The motto for the Reebok 2016 races is “The Year of Resilience” and resilience is just what it took the racers to complete the rigorous course with its 24 obstacles and the chance to claim a portion of over $100,000 in prize money.
What are Spartan Races? According to the Spartan Web Site, “Reebok Spartan Race is innovating obstacle racing on a global scale. With more than 130 races around the world annually – we offer three core races each escalating in distance, obstacle count and challenge level; the Spartan Sprint (3+ miles/20+ obstacles), the Spartan Super (8+ miles/ 25+ obstacles) and Spartan Beast (12+ miles/ 30+ obstacles). Courses are riddled with signature obstacles: mud, barbed wire, walls, rope and fire.”
Competitors raced through eight miles of desert terrain, overcoming obstacles such as a mud crawl under barbed wire, carrying 90-pound buckets of rock, 60-pound weights, and climbing ropes and rocks not to mention some very large tractor tires. Racers who couldn’t overcome the obstacles, in some cases, were allowed to give up 30 burpees instead, but other obstacles like the mud crawl were mandatory.
All obstacles and courses test the ability of the athlete in both strength and endurance and most competitors are able to complete the eight mile course in 2 to 4 hours. After completion of the course competitors jumped over a ‘field of fire’ to finalize and end their “Spartan Challenge.”
Visitors wanting to watch had a bit of trouble getting into the park with most of them taking at least 30 minutes to travel the short road to the event but the extra traffic affected Mesquite minimally. Those who weren’t aware that the races were happening were oblivious to the thousands of extra bodies visiting the town. Some Mesquite residents even said, “I had no idea there were THAT many people here; where were they?”
20 medics diligently traveled the course, treating athletes for minor cuts and bruises, sprained ankles, some heat and dehydration-related illnesses and during the 12 hour
overnight “Hurricane Heats,” hypothermia but no serious medical issues occurred during the races.
The Spartan Race is slated to be held in Mesquite for the next two years as well. For those wanting to discover more about the Reebok Spartan Races visit their website at www.spartan.com.
Men’s Race Results:
1 Matt Garrison, age: 44, Course Time: 1:16:59
2 Dan Pacatte, age: 33, Course Time: 1:22:34
3 Hannibal Smith, age: 29, Course Time: 1:23:49
4 Jeff Monroe, age: 43, Course Time: 1:24:16
5 Trevor Junghans, age: 29, Course Time: 1:26:33
6 Abe Cendejas, age: 33, Course Time: 1:26:53
7 Luke McCausland, age: 34, Course Time 1:26:59
8 Bryon Curnutt, age: 32, Course Time: 1:29:41
9 Michael Peterson, age: 41, Course Time: 1:30:18
10 Brandon Lewis, age: 29, Course Time: 1:30:58
Women’s Race Results:
1 Tiffany Johnson, age: 35, Course Time: 1:38:50
2 Trina Johnson, age: 34, Course Time: 1:38:51
3 Cera Edgley, age: 31, Course Time: 1:39:27
4 Hailey Gordon, age: 23, Course Time: 1:39:33
5 Jordyn Larson, age: 32, Course Time: 1:42:30
6 H Johnston Vasquez, age: 28, Course Time: 1:43:24
7 Katie Cassiday, age: 44, Course Time: 1:44:41
8 Brandy Mccreary, age: 42, Course Time 1:45:33
9 Jeanette Gonzalez, age: 25, Course Time: 1:46:38
10 Jennifer Stewart, age: 37, Course Time: 1:47:39
Nice article…..thanks for the photo 🙂
You’re welcome and thank you!
Teri