is your turn!

If you are reading this article you have undoubtedly thought about competing in a Spartan Race, but passed because of the fear of the unknown, concerns over the ability to do the obstacles, or worry that you might not be able to make it to the finish line. No more! Everyone has those fears, but the ability to get past them is what shows true grit and is the mark of a Spartan!

Join me and my fellow Spartans this year by signing up for an event of a lifetime! The Spartan Race you compete in will shatter your expectations and you will cherish your experience for the rest of your life.  Find a race near you HERE and find out for yourself.

Tags: air force, Air National Guard, and Recreation, Army Department of Family and Morale, Carolina's Beast, Fort Carson, Green Beret Foundation, homes for troops, joe desena, Kevin Phillips, Leesburg Super Spartan, operation gratitude, Pro vs. GI Joe, spartan beast, spartan race, Team X-T.R.E.M.E., Tito Ortiz, University of Michigan

by Carrie Adams

Our Top Ten Blog Posts of 2012 span a variety of topics.  Yesterday, we introduced you to #10, a blog by our own Chris Davis who left Atlanta and came to Spartan HQ in Pittsfield, VT to live, work, and train with our staff and founder Joe Desena.  He lost over 400 pounds and completed the Spartan Beast, and earned his Trifecta Tribe status.  No small feat!  In today’s recap of post #9 we revisit something that has made Spartan obstacles famous (errr, maybe infamous is a better word.)

In a word: Burpee.

Missing a Spartan Obstacle doesn’t mean that you just mosey on your merry way, it means that you owe 30 burpees before you are to continue.  Here, our very own Dr. Jeff goes over the Muscular Analysis of the burpee.   If you don’t know Dr. Jeff, you should.  He’s greatly responsible for the success of the Chris Davis Project and is also leading the charge on the Spartan Coaching program.  He also routinely participates in the Spartan Death Race, because, well, that’s what happens when you work for Spartan Race.

From the drop to the ground through each phase of the movement, the body positions are described in detail to ensure that from the elite athlete to the newcomer, everyone can see the proper form associated with the burpee.

Read more HERE.

Interested in coaching the Spartan Way?  Click HERE to learn more.  Finally ready to get signed up?  Click HERE. 

Tags: burpee, Chris Davis Project, dr. jeff godin, joe desena, spartan beast, spartan coaching, Trifecta Tribe, vermont

by Carrie Adams

With an epic year of racing in the books, we are recounting some of the biggest stories of the year.  Let’s start with post #10!  How about a story about a guy who lost over 400 pounds and reclaimed his life, conquered a beast, and earned his membership into the Trifecta Tribe?   We are talking about the one and only Chris Davis.  His story inspired thousands.  To see his journey, watch this video. 

From the original post:

Every day Spartan Race HQ gets emails and phone calls with success stories of our athletes getting off their couches and getting healthy preparing for a Spartan Race.  Untold pounds have been lost, new levels of health and well-being found by those who embrace a healthy Spartan lifestyle.  Every so often one of those stories strikes a chord so deep, we are compelled to tell it completely.  One of those stories is in motion now, and we are going to keep sharing updates of a man who has turned to Spartan to change his life forever.

We met Chris Davis in Georgia where he finished the race in 3:04, and at 390 pounds.  Struggling across the finish line and exhausted, Spartan staffers helped him to his car and he headed home.  But that is not where this journey begins and it’s nowhere near over.

Chris started his Journey at 696 pounds. in 2010, he heard of the Spartan Race and started losing weight.   We got in touch with him and moved him to Spartan HQ. He is currently down 300 pounds from his starting weight with the help of the Spartan Race motivation.

Spartan Race staff, including founder Joe Desena are attempting to get him to 180 pounds by September a loss of an additional 200 pounds over the next 5 months.  In his own words, he’ll share his journey on the Spartan blog.  Here is his first entry.

To read the blog in it’s entirety, click HERE.  And stay tuned for another top blog post from 2012!

