Location: Death Valley, California. With the introduction of many new obstacles, and the new scenic venue, the kickoff World Championships in California was a massive hit. They include fire, water and barbed wire. Called the "ultimate test of endurance" by its organizers, the Spartan Death Race is an obstacle race that breaks more than 80% of its participants. Lovers of the Pacific Crest Trail get to witness breathtaking views of the Continental Divide in this epic Spartan event. In addition to the occasional watery obstacle, youll be dealing with blood-sucking bugs, humid weather, and a 36-hour clock to beat. Crawling back and forth 10 meters + Brettzel position (5 breaths on each side). Obstacles in a Spartan beast average at 28.5 for 2014 with the championship race in Vermont having 32 obstacles and the easiest being Hawaii beast with 25 obstacles. It takes place in the Sacred Valley of the Incas and pays tribute to the Incas long-distance runners who had to carry messages and orders to other towns and villages. Use course ratings to help pick the perfect event, dial-in your training, and prepare for a fun and rewarding race. I'm all about trying new things, and this was definitely new. Thats why all of our races are designed to push you past your limits. I had the worst cramping of my life at the end of the Asheville Super and then got to play push the car out of the parking lot after. It would make sense considering that the Sunday Sprint is a Mountain Series while Saturday is a US Championships Series Race. Although the spirit of competition runs deep (and leaves you covered in dirt), its more about taking care of your fellow racers than showing them up. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The first reason might be that you are crazy. The shared challenge, perceived danger, and fun obstacles are just a few factors that have led to OCRs growth. Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete (Volume 1), Tactical Barbell 2: Conditioning (Volume 2), Runners World Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary 3-Run-a-Week Training Program, How to Plan a Trip When You Dont Know Where to Go, Things To Do Online During the Coronavirus Lockdown. Move in Side Crawls 10 meters each side + Kettlebell Arm-Bar (5 repetitions on each side). Unirii Park (choice) Tea Touch Bubble Tea (solo) Checkpoint . You probably need to have a sense of adventure and a little bit of craziness to enjoy one of these intense races. If you dont get to the finish line in six days, you dont get the praise. With temperatures breaking past 100 degrees and a 30-mile stretch of canyon, you definitely have your work cut out for you. The race is in the early fall, but in Vermont, that can feel like November, he explains. Of course, thats not the only thing to prepare for, Donoghue says. Check out the official Run For Your Lives race page. I'm glad this was my intro to Spartan racing because it made subsequent races seem easier. In the past, participants were asked to chop wood, complete a 14 mile hike, complete 3000 burpees (for 10 straight hours) and crawl under barbed wire for 14 straight hours, all within the same race. It's more fun with friends. The Asheville Super last year was darn near a Beast in distance, and if you saw the parking lot aka mud pit where everyone without a truck or big SUV got stuck, then you know how difficult the course. Oh, and she also finished fifth (second overall among women) in the Sprint. The Killington race in Vermont remains the hardest Spartan Beast within the US while Seattle is the easiest. Racers have to swing from ring to ring, hanging 25 to 30 feet in the air, to get to the platform on the other side. Mention Big Bear in any start line or changing tent and you'll hear veterans groan about that day. Race type: Super and Sprint This race is so difficult that many times, only about 10% of the participants actually finish the race. Youll start this race at the highest point of the course, as Breckenridge is 9,600 feet above sea level. Racers scale up a 45-degree inverted wall while hanging 20 feet in the air. I hear it all the time at my races and in conversation, things like The Big Bear Beast was brutal! or How hard is Killington really? I also quite often hear Whats the easiest Spartan Beast? and Whats the hardest Spartan Beast? Some people are nervous about their first trifecta Beast, and others are looking to challenge themselves. