MY GREAT ADVENTURE - GEORGIA SPARTAN SPRINT 2013

Well, gang, I did it!  This past Saturday (3/9/13), I finished my 1st mud run/obstacle course - the Georgia Spartan Sprint. 

I was very excited when I crossed the entrance to the race area Saturday morning.  However, as it drew closer and closer to the start of my wave (10:45 am), I really was feeling intimidated - I don't swim so if I got 'in over my head' (literally for me) in one of those water traps, I felt it would be all over for  me! 

 

 

Once the gun went off, I decided not to run hard - my one and only goal was to finish the race. I didn't plan to make any PRs this day other than TO FINISH. With the very 1st obstacle - crossing over a highway barricade while being doused with ice cold water from a high pressure fire hose - to the very last one - crawling under barred wire through thick Georgia mud - it certainly proved to be my greatest adventure to date. 
 

The course was not without its struggles for me - most of the water traps I by-passed to do 'burpees'; I attempted the 1st 2 or so such traps (1st walking through a 'shallow' creek, then through a 'small swamp') and I just couldn't do it.  When I first stepped into that creek, I began hyperventilating  - gasping for air - and panicking so I took my chances walking along the creek banks.  And I definitely said NO to walking through the swamp - I found a path in the wooded area alongside the swamp.  My only concern then was if this would be more hazardous (like being quicksand).  Thankfully, it wasn't (WHEW).

Oh, BTW you see that huge structure in the picture below?  Well, that was an obstacle that had to be conquered too.  You climbed up a web of ropes on one side in order to get to the other side by crossing the web of rope over the top stretched between to the 2 towers.  Another fear of mine is heights so you can only imagined how I felt at the top of that monstrosity! 

I fared OK when it came to climbing and crossing walls - well about 75% - the highest wall I did climb was  7 ft. I couldn't get over an 8-ft wall and an incline wall and there was that incline wall to cross after crawling through the 1st of 2 mud traps. 

 (You know, people paid good money to punish themselves - LOL!)

Anyway, I finished under in 4 hours - I have to brag on myself.  I must say I was certainly in good company.  The lady in front of me crossing the finishing line is 69.  Perhaps the most heart-felt and truly inspiring people I witness was Michael Mills (he's the guy in the last picture on this page).  You can't complain about your feet hurting when you see someone crawling through the mud without them.