Tags: Chris Davis Project, joe desena, spartan beast, Trifecta Tribe, vermont

by Shane Phillips, Guest Blogger and founder of Paws 4 PTSD

Riley Stephens

Before the Texas Beast, I told you about my best friend, my brother Riley Stephens who was killed in action serving his country in Afghanistan with the 1/3 Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a senior Medic.  One of the last things he did before his deployment was run a Spartan Race.  As a tribute, friends and family took on the Spartan Beast in Glen Rose as “Team Riley” to honor him and to reconnect.   I’ve been spending lots of time on how to express my feelings from the Spartan Beast race in Glen Rose, TX.  I have finally decided to just share those feelings with you.  The story will be raw in places, silly in others, and probably a little boring and mundane in the rest of this swirl of emotions.

Team Riley: Ken Stephens (Riley’s brother), Cody Watson, Jamie Gray, Jerry Snyder, Austin Harris, Brooks Goodson with Author Shane Phillips and Paws4PTSD service dog Hope.

I was nervous going to support Team Riley as they ran a race to honor SFC Riley Stephens who was killed in Wardak, Afghanistan in September of 2012. I’m not exactly sure why I was nervous.  I had my wife and kids with me.  I had Hope, my service dog, with me.  I knew the people we were going to support and their family that would be there too. I think I also felt a little guilty because I wasn’t running with them.  I wasn’t going to sacrifice myself to the team to honor our brother.

Coming into the area where the start/finish line was located we were signing in and I was afraid we’d miss the start of the race.  An unnamed worker with Spartan overheard why we were there and who we were there to support and it was like I was a VIP all of the sudden.  Ushered in I quickly found the guys in the holding pen waiting on the pep talk and start.

Hugs to my brothers and words of sarcasm and advice to cover what we were all thinking.  Or at least I was.  We’d rather be talking trash and hanging out with our brother, Riley. I was handed a Team Riley shirt and immediately put it on.  Just as the serious looks are exchanged as we all acknowledge the why of being here together the race announcer starts his talk.  I am unable to recall the exact words, but I do recall he made a point of letting everyone know exactly who Team Riley was and it was an honor to have them race.  I think that’s when the feelings started to change a little for me.  Here we all were, Team Riley, Mic (Riley’s father), my wife and kids, all the family members, and probably a couple of hundred strangers trying to stay warm in the blustering North wind.  I felt this collective respect given by everyone.

It’s a feeling you can relate to if you’ve ever truly had that physical struggle where you don’t think you can do it anymore and someone stronger gives you that look that says, “well done.”  It’s never a spoken thing and I think that’s why is so much more powerful than words could ever convey.  It’s almost magical in the sense of brotherhood and respect felt.

The next few hours for me consisted of Hope and I running cross-country observing the race and trying to catch Team Riley at obstacles to cheer them on.  Hope and I must have run 6 miles cross country that day.  She loved it! She ran beside me like it was the most natural thing on Earth to be doing.  At one point of trying to get back to the start/finish to help my wife this calmness came over me.  Here I was running through the Hill country in the middle of a huge race course with my service dog Hope happily running beside me.  I was breathing the cold fresh air.  I would occasionally cross paths with a racer or two and they would all give me a smile when they saw my Team Riley shirt.  While I observed the racers at obstacles I felt the same sense of respect and honor hung in the air even while they did burpees as punishment for a failed attempt. This familiar feeling of comfort and safety came over me.  That exact feeling I’d felt with Riley while we shot the bull.  The feeling I’d shared with my brothers down range between missions back in the day.  That feeling of… “Yes, this is hard, but we are here together.  And together we will overcome this. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard and worth doing.  If not worth it for the thing done, for the kindred spirits of my brothers and sisters who have suffered too.  It is worthy simply because of the men and women with whom we conquer it with.”

Team Riley did awesome.  Together they conquered the course.  The conquered their inner voices.  They conquered a little bit of a hurt known only to them.  How do I know this? Well, because some of that hurt was conquered during my cross country run with Hope.  You see, that sense, that feeling I’ve tried so hard to convey I believe was the spirit of Riley.  Not his soul, but that warrior spirit that has inhabited so many of us and is so very close to the ones who choose a warrior lifestyle and path to follow.