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Youll be crossing the ghost town of Sherman before reaching the summit of Handies Peak, which is the highest point on the course at 14,048 feet. Date: September 9-10, 2017 In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn. This common condition wont help you fly, but rather hold back your gainsuntil now. Suit up for mud crawls, jumps, swims (yup, maybe a few), spear throwing and much more. Ive heard that Big Bear is pretty hard with nom-stop hills for all 12 miles. The best part about Spartan is the unpredictability of the courses, even the same course year by year. Set in Knik, Alaska, this will-testing marathon will have you facing temperatures ranging from -50F to 35F, rain, gale-force winds, blizzards, mud, waist-deep snow, and more. Date: May 13, 2017 Which venue has the hardest Spartan Beast. Youll be testing your stride on a tarmac road, trails, and mountain footpaths with only 36 hours to finish the course before you face elimination. This one falls a bit under the radar, but it was truly astonishing and superhero-like. With dizzying climbs of over 8,000 feet complemented by a 1,200-foot vertical drop this course is equally as difficult for staff to set up as it is for racers to complete. Related:These Are the 10 Best Venues to Conquer Your First Spartan Race. NBC Sports televises the Spartan elite mens and womens competition from this very event. And just imagine the glute scorcher youll experience running up and down the 12,000-seated stadium. Typically, the fee is $25 when purchased on race day. Miles: 125 The hardest Spartan Race is often considered to be the toughest level of obstacle course racing, known as the Beast. Taking place in Hawaii, this race is 100 miles of mostly single-track trails through the semi-tropical rainforest. If youre looking for the holy grail of Spartan races this is it. Taking place in Southern Colorados San Juan Range, the Hardrock100 is 100.5 miles of pain and triumph. If you manage to survive one of the toughest races in the world, youll need to refresh your body. The raw topography and warm, dusty California air bringthis Trifecta weekend in at No. Run by volunteers not affiliated with Spartan Race. The entire speedway spans more than 1,400 acres, while the track itself stretches two miles with 73-foot wide turns. I know that every time I compete in an OCR, I am hungry for something a little more challenging the next time around. Plus, for a little extra motivation, music blasts throughout the stadium and a live stream of the course plays on video boards. Race type: Super What shouldnt shock you on the course: pulling ropes to lift rocks, climbing wall hurdles, crawling under barbed wire and swimming in mud pits. Myfirst OCR was probably my favorite, says Hunter McIntyre, the 2014 Toughest Mudder champion (an eight-hour overnight OCR excursion) and a two-time champion on Steve Austins Broken Skull Ranch. Youll have a 10-day window to finish the course and you wont know the general route until 24 hours before the start time. RELATED: What You Need to Know Before Your First Spartan Race. Meet the official Spartan Climbing Rope, found on Spartan race courses. Miles: 150 Much of the course consists of bounding to, from and over rocks and tree roots. You can also expect to swing on ropes, jump over a heap of smoldering charcoal and fire, lug sandbags on wagons up slopes and then bring buckets of dirt back down. When the weather cooperates, this is a tough race. The 2013 Spartan World Championships in Vermont was featured as a special on NBC, but it wasn't until two years later during the Montana Beast and Sprint Weekend that Spartan debuted theU.S. Championship Series on the network. 6 / Spartan Beast Ten years later, it's the global leader in obstacle course racing, with over 200 events held in 42 countries and extensive coverage on major television networks. Race organizers closely guard the course and the obstacles for each race location, adding to the mystery and the challenge of the event. Although I was under the impression that race was only like 8.5 miles or something like that. Dirty Double Location:. Its a nonstop thrill ride from start to finish.Length: 10-12 milesNumber of obstacles: 20-25Difficulty: Intermediate to eliteNumber of 2017 events: 50+. At age 62, "Big Bill" shares his wisdom to dominate one of the ultimate strength marks. There are plenty of creative penalties if you do not complete an obstacle. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. If youre insane enough to sign up for one of these extreme marathons, we highly recommend you speak with your primary physician first. Battle the extreme Morocco heat and unforgiving sand dunes all while rucking your own gear and fighting off hallucinations during the energy-sapping journey to test your might. Most participants are geared with a wet suit, since it can get quite chilly during the midnight hours. Spartan races are proudly for everyone who commits toputting in the hard work to gettougher. Youll start at the Yukon Eagle Plains and finish on the banks of the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk if youre tackling the 380-mile route. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. Youll be running through the dense jungle, crossing rivers, making your way through dark, ominous caves, and trekking through swamps. Whether youre a highly-decorated Olympic athlete, an NFL fan favorite, a recovering alcoholic, a mother of four working a desk job, on a weight-loss journey, or just looking for something to spice up your training, we absolutely THRIVE off of ripping you off your couch and getting you racing. It can depend on what you're used to. If you just so happen to get the green light from your doctor, make sure you train safely to prepare yourself for the worst. It is sat at the base of a hexagonal structure, next to a few trees in the south-west. shopping_cart. Whitney. Train for It: In addition to working