West Virginia - 2018 Regional Champs

The Regional Championship race was intended to be the second most memorable race of the season (next to Greece this coming November) and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, some of the memories will be sad ones. There was a plan to have my parents, grandparents, a great aunt and her family, along with my aunt, uncle and cousin in attendance for the race in West Virginia since many of them live back east. As some of you know, my great Aunt passed away the day before I arrived and so she and her family obviously had new priorities. My grandma had to go into an emergency (minor) surgery to have a cyst drained (had to stay in the hospital for over a week), there was a burglary in my Aunts neighborhood so she had to stay home with my cousin while she watched the family pets and started school and lastly, by brother earned is master’s degree the day before the race so I insisted my parents attend his graduation instead. That being said, we went from a party of about 15 down to 3. But, I decided to race for all those who were no longer in attendance.

So with our “Aroo!” trailer packed and ready to go, the 3 King men headed north from Charlotte to Glen Jean West Virginia. We arrived in time for Open house Friday night and I gave them some quick guideposts and obstacle tips. This was such a special time for me because these two were literally the reason and inspiration for me starting the Spartan races. They had completed the Charlotte Sprint a year prior to my first race and told me about their experience before my first race the February after.

The race was slated to be about 14 miles and contain 4,400ft of elevation gain.

We started off with a nice slope to start and the race was on. We had the pleasure of crossing a beautiful gorge and suspension bridge. We hit the standard overwalls pretty shortly after and then a 6ft wall and a single hurtle (no complaints from me.) From there we went into the forest for the Beast loop. It was dens bushwhacking for the next 5.5 miles. Soggy tree trunks, stream and street crossings, fallen saplings, and high humidity made for a type of trail running I had never done before.

Another set of overwalls was our first beast loop obstacle but it gave no one in our heat much trouble. After a few accents and steep descents needing cargo nets and ropes to get up and down, we came to the farmers carry. Similar to the one in San Jose, it was two heavy logs with chains like a purse strap to carry one in each hand. A quick walk to a line of flags and back and I was off again. Then we had the first of the 3 barbwire crawls; all seaming longer and lower than usual, but hey, it’s a championship! A little further up the mountain we came to atlas carry. This one seemed much easier and lighter than the one in Utah, but it might have been because it was so early on this time.

Right down the hill, we encountered a short twister (you will learn why later.) I was neck and neck with Nono at this point and I made the joke about him staying in front of me so I wouldn’t forget to ring the bell like in Utah. He and Erik (from Chicago and Fort Carson) were my only two targets for the race and so far, I was leading both of them… by just seconds. Passing the 4 mile mark, we were still deep in the woods working our way back to the venue area. Somewhere in here, I tripped off a rock during a water crossing and banged my knee pretty hard, but I rubbed it off and kept pushing. I was also having significant shoe issues as my insert kept scrunching up under my toes and in the bridge of my feet. Luckily, on the uphill’s they went back to their proper position, but each hard downhill, they scrunched right back up again… future improvements coming. 8 foot wall, up and over and done.

Anyway, about a mile later, we hit one of my favorite things, Tyrolean traverse. I was no directly behind both Nono and Erik, but my long pants and gloves gave me a heavy advantage on this rope and I was the first one off, followed immediately by Nono. It was a short flat run to the hardest thing of the day so far. But I was surprised to glance at my watch and see that we were running at a sub-7 pace still about 5 miles in. I was feeling great too! The log carry was not difficult on the terrain as much as it was on the neck and back.

The 70-ish pound log was about 3 ft long and awkward to carry just about any way imaginable. I only stopped once to rest, but only because it fell off my back about 1/3 of the way through. However, due to my size, I got passed by both Nono and Erik once again as they conquered the heavy carry. I had my opportunity to catch up though at the swim. The last of the beast loop challenges, we donned out fashionable life preservers and took to the water. I was worried about cramping from cold water, but surprisingly, the water was deliciously comfortable.

I experimented with a few swim techniques sine we will have it again in Tahoe and I found one I really like (secret now) and I was able to pass quick a large group of people in the water; Erik being one of them. I suspected I had passed Nono as well but didn’t know for sure. We ran along the lake for a minute or two and then re-entered the Sprint section of the race.

I took my first nutrition break at the next water station after mile 6 – peas and broccoli puree. Right after we hit the invert wall and then headed right into the festival area. As I approached the vertical cargo net, I spotted my uncle Jeff on the opposite side. I climbed up and over and then blasted down the hill towards my cousin at Hurc Hoist. I picked a rope and began to pull. As I finished lowering it down, Jordan told me Nono was 39 seconds ahead of me. I guess I dint pass him in the swim after all. Jordan followed me through the second barbwire crawl and gave me a second spilt time.. I had gained a few seconds already. As we ran directly through the festival area, I spotted Nono on the rope climb, he hadn’t started climbing yet. I had a chance to gain some serious tie once again with my pants and gloves. I approached the rope right as he let go to move on, now only a few seconds apart I climbed the rope faster than ever. The next hill was by far the steepest of the race and was nicknamed the Cliff Climb. At the top, I spotted my good buddy Kody the OCR Carpenter and gave him an encouraging word. Next up in the view of everyone was the spear throw. I had difficulty the night before at open house but I tried to stay positive, take a deep breath, and focus. Directly next to me, Nono missed his. YES! I took another deep breath, raised my arm and threw…. High right. Miss. NO!

