When most folks are enjoying the last vestiges of the Canada Day long weekend, a few hundred people will be taking part in an intense, obstacle-filled race created in part by a local couple.
EXPLAINER CHARGES THROUGH THE SPARTAN RACE.
1 This is one of the competitors in the first edition of the Spartan Race, which was held in mid-May in Vermont. The race was conceived by Selica Sevigny and Richard Lee, a Montreal-based couple who placed highly in the Death Race, a 24-hour event that bills itself as "Survivor meets Jackass." The creator of that race teamed up with them to create a new event that could appeal to both high-performance athletes and weekend warriors. The result is the Spartan Race, which hits Mont-Tremblant on July 4. "It’s basically a 5 km race with 12 obstacles along your journey," Sevigny says. "We also throw in a few mystery elements." The Spartan theme was chosen because "we were thinking about the concepts of strength and bringing out the inner warrior in everyone. How better than with the Spartans?" Sounds like the film 300 had some influence on their idea. "A lot of people love 300," she says. "That concept of inner strength and overcoming adversity is the perfect thing. Plus, Spartans are so cool."
2 This competitor is leaping over a fire pit, one of the 12 obstacles. "They do a spear throw, cargo net climb and have to get past a Spartan gladiator equipped with jousting sticks," Sevigny says. "There is a crawl with barbed wire, they crawl through a tunnel – we really work with the idea of having people overcome fears." Those are some of the known obstacles. The two mystery elements are kept secret until racers encounter them along the course. The May event attracted over 500 competitors and 2,500 spectators. The winner finished the course in about 32 minutes. "If you are really fit you can get it done in around 45 minutes," says Lee, a former Royal Marine. What was the hardest part for the competitors in May? "The mud was the biggest shock for everybody – we deliberately made it as muddy as possible," he says. What about that fire jump? "You are jumping over fire but before that we have a fire truck that hoses you down with water before the jump," he says. Oh, yeah, that sounds much easier.
4 comments
Well, what with the success of the X-Games and extreme sports the world over, I guess it was only a matter of time before an event like this became a reality. Sounds like a hard-core obstacle-course race with some American Gladiator type elements thrown in for good measure and, on paper, I understand the allure especially as it’s geared more to weekend athletes (albeit with an edge or maybe make that a death-wish) rather than elite marathon runner or triathlon types. Still, despite it’s x-treme appeal, I’m not totally enamored with the idea of jumping over a fire pit or crawling over barbed wire (wtf?). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that there are some Jackass-loving fearless/foolish bad-asses out there that wouldn’t be averse to risking life and limb for the sake of sheer bravado and bragging rights, I’m simply not one of them.
Fuck are we ever jaded! The lengths that we go to for thrills and chills really knows no limits anymore. Think about it – there was a kinder gentler time when athletic competitions like football or even boxing were, in and of themselves, enough to stir people to both gamely participate and/or watch raptly. But these games people play no longer offer up quite the rush that they used to and so have given way to more extreme sports for a whole new generation of adrenalin junkies. This so-called Spartan Race definitely fits the bill – nothing more hardcore than running a gauntlet of challenges where you’re likely to be battered and bloodied en route to the finish line. I understand the appeal inherent in pushing yourself to the brink and the exciting unpredictability that goes along with it but where’s the limit? Does someone have to frivolously perish before we recognize that we’ve gone too far and reign ourselves in?
Hey, we’re all adults here – the entrants know what they’re getting themselves into. Sure the race is fraught with danger but therein lies the hook. These extreme athletes are looking for the rush that goes hand-in-hand with putting your life in jeopardy. Stupid? – maybe but the contentious concept of acceptable risk is for them and the race organizers to decide, not for us to legislate (assuming of course that the race itself doesn’t contravene any laws). I’m not saying that I have even the slightest interest in running such a race but would I watch it? Hell yeah! Mind you, I’m also the type that feels a mixture of excitement and guilt when there’s a car-crash in Nascar or when hockey-players trade fisticuffs but I digress.
Events like the Spartan Race require certain safeguards. Competitors need to get a complete medical checkup before they embark on any strenuous activity. In addition they need to provide proof that they competed in similar type events in the recent past. There are too many weekend athletes in rotten shape who are attempting feats at the limit of human ability with a very high risk of disabling injury. The Spartan Race encourages the false belief that all meaningful exercise has to be painful and distasteful. Gentle activities like walking, biking and swimming can be just as therapeutic in providing the benefits of exercise at low risk. I really get upset when hospitals get filled up with the casualties of extreme sports. If I got paid big bucks for performing these physical feats as part of a reality show where the contestants vie for huge payoffs, only then would it be worthwhile.