The most brutal obstacles in the Spartan Race (that I have encountered)

From my experience of the 2013 Spartan Beast in London, the toughest really was the combination of obstacles, running, cold (4 degrees Celsius), freezing water and rain! However, below is the list of the toughest obstacles encountered during both the 2012 and 2013 Spartan Beasts London.

1 - Swimming in freezing water

Obstacle: Cross a river

This obstacle came as a shock! Throughout the race all the water obstacles could be crossed by walking however, once we jumped in this one, the water was too deep to walk. Once in the water, and once you notice the depth of the water there is a glimpse of panic that attacks!


2 - Monkey bars
Obstacle: Cross this long monkey bars without falling in water

This obstacle is particularly difficult because of it's length. Whilst there, I have noticed that few contender where able to complete the challenge. I myself was only able to go halfway before dropping in water. I had to do the 30 burpees.


3 - Huge rope climb

Obstacle: Climb a c.8m rope

After the 25k run + 69 obstacles, we needed to climb a huge rope! with soar and cold muscle this was simply too challenging and I opted for the 30 burpees! No need to break a leg at the last obstacle!



4 - Bear crawl in ice cubes and mud

Obstacle: Perform a bear crawl in muddy water filled with ice cubes

This obstacle was one that impacted me most and i consider it the point where the race "turned" for me (From a great day to a bit of a struggle). This is mainly because my feet got from cold to FREEZING and i could not get them warm anymore in the race!


5 - Javelin throw
Obstacle: Throw the javelin on the target - it has to stick!

I find this obstacle to be one of the hardest because you only get one chance! In the two years i have do the Spartan Race, I have not managed to succeed! be prepared to do the 30 burpees.

Spartan Race Quotes

Below are some quotes from Spartan Race that inspired me! I hope they inspire you too!!

Do it with a team or find a partner!!

You are more likely to stay strong to the end when you run in a team. 

Be sure the others on your team are at your same level as you are.

Ideally don't have a team of more than 4 or 5 members. If your team is too big, you are more likely to wait for some people, and lose momentum. It can also lead to sore muscles and hypothermia if you wait too long in the cold. 

Create a team costume for fun!

Spartan Beast Video - What Does The Obstacles Look Like

For those of you that are curious of knowing what the obstacles are like, I have uploaded videos of my last Spartan Beast in London. I managed to get the best although my camera stopped halfway through! I have also started editing them in one video and enclosed is the link to my first draft You Tube Spartan Beast video - summary of some of the obstacle

Gear And Clothing Checklist

If you are looking to do the London Spartan Race or the Tough Mudder you will get wet from rain, puddles, mud pits and open water swimming. Should the weather be cold (I did it twice, once under 12 degrees and once under 4 degrees C), don't do the race topless and in shorts. Wear a skin and tights (I bought mine from nike) 

Don't wear any cotton. Wear long running tights made from robust nylon fabric; they protect your legs in mud pits. You will notice from the picture that I wear shorts on top. Avoid loose fitting cotton and sweat pants; thick cottons absorb and hold water and mud and add weight. 

Wear sport dry fit T-shirts as they don’t weigh much, even when wet. Anything that soaks up a lot of mud and water will weigh you down, not to mention frustrate you during the event. 

After seeing so many people being in hypothermia during the race, I recommend having some fuel gels/bars (I buy mine on Amazon) and a survival blanket.

Wear dry fit socks - definitely no cotton socks. Cotton + mud = weight and blisters.
Don’t wear goggles or sunglasses; contact lenses can be a pain when mud gets in your eyes.

Bring a big plastic/garbage bag to put your dirty clothes and shoes in for the drive home.

You should also have extra cloth with you in the car, including footwear; you almost never can get out of bunkers with dry feet. You’ll remember how important this is when your carpooling buddy refuses to let you take their clean car. 

Bring a long towel; even if there are no showers you will use it to change your cloth in the parking without getting totally naked.

Bring some wet wipes; you will use them to clean yourself if there are no showers. 

Bring some food and bananas; it never tastes better especially if the stand is not selling any food anymore. 

I am currently preparing an article on choosing your shoes for the race as there is no real answer. (Collecting some articles and commenting on it)