I ran to the burpee box and started cranking out my 30. I was going a bit faster than Nono though so I tried to keep it up. We ended at EXACTLY the same time and took off, but I had a little more pep in my step when Uncle Jeff said “Erik is 49 seconds ahead of you guys, he hit the spear.”

I was able to get ahead of Nono and pick my sandbag first. I saw Erik just ahead already trudging but quite slowly. I had worked on heavy carries for a few weeks in anticipation for a double sandbag so I was confident that this single one would be a breeze. Sure enough, I caught Erik before the halfway point but Nono passed me as I passed Erik and so we were 3-wide heading up the only hill section of the loop. By the top, Nono was ahead and began to jog down, but I followed close behind. We dropped our bags and took off towards the last obstacle before the Super loop section. This was a slight downhill mixed with some downward stairs and Erik caught up and passed me once again. This back and forth between the 3 of us was becoming more exciting by the mile and the leaders were constantly changing. There was a water station right before the slip wall and they both stopped for hydration. I took a strategic risk and skipped it, knowing I had a nutrition stop at the next station waiting for me. I charged ahead and approached the slip wall which had ropes that were only about 18” long. It would require precision timing and effort to run up the wall, leap, and grasp the rope with one hand. Many people were standing around after a failed attempt before a retry, but I charged passed them, took two steps up the wall and jumped…. I JUST made it to the rope and grabbed hold as tight as I could. I heard my cousin Jordan yell with relief behind me from the sidelines. Hopefully one or both of my competitors would need a second attempt, but I didn’t wait around to find out. I took one the path for the super loop which lead right into one of the longest and steepest hills of the entire course. About halfway up, I caught Nono in my peripheral’s as he power hiked up a parallel path from mine. I quick glance back let me know Erik wasn’t as close. I am not sure what happened to Nono at that water station but he looked strong and his effort up that hill proved my theory. He powered passed me and that may have been the last time I saw him for about 3-4 miles. He kicked it into a gear I just didn’t have at that moment and all I could do was watch him become smaller and smaller as he ran off.

Right after mile 8, we hit the 7ft wall and then another steep climb where we had a nice photo opportunity. I was steal leading Erik at this point but now he was just seconds behind me (see photo). But as we were still climbing, even at a much more reasonable grade, I knew that was my strangest asset so I charged ahead. At the peak of the mountain, I took my 2nd nutrition pack, electrolyte gels, and chugged a 2/3 glass of water. Then it was off to the best view of nearly any race; the top of Stairway to Sparta. Erik and I were on it at the same time, but I was the first off and began to charge down the hill. I knew this was his strength but I wanted to lead as long as I could because that meant less downhill for him to gain on me. To my surprise, I was first down the initial decent. We hit Bender at the level off and again we were on at the same time. The next downhill was a bit longer but once again, I was the first one down. However he was nowhere near being left in the dust. We hit the Z-wall next and unfortunately I chose not the best wall as the outside corner hold was a bit further away than usual and I had to think of a way around the corner without losing my grip or falling off the wall. Erik jumped off the bell a few seconds before me, but I was still in striking distance and tried to hold it. This third decent was long, straight, and on a wide open road and he really pushed it. I began to gain a lead on me but before it got out of hand, we hit a water station and turned right back up a large climb. We were back on each other’s heels as we powered up the steep incline. We were back in the forest now and the branches, leaves, roots, and streams gave Erik the advantage again, especially on the downhills. I lost him about halfway down the hill and it was right about then that exhaustion began to set it. I was still running, but it was coming with effort now and the heat of the day was finally breaking through the clouds of morning. I could hear the festival music now and realized that the Super loop was coming to a close. We would have less than 2 miles in the race and both my targets were ahead of me and I was becoming fatigued; not a great combination.

Coming back into the venue area, I had one of my “look forward” to obstacles waiting for me; Monkey-Twister-Monkey. I had practiced this challenge the night before and felt comfortable with it so I picked my lane and without as much as a 2 second break, took on the first section of monkey bars. At the end, I slapped the bell dropped to the ground and took the 5-6 steps to the third and final bar wire crawl. I was told that Erik was less than a minute ahead of me, but Nono was nearly 2 ahead of that. After the crawl, Jordan said I had lost a few more seconds under the wire but by that point, I was nearly out of strength. Right out of the crawl was a small but steep hill and I literally crawled on my hands and knees up it with my family cheering from behind. “Less than 2 miles to go, just finish strong” I told myself. I wasn’t going for the win anymore, but I was going for my BEST!

