Miscellaneous > The Sallyport

Did the Tahoe Spartan Sprint and we didn't die. Not once.

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Thorsteinn:
We didn't die once, not once.

I did 4:21:16 and my wife did 4:21:11 for our times. 4.1 miles, 13 obstacles, 120 burpees between the two of us, many hills, some blood, lots of pain, and all the Suck we could take.

But we finished. 4th from last for Tama, 3rd from last for me. I would have DNF'ed had my Love not been there to hold me together when my asthma took its toll. Again, I cannot stress how much help my wife provided to me over the course. Since we races an Open race we could help other people and get help ourselves, we would not have made it through the race had it not been for the help we got and others would not have made it if not for the help we gave. The whole tone of the race was set when a man, who's name & bib# I forgot, came up and boosted me over the start wall to get into the chute where we began saying (when I looked back quizically) "We all help each other here". And that's how we ran (ambled). From acting as a cheer squad, to making sure other racers were fed & watered, to cleaning up the trail, to acting as a step-ladder/booster, to pulling people over the walls (some were 8ft tall), to holding folks against the T-Wall (and being held up in turn), to telling people that we were not going on till they did cause no one would be left behind. We never gave up on folks and many never gave up on us.

I personally got help from folks acting as a step-ladder, cheering me on, making sure I hadn't died when I started getting asthma issues, and so on. My wife most of all whom did some of my burpee's for me, and stayed with me on the bucket brigade then switched her female bucket with me for my male bucket when after 200+yds of steep ass hill she saw I was spent so badly I wasn't going to make it down the other half. If not for those two things she did I would have not made it.

The pics are of us 5 min after crossing the finish line and the other of the race map. We're wearing shorts & sweat shirts because it was a lovely cold day (Saturday saw snow & hail with several hundred Beast racers going down with hypothermia) but we needed to race. Alas the weather was normal for Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Fall.

The Beast was 14.7 miles with 37 obstacles. The Ultra Beast was 2 laps of the Beast course. The top male Elite racer did it in 7hrs 12min, and the female in 7hrs 25min.

Damn we're tired. I'm not sure I want to do this again, but my wife is already planning her next race.

Thorsteinn:
So many good people out there. Then we heard about the folks who got broken badly on the last obstacle (one broke a leg, another an arm, another their back) and a race course volunteer cut off their tag and ran it across so they could officially finish. How cool is that?! Full on mitzvah there. :)

Sir James A:
I'd have just broken my leg on the first obstacle if it's a free finish, and saved those hours of agony and effort to get to the last obstacle. ;)

Congrats on finishing!

Sir Rodney:
I'm impressed!  Well done to both of you.  :)

Mike W.:
Spartans never die

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