Team Riley, and even Hope and I, in a sense got to run with Riley.  Holding tight to that spirit of the warrior will keep our brother alive in each of us in our own way.  This spirit gives me the courage to be open about the inner turmoil that is me.  It gives peace in a way to his family and brothers and sisters of a little town in Texas.  We ran together again and I just can’t help but think how our friendship and path together started the same way.  We ran together around that football field so many years ago.  Only this time everyone ran with him, with us, sharing that warrior spirit no matter who you are or where you’re from.  It was simply amazing.

At the end of the race for Team Riley we were there to cheer them on.  They collected their breath and what was left of their strength.  Proudly and with smiles they charged the Spartans after leaping the fire, taking the pugal sticks away and capturing the moment in a way that Riley would be so proud of. They took what belonged to them.  There was no quarter given by either Team Riley or the Spartans as they claimed that true warrior spirit while seizing what was theirs.  A message to Riley that they too respect and revere the gift he left us.  The gift of knowing him in a way that few did; a man, a warrior, a brother.

Soon after the race the brothers and Mic and family gathered behind Mic’s truck.  Shots of Crown Royal were passed out and Mic held one for him and one for Riley.  Mic put me on the spot and asked me to do the honor of a toast.  We raised our shots and I toasted, “To the brothers who ran a race to honor the one who is no longer able.” Down the hatch our shots went, with a few teary eyes, and Riley’s shot poured out.  Not wasted, but given to the Earth, given to the field of battle in his honor.

 [Editor's Note: Team Riley took on our Glen Rose, TX Beast race on December 8, 2012.  They finished in honor of their brother, son, friend.  A big thank you for their gracious willingness to share their story and to Shane for his words that poignantly capture such an emotional journey.  Find Shane's non-profit organization Paws 4 PTSD on Facebook and online.]

Tags: Army, Paws 4 PTSD, Riley Stephens, Shane Phillips, South Carolina Beast, spartan beast, Special Forces

by Joe Desena, Spartan Race CEO

Todd Love, Leesburg, VA Super Spartan

A New Year is the chance for a New YOU.  It’s never been easier, and we can tell you why.  Spartan Race has been able to keep 82% of those committing to a new years resolution on track with their health goals. It is a simple technique that has been proven effective over the last three years at Spartan.

What is it?

It’s simple.  Don’t go it alone.  Committing to a race with friends will keep you on track each day training and eating healthy the same way the Spartans did knowing they WOULD go to battle.  We can help.  Get daily workouts – we can send them directly to your inbox www.spartanrace.com/wod, and your daily workout will be waiting for you each day.  No excuse not to train.  Getting daily food tips, www.spartanrace.com/fod and you’ll get healthy, delicious food ideas sent to you as well so you can fill your table and your stomach with the fuel you’ll need to stay on track, lose the weight, get stronger, faster, and better in 2013.

Sign up for a Spartan Race, even if it terrifies you.  Especially if it terrifies you!  Your fight or flight mechanisms kick into gear, and you’ll be sure to get moving. Once signed up, you and your friends will have a goal and a reason to start taking your health seriously and it works 82% of the time which is an amazing statistic.  We call it the Resolution Solution.

With the support of your community of friends and family, healthy recipes and food ideas, and workouts that will get your body in shape, you can accomplish more than you thought possible.  And you’ll never have to be alone in the process.  When you feel down, have a bad day, don’t want to eat healthy, you’ll have the reasons you need to stay on track, to get outside and run, to get to the store and buy something green instead of something fried.  It’s time for a change.

Once friends are involved they act like a vice grip, should you start to go back to your old ways. Not only are you training to get through the event you signed up for…but you are training for them and they are training for you.  In signing up, they aren’t just holding you accountable, they are depending on you for the same support.

Not enough?  How about some proof?

