Unlucky #13 to 13-10 (Las Vegas Weekend Review)

Super Saturday: Unlucky #13

Saturday’s Super started better than any race ever had. I slept at the venue in my car since it was in the middle of nowhere and it was just easier to wake up and walk to the registration tent than drive 90 to 120 minutes from the nearest hotel (with availability). While standing in line around 5:45am (couldn’t sleep, too excited) up walks 2017 Spartan World Champion Cody Moat. I snuck out of line over to him and very casually shook his hand and let him know what a pleasure it was to meet him. Then back in line to wait…

After getting through the gate (about a half hour later…) I headed to the start line for the National Anthem and to warm myself up. It was about 40 deg and cloudy. Not 10 minutes after getting to the start corral, up walks 2x Spartan World Champion Hobie Call. Two world champs in one day!??! I introduced myself and shook hands with him as well and couldn’t believe my luck at meeting both of them in the same day. Hobie is retired from racing now but was there to support his wife and children in their respective races. I also met in person Justin T, who placed 1st and 2nd in my age group back in Chino, but he was running Elite heat today. I cheered for him as he bolted off and knew I would only learn of his success AFTER I finished my race, too.

After the national anthem and the Elite males ran off, I had 1 hour till my heat and I began to warm up more intently. I found a few of my race friends and we stretched, chatted, met some new friends and warmed up some more. At 8:45am, we were allowed to enter the coral for out 9am gun start. I recognized a few guys from the Arizona race and we made small talk while we waited for the start. Jess (J Rock) made it up to the front of the start line with me.

A few guys jumped at the line and took off at a blistering pace for the 100 yard flat before the “W” shaped hill climb of 220ft each. Finally these were the hills I was waiting for in the first few races (although they were still too short and too few) and I was in 7th at the bottom start of the first hill… But I was the first one to the top and had a good head of steam heading right into the second one. Issue #1, this hill was 100% sand. I tried to running for a few seconds then realized I was not moving forward, but more running in place as the grains replaced themselves from my tread with every leg movement. By the time I realized my conundrum, my lead was gone and my new friend Troy T. bear crawled right past me. I took to his method and stayed close on his tail up the second sandy climb to the platue. There we were met with our first designed obstacle, O.U.T. with sand all around, the U (under) was quick and soft and after going through wall #3, we were off to the... beaches? Sand, sand, and more sand. This was an issue for MANY of the racers, but being from Southern California and an ex-beach Jr. Lifeguard, I was ready and trained for this terrain. We had a decent v-shaped path back to the cliff where we had over-walls prior to heading down to the basin once more. An equally sandy and equally steep dissent lead us right to the 7’ wall and hurdles. After crossing those, we had our first carry, the sandbag carry. Minor incline to start and longer shallower decline back to the start of the loop where I ran most of it, staying close behind Troy and ahead of nearly everyone else. Immediately after was a mini gauntlet at the festival area of rope climb, rolling mud, dunk wall, and slip wall. A small slip in rolling mud knocked me down to 3rd place but he was well in my sights after slip wall and then we were off through the canyon for some more minor ups and downs. At some point in there, I had lost my gloves and had to run back to get them, but I honestly can’t remember where it happened.

We were now on the Super exclusive track that would be removed for tomorrows Sprint course. After the nearly mile long run through the canyons, we were in the marshlands. This provided an opportunity to cross Stairway to Sparta and Bender. I gained some ground on Bender as the guy in front of me struggled a bit. Z-wall, one of my favorites, was next and I passed everyone by ringing my bell first and charging forward. On the flat ground though, I was quickly caught and passed again and he and Troy were still ahead of me going into Barb Wire Crawl #1. This was IN THE MUD.

It was the thickest mud I have seen in a Spartan race and it got everywhere. Nothing was clean coming out except my view of the open ground ahead of me. I somehow passed both guys during the struggle! I later found out Troy got a “flat tire” shoe and had to step aside to fix it before moving on. While trying to run with an additional 10lbs or so of caked on mud, I tried squeegeeing it off of my legs and arms as best I could without stopping or slowing down. I dropped my slippery wet and muddy gloves again and once more, went back to get them. This never happened before and now it just did twice in the same race! It was also an issue because I knew another carry and a few tall walls were coming up soon and I needed clean DRY hands. A somewhat new obstacle was farmers carry 2.0. A large round stone with a chain that needed to be carried or dragged to a flag line and back wasn’t too much of a show stopper for me and 8’ and invert walls were usual and expected at this point in my career. It was between these two obstacles, running through thick sand once again, that Troy and a new kid caught up to me and found some energy I guess because they FLEW by me. I let them know how far ahead the 1st guy was and they took off. I ran relatively solo up to Olympus, the first of the Sprint course retrack where I think I set a personal speed record getting across it because dead ahead were positions 1-3 with myself in 4th at the spear throw!

