PA Spartan Race - 2013

Three years ago this past weekend, Gretchen and I ran our very first Spartan Race here at Blue Mountain. This is the race that was our gateway drug into the world of OCR - and it's been all downhill from there...That 2011 race here was when Gretchen took 1st place and came home with the coveted spartan sword (which I've used for my Spartan Halloween costume for the past couple of years - and of course in the Bad Boys of OCR 2012 Calendar). Last year's 2012 race here was hyped as the Elite women's showdown with Spartan Race bringing in heavy hitters from all over the country.

The 2013 race was just as hard as I expected it to be, but the course was a bit shorter. Last year the course was longer than the previous year, and I expected Spartan Race to either keep it the same or make it longer. It was surprising and actually a bit refreshing to run a Spartan Sprint that was under 4 miles in length. Gretchen and I ran on Saturday in the Elite category - The 3.4 mile course was incredibly challenging for the first 2 miles. The course pretty much went straight up the 1500' mountain - throwing in a 40lb sandbag carry at the absolute steepest portion. The obstacles were as expected but I was bummed to miss the spear throw at the top of the mountain and forced to do 30 burpees. This seems to be a theme with me - I was neck and neck with my VPX teammate, Jason Henline - I missed it and he made it - he beat me by a few minutes. The most difficult obstacle in my opinion was the mountain itself - slippery and muddy from downpours the day before and steep as ever. It's a lot more fun to snowboard down than to run up, but it's a lot more satisfying to cross that finish line.

I was pleased with my finish time of just over 1 hour - Gretchen finished in 4th place missing 3rd by just 1 second but finishing 1st for her age. I am extremely proud of her but she was very disappointed since she made a wrong turn after the swimming portion which cost her a couple of minutes. We had fun hanging with our Spartan family and VPX Team Xtreme teammates in the festival area and got some great photos:

I even tried the pull up competition getting 30 strict pull ups in 1 minute - my fellow VPX teammate and Mud & Adventure founder, Paul Buijs, did 39 or 40 right behind me - although there is a bit of controversy as kipping is not allowed. His judge, Kevin LaPlatley aka - The MudMan let the kipping slide :)

I came back on Sunday to give the race another try and finished 1 minute faster than I did on Saturday giving me a 28th place finish and 2nd for age - not too bad! The mountain felt a lot harder going up on day 2, but knowing the course gave me an advantage as I knew what to expect and when to turn the dial up. I missed the spear throw both days - ugh. I'm gonna have to keep practicing. We had a great weekend overall and I'm looking forward to the rest of racing season!

VPX Team Xtreme Spartan Race Giveaway

Gretchen and I were recently sponsored by a very cool company - VPX Sports. We are now sponsored athletes in the "VPX Team Xtreme Obstacle Racers" division. This means we'll be getting to try all of the supplements and products that VPX Sports makes and we'll be representing VPX at all of our races. 

I was able to set up a giveaway on the Team Xtreme Facebook page for a free Spartan Race. If you saw my recent post about Spartan Race, you know that we are huge supporters of Spartan Race and I was lucky enough to be able to get a free race code to use for this giveaway.

There are some incredible races coming up over including the "Ballpark Sprints:






SPECIAL OFFER -- race in all of the ballpark Sprints this year and get a free season pass for 2014!

Enter the free Spartan Race giveaway here:

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Piano Playing Kiddos

I guess musical abilities skip a generation, because neither Gretchen or I can play an instrument. My dad is an excellent guitar player, so maybe that's where it came from? We inherited a piano last summer when my grandmother moved out of her home and the kids have been taking a 1/2 hour lesson a week at a local piano teacher's house. We were invited to watch Mya and Michael play on a grand piano to show what they've learned. They typically fight over the piano at our house to practice or just play around, so this was a nice treat.

Free Spartan Race Anyone?

UPDATE: Congrats to Lisa Ward for winning the FREE Spartan Race!

Of course you know I'm a supporter of all things Spartan Race. There are amazing races coming - Utah June 29th - A BEAST. Pennsylvania July 13th & 14th -A SPRINT, Miller Park, Wisconsin Sept 7th - A Stadium Series Sprint, and of course in my hometown of Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 28th - another Stadium Series Sprint.

I've been working on a blogger outreach program to help generate some buzz and interest in Spartan Races and the upcoming season. I now have the opportunity to provide someone with a free race in any open US heat. Just click the widget below for a chance to win. You can also get 15% off of registration for any Spartan Race here.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spartan Sprint

Spartan Sprint - 3+ MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES. The challenging sprint obstacle trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. From beginner trail racers and mud run participants to hardcore warriors, tough guys and marathon runners, they all come out to test themselves on the insane obstacle races! 99.9% of all people who try this event will finish, and 100% will have their thirst for mud & trail racing fully satisfied! Top 3 Males and top 3 Females at each Spartan Sprint qualify for a free entry into a Super Spartan of their choice.

Super Spartan

Super Spartan - 8+ MILES / 20+ OBSTACLES. The Super Spartan obstacle course race provides an 8+ mile battlefield of insane mud running with 20+ obstacles to test your physical strength and mental resolve. This mud run of an endurance race will have many trials to push you to your full potential! The good news is that after you complete your painful journey, there will be live music and a catered meal to soothe your aching joints. Top 3 Male and Female finishers at each Super Spartan race qualify for free entry into the death race.

Spartan Beast

Spartan Beast - 12+ MILES / 25+ OBSTACLES. An obstacle course race from hell. If you have done any race anywhere in the world: whether a mud run, fun run, olympic run, bike race, death march or any kind of event claiming to be the "toughest race on the planet" you will be happy to know that this is where it ends..THIS IS THE SPARTAN BEAST...Step up and get out of your comfort zone on our +16k beast of an obstacle course race; many will arrive, but few will leave!

Fuego Y Agua - Survival Run

This is a teaser/promo video of the Fuego Y Agua "Survival Run" we shot on the island of Ometepe this past February. The video was edited by our crew from Nicaragua. You'll see that the local beer, Tonya, is prominently featured throughout the 3 minute teaser as they were a big sponsor of the race. The video really does not do justice to the amazing terrain and event, but it'll give a little taste of what it was like.