Written by:

Scott Barker,
Obstacle Course Racer
Hence Stacks Ambassador

Just over a week ago I was in Greece for the 2019 Sparta Trifecta WC and boy it didn’t disappoint. I travelled over with my fiancé on the Thursday before the event so I could get my bearings before my biggest race weekend this season.

Our first trip to Sparta was to take a look around and collect our race packets. I parked the car and we all headed to the main square to collect our race timing chips and see what was going on around the area and finishing stage. I was sort of excited for this race weekend but didn’t have the usual “racing buzz” that I usually get. Until now… 

As we got closer to the square the Spartan branding became more frequent and the music became louder until we reached the awards stage and main festival area. The first thing I noticed was the list of competitors that had qualified for the event, showing names and the country they are representing. To me its the little things like this that really make Spartan stand out from the crowd.

The Super

Saturday came round quickly and soon the first race of the weekend was upon us. 9 miles and 30 obstacles awaited us around the local olive and orange yards. After warming up we approached the start line where the world top 10 males got called into the pen. Spartan pros have a separate entrance so after the first 10 are called we are all meant to slip in behind them before the non pro elites join the back of the pack. My plan was to go easy on the Super. Figure out the terrain and see what standard the competition was. 

From that first downhill section I very quickly realised it was high!! I ran smooth and controlled, glancing at my watch. After seeing that I was running at 5:30mm and they made me look like I was jogging, I decided to just “run my own race” and prayed that the initial adrenalin from the epic start would wear off. 

I felt strong and controlled as we hit the first few obstacles before running through the ancient river. It was early morning and the temperature was already climbing so this was a welcome sight!

As always there was a great mix of obstacles testing strength, endurance and grip, along side some stunning scenery. I particularly enjoyed the 2 sections through the first small town early in the race and then the city of Sparta at the finish. The locals cheering us all on really made for a special atmosphere. Cheeky old school “fill it up yourself” bucket brigade made an appearance too, which was made harder by routing it through the river.

The spear was my only fail on this run; it struck the target bang in the middle but then fell straight out which was a little devastating, but overall I was happy with how the race went. I came to the finish line in 38th place.

The Sprint

I kept myself hydrated and focused ahead of the next race. Keeping covered from the sun was also part of the weekend race plan. 

Hence Stacks nutrition played a vital part in my post/pre-race recovery time, the easy to take ZnMag recovery tablets went down well with a pre made Greens Stack. 

I kept moving for a couple of hours then headed out for the Sprint. I knew this would be a real fast and furious race having a longer period to recover for the beast the next day. The same start system applied. Less elevation and mileage in the sprint mixed up the field a bit with the poor hill climbers gaining advantage on the flats. The dunk wall was a welcome sight with the temperature rising, a chance to lower the body temp and recharge the legs.

Having the spear fall out earlier in the day, I gave it full beans for this one - too many beans perhaps… Skimming the top of the target before the spear crashed to the ground. Back to the harsh rocky burpee pen for me! I really took my time with the burpees for both the sprint and the super knowing how good the form has to be at a world championships. This actually helped when I completed the 30 and ran on, I can smash 30 burpees out fairly quick but always feel gassed afterwards. I guess it depends on the location of the failed obstacle in relation to the finish as to how fast you should do them. I crossed the finish line in 36th– a small improvement from The Super.

The Beast

I woke up to a nice surprise on the morning of The Beast. In previous years the top 20 elite male and females gained staggered start status. The fastest combined time of the sprint and super goes first followed by second, third e.t.c with a time handicap. This year they had upped the staggered start to the top 40 males so my combined time meant I made the cut with the 34th fastest combined time. This was an opportunity I was not going to waste. 

It was a little surreal for me having never started a race in that format, hard to judge pacing without a pack to stack up against but I also enjoyed the send off. After a couple of minutes I caught the female who had been sent off ahead of me and soon spotted the next male. This really gave me a boost and the adrenaline kicked in.

By the time I had got to The Slackline (around half way) I had made up a good few places. I’ve never done The Slackline before (not an obstacle in the UK) and wasn’t really sure how to tackle it. I stood on the frame then started crossing but too slow and I fell straight off. All my previous hard work unravelled as I did my burpees and watched the competitors I had previously passed do the obstacle with ease. Just after was The Slackline came The Beater. Another obstacle that doesn’t feature in Spartan Race UK, which was a nice touch.

Another unique feature of this event was the double carry. Not 2 items at once, but a figure of 8 style loop. You had to carry a sand bag around the first part, deposit it into a container then pick up an anchor chain before completing the next loop. Once the chain carry aspect was complete, it was back to the sand bag carry to complete the loop before running on.

The “Spartan Ridge” had some of the most amazing racing scenery I have every had the pleasure to race on - lots of up/down technical running was an incredible experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. Shortly after this, we re-joined The Super course to finish off the race. My tactics didn’t change on the spear again, still stuck in my head that I had to go full power it went over the top of the target.

A few changes had been made for the final section through Sparta to make them harder for The Beast. The multi-rig was made double length, The Herc Hoist made heavier and the Monkey Bars altered to be varying heights. A fine way to finish an epic race weekend!

I crossed the line in 28th place securing me 31st place in the championship. 

A huge thank you to my Coach Alan, Dryrobe, Hence Stacks nutrition, Craft Sportswear and RXBAR for supporting me in the build up to this competition and throughout this race season. 

It’s been a good one!

@scottybarker_ocr
@spartanraceuk 

Find a direct link to Scott’s blog HERE