toward doing an actual muscle-up, perform pullups to strengthen your back and dips and close-grip pushups to strengthen your shoulders and triceps. Also, If you want to start training for an OCR, be sure to check out our FREE printable training guide. Sure, youll probably hit a wall or two along the way if this is your first 100-mile race, but at least youll be surrounded by lush greenery and will be able to live the island life after youve earned your medal. Newbies will be challenged, but everyone should be able to finish. Location: Silverton, Colorado. Other courses are notoriously muddy which is a mindfuck. But youre not out of the woods (figuratively, or literally) just yet. The Killington race in Vermont remains the hardest Spartan Beast within the US while Seattle is the easiest. Of the 345 participants who started the race, only 152 finished the 14-hour marathon. Newbies will be challenged, but everyone should be able to finish. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Do You Really Need a Greens Powder in Your Life? of unforgettable races. If you have fun dealing with blood-sucking insects, humid weather, and insanity, this ultra is specially made for you. If we change these times values to an out of 10 scale with the Killington Beast being a 10, you can see this difficulty more easily. Theres truly nothing else like it, and if you beat Killington, youre the ultimate badass. You can also expect to jump into the lake at some point during the race, as well as spot peaceful trails with stunning views of green mountainsides and calm waters. Date Name Type Location Feb 26, 2023 Arizona Spartan Trail Trail 10K Fort McDowell, AZ, USA. The Western States Endurance Run is the worlds oldest and most prestigious American 100-mile ultra. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Youll only have one day of rest and recovery over the 6-day course of the race. A tough step up from a beginner course, each and every Tough Mudder is unique in its own way, making training for obstacles more difficult. Prior to applying, you need to complete one of the following: Badwater 135 and one other notable ultramarathon, three races of at least 100 continuous miles, or the Brazil 135+. You wont be bored or disappointed with any of the difficult OCRs on this list. These are the 10 hardest Spartan races on the schedule. Savage Races are double the length of a Rugged Maniac with the same number of obstacles. Monterey, CA 2023 Obstacle Course Races | Spartan Race Buy 4+ Save 10% | Buy 7+ Save 15% | Buy 10+ Save 20% Jun 03 - 04, 2023 Monterey Spartan Event Weekend Salinas, CA CHALLENGE A FRIEND Jun 04 Sprint 5K 20 OBSTACLES FROM $128.00 tickets GREAT FOR TEAMS Jun 03 Super 10K 25 OBSTACLES FROM $142.00 tickets FAMILY FUN Jun 03 - 04 KIDS RACE 1-3K Date: July 8-9, 2017 ), Related:The New Jersey Spartan Race Guide: The Course, Where to Stay, and What to Do. That comparison is really challenging because different racers show up to different events, so the data set for comparison isnt perfect. Sign in. Check out some old-school footage of our first year in the trenches. According to Running USA, the number of participants tripled between the years 2011 and 2013, going from one million to three million. 5. If it rains the night before it gets about 20lbs heavier. Well-trodden horse trails make much of the race pretty solid terrain, but it would be a big mistake to get comfortable. Spartan Race was designed to make sure that youre working near max capacity on every obstacle, from start to finish. The almost cult-like ultramarathon is based on the historic 1977 prison escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. Its a secretive race held in a tiny town in Tennessee where the course is ever-changing. Its time toto train! All rights reserved. Mention Big Bear in any start line or changing tent and you'll hear veterans groan about that day. Location: Sahara Desert, Africa. Warrior Dash is entry level. If youre up for the ultimate tough test youve reached the right place. This race is comprised of never before seen obstacles over a 5 mile course. And if its a challenge fit for Olympians, its certainly fit for Spartans. Signed up for a Spartan Race? And now the major races, like Spartan Race and Tough Mudder, are focusing on increasing and diversifying their revenue streams in 2017 and beyond. In 2018, Big Bear was the consensus pick for hardest race of the year. There are many reasons to compete in one of these difficult obstacle course races. Going one mile farther. This California race is one that your calves will never forget, and if you finish, you'll have a medal that youll always remember. Use promo code DAILYBURN for 15% off your next Spartan Race. Vernon peak has a summit elevation of 1,480 feet, giving you plenty of opportunity to show your strength and stamina. On December 6th, I ran a Spartan Sprint with my brother Tim at Castaic Lake State Recreation Area in Southern California. When youre all done with the ultramarathon, youre prompted to kiss the Hardrock, which is a photo of a rams head painted on a large stone mining debris block. So many cars got stuck in the mud, and the monkey bars and Olympus were pretty much impossible.