I soon learned that places 1 and 2 were already doing burpees. I was right behind Troy again to battle out the 1st position with just 2 miles or so left in the race. Troy threw first and nailed a beautiful arcing toss. The pressure was on and I felt it. I threw WAY too fast and soon and didn’t focus the way I normally do and I missed it down to the left… burpees… And then it hit me. Hurc hoist was only 25ft or so away. Dang it… Burpees and THEN my worst enemy… I lost track of where the other two guys were and how quickly they left the penalty box before me because I had to concentrate on counting to 30 without screwing up at the risk of being disqualified. After a confident 30, I ran the 25 ft and picked a good looking bag. I tried a brand new method again and it worked beautifully. I am not sure if the bag was lighter than normal or if this was just the right way to do it, but regardless, it went up and down without a care and I was off! Twister was next (aka the burpee maker) but I have had great success with this all year and I took advantage of the fact that the more recent slip grips were removed. I lost a few seconds though because I forgot to look which had them and which didn’t and I started on a set that did… so I stepped down and moved over to a “naked” set of grips and then I talked it.

Back in the sand again we were nearing the home stretch. Vertical cargo 2.0 had a 4.5’ tall shelf on it that needed to be jumped on first and then climb the rest. My usual flip gained me a few seconds on the guys who climbed down manually. The sand was now thicker than ever and it was a ¼ mile run to the river. A good 200 yards of knee deep water going upstream was the next obstacle.

We FINALLY had a chance to clean off the still heavy and caked dry mud off our clothes and bodies while still charging the churning river. I splashed too many people trying to pass the walkers and I got a few looks, but one guy made it clear to the rest and took the words out of my mouth “This guy is going for the win!”

After being soaked to the bone from the river, we had a nice sandy barbwire crawl #2. There was just no escaping the added load on this race it seemed. I got caught in a slow lane and tried to maneuver my way around some people, taking cuts and scrapes with every move, but I couldn’t feel them at the time. I had hoped the running through the river would have bought me some time and I guess it did because as I approached the final carry, bucket brigade, there was Troy right at the end. Turns out, he had gained the lead again. This was huge! It meant positions 1-4 were all in the same obstacle! I train bucket carry more than probably anyone on this course and I was ready! Troy handed me his bucket directly (such a nice guy!) and I jokingly asked “Is it a good one?”

He said it was and so I took it off his hands. He was right! It wasn’t very heavy to me and I took off at a mild jog. But… little did I know the lid was loose and so was my shoe lace. One wrong step, down went me, plop went the bucket, and OUT went the rocks… bad luck strikes again. First the gloves, then the spear, now the shoes and rocks. I scrambled to pick up all the ones I could, sifting out the sand as quickly as possible. With the lid back on, I had no idea what happened around me. Someone must have passed me though and you will hear why in a moment. I finished the carry and picked up my pace significantly. We were approaching the last half mile now.

Tire flip was next and I was feeling confident. Justin was standing there and started to shout my name and “You got this” repeatedly. I picked my tire and FLIP… one done. I went for the second flip… nothing. I tried again. Nothing. I couldn’t get my grip right. Or was it the tread being too smooth> Whatever it was, I took WAY too long figuring it out. Gloves on. Nothing. Gloves off. Nothing. Another angle. Nothing. Another try. Nothing. “Don’t take all day Brendan. Just do burpees!” was Justin’s cry. He might have been right, but I knew I was only 1 flip away. I ran over to me to get a better shout into my ear, but this time he said something I wanted to listen to. “Try the one next to it!” I moved to my right, hand under, FLIP! Gosh! What took that so long!?! Another bad luck pick for me. I sprinted to the multi-rig which was ring-rope-rope-rings-pole and I passed it with my typical double swing method and another bee-line sprint to the A-frame cargo net. A man about my age was nearing the top so I climbed as fast as I could. I saw him start is way down the crawl method and I thought I had a chance to pass him with my slip and roll. I went for it… I was a single cargo rung behind him when he jumped off and it was an all-out sprint over the fire… not even a jump, to the finish.

Less than 4 seconds apart but he was ahead. I still didn’t even know if he was my rival or not (turns out he was and that was the burst for 4th place).

So despite everything that went wrong after that first hill, I finished a very strong 5th place and I was more than happy with that. It meant I put in the work in all other areas so that those little mishaps didn’t cost me too much. I was proud of my accomplishment but I kept trying to figure out how I let so much happen in so little time. Then, I made the discovery… it was my 13th ever Spartan race! No wonder all the misfortune! I laughed it off since I am not really a superstitious person and I looked forward to Sundays event. I was now more ready than anyone else could have been!

Saturday Sprint

Sunday morning was a beautiful, sunny, and warmer morning for us after a night of light rain and heavy winds. This meant the ground would be a little more technical to maneuver today. Once again, I met up with the same group of friends and we warmed up together waiting for our heats to begin. Chris and Cory were first at 8:15 and

Jess and I were set for 8:30 start times. We made jokes about me trying to catch them again like I did in Arizona, but I was more focused on a clean race than anything else. Justin was there again today and he was done with his race before my heat even started so he was right there at the first hill when I took off from the start. I made new friends that I recognized from yesterday, Nono and Chris and we were ready to go.

