The third time's a charm, so they say. After two years of registering but having to back out for other reasons, I finally made it to a Men's Health Urbanathlon on attempt #3. It was everything I had expected it to be: a solid blend of the obstacle racing I love combined with 10 miles of fast road racing. Continue reading →
Shale Hill Adventure Farm – Review
As the sport of obstacle racing becomes increasingly popular and gains more mainstream attention, athletes are finding themselves looking for more unique and challenging ways to train that go beyond the standard gym. Enter: Shale Hill Adventure Farm. Located in the town of Benson, Vermont, Shale Hill Adventure Farm is both a permanent obstacle course and race training facility at the home of Continue reading →
2014 Spartan Race World Championships – Vermont Beast Recap
I can assure you that there will be dozens of Spartan Race World Championship recaps posted in the coming week that will detail the brutal race, obstacle for obstacle, with epic pictures and video. I can also assure you that there will be twice as many (if not more) blog post about course inconsistencies, cheating, bottle necks on the course, who did their burpees "correctly" if at all, Continue reading →
Panic at the Vermont Beast.
Twas two nights before the Vermont Spartan Beast World Championships, And all through the internet... Everyone was freaking out. I can't write poems at 8:29 am before the caffeine has kicked in. Course cut off times. Where to find those single serving mustard packets (never mind the fact that 90% of these people have never actually tried the mustard during a race setting. Nothing new on Continue reading →
O2X Summit Challenge – Sugarbush, VT – Review
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary Initially I had wanted to return from my adventures this weekend and boast about how amazing the inaugural O2X Summit Challenge was. But now I don't want to. Not because the race wasn't everything I hoped it would be, but because I selfishly want to keep the "awesome" all to myself. A race where the directors did Continue reading →
How to Survive the Vermont Spartan Beast: A Guide for Non-Elites.
Question: "I'm signed up for the Vermont Spartan Beast. Am I going to die?" Answer: Not likely. But you'll probably feel like it. ___________________________________________________________________________ Continue reading →
Tough Mudder: The Great NorthEast, Maine
For the record: I apologized face to face to a kick ass Tough Mudder employee this weekend. I confessed that I was a diehard Spartan in the past, and had fallen victim to the Hatfield/McCoy type rivalry (or simply middle-school-esque type drama) that somehow evolved between those who bleed orange and those who bleed red and black. I read the Outside Magazine article. And though I tried to Continue reading →
The Dirty Dash (& Discount Code)
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of The Dirty Dash. In my quest to do my little part in helping to advance and grow the world of obstacle racing, I'm more than happy to help cover and promote race organizations that are positively contributing to the community. In other words, putting the racer first, and not, you know, canceling races last minute. While I am Continue reading →
Boston Spartan Sprint – 2014 review
In short: Spartan Race brought their "A-game" to the 2014 Boston Spartan Sprint at Amesbury Park. 4.8 miles of seamlessly executed obstacle racing, with new obstacles and twists on old ones. The long: Geoff and I arrived bright and early to Amesbury Sports Park in order to deal with a bit of a registration snafu. Leave it to me to wait until the day before the race to try and find my Continue reading →
Ninja 5
Every sport has its big day. Road runners have the Boston Marathon. Cyclists have the Tour de France. Football fans have the Superbowl. Badminton players probably have a big day, I just don't know what it is. And here in New England, us Spahtens have the Spartan Sprint at Amesbury. In the grand scheme of Spartan racing, there is nothing special about the New England race (now referred to Continue reading →
Should I Wear Gloves for Obstacle Racing? And Other OCR Questions Answered
Race season is upon us, my friends. Well, technically, for the truly committed it never ended, and depending where you are located your race season may vary. But for the North East it seems some of our biggest races of the year in the obstacle racing world are fast approaching. Last minute questions of what should I bring, where should I stay, what should I wear, and "I have to climb HOW many Continue reading →