How is losing 430 pounds?  Spartan Chris Davis did just that and finished the Spartan Beast (and several other Spartan Races) in Vermont after five grueling months in Pittsfield, living, eating, and exercising with our team at HQ.  You should see him carry a sandbag now!  He sure couldn’t when he arrived.  Chris resolved to lose the weight and finish the race and he got it done.  It’s amazing that he began his journey at 696 pounds.

Spartan Chick Andi Hardy started following the Spartan WODs and is in the best shape of her life.  One of the Spartan elite athletes in our 300 group, with 21 races completed she had an incredible eight first place finishes in the 40 – 44 division in 2012, three of those first OVERALL female.  Not too shabby!

Todd Love, triple amputee from Georgia alongside his teammates from Team X-T.R.E.M.E. took on a Super Spartan and a Spartan Beast all while donning a blacked out gas mask.  Despite his injuries from an IED attack in Afghanistan while serving as a Recon Marine, he completed the races.  How is that for inspiration?

So, now what’s your excuse?

It’s all here waiting for you, you just have to decide it’s finally time to do it.   Get signed up for a race, get signed up for our FREE workouts and FREE food tips and you’ll join the 82%.

Sign up, show up, don’t give up!

[Editor's Note: Need extra motivation?  Spartan founders include Guinness World Record Holders, Triple Iron Man finishers, former professional Adventure Racers (AR).  Check out our Founding Few Bio Page to learn more of their incredible stories.]

Tags: Andy Hardy, chris davis, joe desena, Resolution Solution, spartan beast, spartan race, Team X-TREME, Todd Love

[Editor's Note] Ang Reynolds is a regular on the Spartan Race scene.  An active member of the Spartan 300 group, she’s a to points leader and she’s spent the year traveling the country racing Spartan events and making a name for herself as a competitor in the growing OCR sport.  The single mother of three is also a contributing writer for the blog Barb Wire 4 Breakfast.  Here she shares her year in review.  A year of racing, competing, and finding the family she never knew she had.

Saying Goodbye to 2012

by Ang Reynolds

It is tough to summarize the end of my racing season. With three races in four weeks, my weekends have been packed with the air of Sparta. The Sac Beast was cold and rainy with relentless wind, pitted mud, and straw thick under foot. My hometown race, the Malibu Sprint, was rainy as well. When a typically dry Southern California is drenched with rain for days prior to the race, a muddy course is easily delivered. The tough hills in Calamigos Ranch were slick and unforgiving as I trudged through two more cold wet days of racing. Four days later I boarded a flight to Texas to be reunited with many friends I had not seen since my wayward weekend in Killington, Vermont.

As we stood at the starting line on Saturday morning, facing a course that Mike promised would deliver Spartan’s best; I looked at the faces that surrounded me. A little over a year ago I ran my first Spartan race. A little over a year ago all of these people were strangers to me. Now, as I looked to the Spartans on my left, and the Spartans on my right, we ran into our battle united as a team.

I remembered the first time I spoke with Andi Hardy on the phone, inviting her to spend the weekend with my family in Utah for the Beast. I remembered the first time I met Corinne Kohlen, volunteering at the Spartan Super in Arizona.

I looked further to each side and saw more familiar faces. These were the people that were my greatest competitors. The people that I wanted to beat to the finish line at the end of the day, but also the people that I shared my days and nights with. We had stayed out many a night, and slept late into the morning. We had jumped in lakes, stood around fires, and huddled together in the pouring rain to warm our bodies. We had helped each other limp across the finish and wipe the blood off our broken and bruised bodies. We shared some of the roughest times in our lives and but also in each other’s greatest joys.  

After less than a year I was innately connected to each and every one of these individuals in some way, having shared so much more than just a race. We had not only raced together, but to also encouraged each other along the way, through our strong moments, and at our worst. The racers that stood beside me were my family, and for the last time racing in 2012, I was reminded how lucky I was to be a part of the Spartan community. I have gained not only everlasting friendships, but also a family that runs thicker than blood; a family that will continue to love and support me through so much more than just racing.

Tags: Andi Hardy, calamigos ranch, Corinne Kohlen, OCR, Spartan 300, spartan beast, spartan chicked, Spartan Malibu Sprint, Utah Beast