I let the enthusiastic starters get there lead again, but when I got to the hill, I kicked it in and charged. I was second or 3rd to the top today and we did not have the second climb for the Sprint. We went right to the O.U.T and over walls, fallowing the same sandy route as the day before. Right at the cliff for the drop down to 8’ wall I dropped my gloves AGAIN! Turing around, I grabbed them and admittedly dropped the “D” word as I did, snatched them up and barreled down the hill. Now in 3rd or 4th already… after hurtles, it was the sandbag carry. I grabbed one and started running as fast as I could with the 75lbs on my back. I passed 1 guy right away and chased down the second who I think was Chris. Nono was already on the rope climb when I got there and I sped up it and slid down to be right on his heels. My friend Alicia was there giving me support up the rope. Rolling mud was an issue. Overnight, the protective bags had filled with air pockets under the mud and stepping on one the wrong way, I was launched forward and face planted into the mud, swallowing a gulp of it as I went down. The following few minutes were of me chocking on dirty water while I tried to keep running to the dunk wall. I jumped

right in and under, faster than I ever have before and up the slip wall. I almost didn’t make it over the corner as I lost my footing due to the lack of grip but caught myself with one hand and heaved my body over the sharp edge. Still coughing I tried to chase down the only visible body in front of me. Around the corner, I could see Nono ahead of me by about 50 yards, and I think the other guy only 20 ft ahead was Chris. We skipped the Super course section of canyons and marshlands and headed right for Olympus. Not as fast as the day before, but still faster than normal, I used my chain-only technique to make my way across and ring the bell. Only, it didn’t ring. I hit it though and the course Marche gave me the thumbs up to proceed. I later learned that one bell didn’t have a hammer in it; not sure if that was mine or not, but it COULD have explained the silent victory.

Now we were all 3 at the spear. Nono nailed his, Chris nailed his too right in front of me. I picked my spear, found my bail and focused. “Come on Brendan, you got this!” It was Justin again, giving me more encouragement and I was so thankful. I took a deep breath and released. PERFECT stick! Ecstatic, I ran to hur hoist. I picked the same bag from yesterday and used the same method. Nono was already done but Chris was lowering his, I was still in the hunt. Chris gave me a hardy “Let’s go Brendan” as he ran by me and I began to lower mine down. On to twister. This time, I knew which lane to take (grip free) and I took a second to dry my hands off from the sweaty gloves. I made it through. I didn’t see Chris or Nono until vertical cargo… I think? But either way, I was running my race now and I wanted to give it my all. 1.5 miles to go. Flip over the cargo net and off to the river. Same story here, splashing slower walkers and getting cheers from some and jeers from most. Back up on the sand I headed for barb wire crawl. I picked the same lane as yesterday but there were fewer people in it this time. I went hard and fast and I paid the price. I may have a few scars for the rest of my life from this section alone. Multiple times for the next mile I was being given notice of the condition of my back and its color… But I pressed on. My fitness watch band came apart in the crawl and I had to hold it in my hand for a while. When I arrived at bucket brigade, I

could see Nono still working his way around the circle. I grabbed the nearest bucket, careful to not dislodge the lid and took off. It FELT significantly heavier today than yesterday, which is possible, but I could have also just been much more fatigued. I finished the loop, dropped off the bucket and headed for the tire flip. There was Justin again cheering me on. I threw him my watch after two quicker successful flips of my 428lb tire and I sprinted to the multi-rig. This was it. I couldn’t see anyone in front or behind me that I could hunt or be hunted. I just needed to make it through the rings without issue and I was going to end up wherever I currently stood. Double swings through the rings and a 180 spin at the end for flair and the bell was rung.

Alica was there again helping push me to the final obstacle. I tried to sprint again to the cargo A-frame but I finally realized how tiered I was. I could go any faster than I was going. Up and over the A-frame and a much more creative jump over the fire and I was finished. I doubled over for air and had a hard time breathing for a minute. I don’t think I have ever been this beat after crossing the finish line. I truly gave it everything I had.

Chris and Nono were waiting for me at the results tent telling me they think I finished 3rd. I checked the tent and they were right. We were the podium! Nono took the gold, Chris the silver, and I proudly accepted the Bronze. It was amazing to share it with two new friends and fellow FANTASTIC competitors. We are going to have a great battle all season for the Championship title!

So in the end, I finished 5th for the Super and 3rd for the Sprint, but more importantly, I solidified my top 5 races for the season thus far, meaning my rank was now fully in affect and would only increase my scores as better and faster races took place. Monday morning, ranks were released and I stood at #1 in the world for the Male 25-29 Competitive Age group category and 7th overall of ALL Age Group participants. It is a huge honor and I know I have a target on my back now from my friends and rivals. I look forward to defending my current #1 spot in 2 weeks at the San Jose US Championship Series Season opener.

A special thank you to Past Parallel for my race gear which continues to surpass all expectations of performance, comfort, and style! Another thank you to II-VI Optical Systems for their financial support in making all of this possible. And a final thank you to my friends and family who support me every day both on and off the course. AROO!