At the top of the hill was plate drag and they all looked pretty standard so I picked one hear the end and took methodical strong pulls rather than fast twitch work. Conserve energy and work smart. The pull back was even slower, but I pulled the rope taught and ran off. I knew the 3rd and final nutrition stop was right ahead. I reached into my bag and pulled out my fruit baby food pouch. It was then I also realized I had lost my towel somewhere along the way. I was hoping to have it in case the tire flip was wet, I could dry off my hands; with it missing, I now no longer had that advantage… I just had to find out when I got there I guess. I drained my pouch along with a glass of water and headed to the Bridge. On the other side, my cousin and uncle were on the footbridge leading to an island that was home to the Armer obstacle. They gave me another split time, Nono nearly 5 minutes ahead, but I had gained a few surprising seconds on Erik. As I took the path leading to the island, Erik and I high fived as he ran off of it. The friendship and encouragement from your competitors is such an AMAZING thing Spartan offers. Even Jeff and Jordan offered him an encouraging shout as he passed by. On the island, I picked the first concrete ball and carried it to the flag and back. I must have been quick because Jeff later told me they lost me for a minute and was surprised when I was already heading back up the footpath exiting.

There was a large rock formation we had to get over at the end of the path and it was while jumping onto it that I experienced my first EVER running cramp. It grabbed hold of my right calf like a dog bite and I immediately winced in pain and began to hobble. But it lasted only a few steps and began to fade, so I kept running hoping it would help. It did, and after about 10 seconds, it was like it had never happened. Odd…

I rounded a corner and headed right into the tire flip, it was time to find out if I could do it or not. To my absolute astonishment, I spotted Nono in the burpee box! I was now on the same obstacle (technically) as both him and Erik! This stirred a fire inside and I ran to check out a tire. The first one was no good so I went to a second I found a grip for one and but had to dig for the second. Sure enough, they were pretty wet and I didn’t have my towel. I looked over at Erik and he picked a tire but was struggling. Nono was STILL doing burpees. I leaned down, stuck my hands under and will all the muscle in my legs began to lift. I had it off the ground, about halfway up my shin when my grip slipped from the moisture and the tire dropped. Damn. I looked over at Erik still no progress yet, but now Nono was gone. I decided to take a risk and go right to Burpees. If I could get a head start on Erik, I could finish before him. On burpee 6 Erik got his tire over the first time. By burpee 21 he had the second flip completed and he was off. But at least now I was nearly done and closer to him than when we arrived. My risk MIGHT still pay off. When I was done, I ran to the bucket carry. I did my usual trick but was saddened to find no relief in the masses. I picked the 5th bucket I tried and just went with it. About halfway through the carry, I crossed paths with Erik (but no sign of Nono). I congratulated him on the tire and continued in the opposite direction. At the turn around, I ran into a BROCR co-founder and made light jabs about him being beat by someone who DIDN’T make the BROCR pro-team beating the founder of the BROCR pro-team. He took it well and we actually used each other to make it to the end of a deceptively long and difficult carry despite the absence of hills. At the end, we both grabbed a final cup of water and then I charged off to hunt down Erik on final time.

Up ahead was the rolling mud and dunk wall. These were not very hard but the dunk wall had an added feature that forced us to go down deeper and out further to clear the obstacle. Soaked to the core and caked in mud, it was off to the finish line now. Crossing one last footbridge and a small hill, I passed a few stragglers who were walking. My uncle was there to encourage me to “finish strong” which clearly meant both Erik and Nono were already out of reach at this point, but I knew he was right… This was for Linda, Nana, and the rest of the family!

I took a quick second break as I mounted Olympus and tried to do my quick and smooth technical but the fatigue and wet shoes made it nearly impossible. I had a near slip about 1/3 of the way across, managed to save it, and worked my way across the rest issue free. Then I charged up the A-frame cargo and flipped ON CAMERA for the first time ever and slid down, passing a few people along the way. Last true test of today was the multi-rig in a ring-ring-rope-rope-ring-ring –pole configuration. Like MTM, I had a chance to practice this the night before and I had my strategy picked already. I went right to the second ring and did a QUAD swing to the 3rd ring, skipping BOTH roped. From there, I skipped the 4th ring and went halfway across the pole. 3 hand walks later I rung the bell and sprinted for the finish, clearing the fire jump and holding up my arms in victory.

This venue truly was an amazing experience. It was brutal but beautiful, difficult but detailed, long but lush, and frightening yet fulfilling. I finished in the top 80 out of nearly 600 total competitive racers and managed 13th out of my age group. It wasn’t the position I was hoping to come away with but I did do my very best and managed to make it the entire way without stopping or giving up mentally. We had an amazing turn out of athletes and the competition was fierce across all fields. Nono made us proud with a 4th place finish and Erik too made the top 10 in 7th. Jeff and Jordan were AMAZING support and time keepers and were right there win or lose to hug and congratulate me before even leaving the finish corral.

Overall, I had an amazing experience and the points from this race boosted me from 11th in the CAG M25-29 up to 4th in the world rankings. This is a perfect setup up leading into Tahoe at the end of September and the goal of finishing top 5 for the year. I have some things to reflect and work on, but 4 weeks to do it. So, with that a huge thank you once again to all my friends, family, and financial supporters for my gear, my passion, and my “why.” Without you, I would be just a crazy guy out running in the mud. Thank you and see you in Tahoe!