2026 Spartan Utah Race Review

 

2026 Spartan Utah Race Review

By OCR Kings Reporter At Large

David Best

 Utah.......This beautiful state derives its name from the Ute Indian tribe that inhabit the lands we now recognize as the State of Utah. Ute, roughly translated, means “people of the mountains”. However, the word Ute doesn't exist in their language and the Utes refer to themselves as Noochee. The meaning of Utes as “The Mountain People” has been attributed to the neighboring Pueblo Indians of Colorado as well as the Apache Indians that referred to the Utes as “Yuttahih” which translates into “One That Is Higher Up” or “Those That Are Higher Up”. The Spanish, in turn, pronounced it as “Yuta” and finally, we English translated into “Utah”. Utah is also known as The Land of Saints, Land of the Mormons and the Land of Zion. Utah has the largest population of Mormons in the United States with 68% of its residents being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s also known as The Salt Lake State as well as the Deseret State. The Deseret State was the original name purposed by the people to name the state as “Deseret” was derived from a Mormon term, meaning “Honeybee”, but in the end, they decided on Utah and the rest is history. But Utah's most well-known nickname is the “Beehive State” and that comes from the reputation of bees for industriousness, a value deeply tied to Utah's Mormon settlers. I will tell you, you needed to be very industrious to complete the 2026 Spartan Race weekend that was held at the Snowbasin Ski Resort on July 11-12. This venue first appeared on the Spartan Race schedule in 2022,and with Beast racers numbering over 1000 open racers, 372 Age Group racers and 69 Elite racers as well as over 3000 Sprint racers on Saturday. The Sunday numbers included over 1400 Super racers of all race types as well as 600 Sprint racers of all types. There was also a kid’s race held on Saturday. With numbers like these, this venue will remain on the Spartan Race schedule for many years to come. As you will soon find out, this venue is no joke and not for the faint of heart. I run in the 60+ (Old Farts) age group and there were only 10 of us that were foolhardy enough to participate in the open Beast on Saturday. This was definitely a young person’s race.

Travel Logistics 

I was able to get a direct flight from Tampa International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport with the flight time of 4+ hours and a total distance of 1,888 miles as the crow flies. I then rented a car for the drive to Ogden, Utah that takes roughly 45 minutes to complete via Interstate 15. It's an easy ride with minimal traffic. Ogden itself is an easy town to navigate, as well as having multiple dining and hotel options available to accommodate even the most discriminating of Spartans. 

Venue Logistics & Having Second Thoughts 

As this was the first time I have visited and participated in this race, I was filled with a full range of emotions from excitement to trepidation. I do my “BEST” to research any new venue online via YouTube, Facebook as well as the Spartan Racer sites. But, as I will once again learn, having boots on the ground is the only way you'll find out about a venue for sure. As I left my hotel in Ogden and snaked my way up UT-39E, I passed a beautiful waterfall as well as the Pineview Reservoir. I would later visit the reservoir for a post-race swim and a bit of well needed relaxation. My GPS was soon telling me to turn onto UT-167S and that's when the trepidation kicked into overdrive. The road started going up.......and up.......and up......well, you get the idea. I'm a Florida flatlander and this has “Suicide Mission” written all over it. I finally reach the venue parking area......this venue has limited parking and while we early Beast racers had no problem securing a parking space, the Saturday Sprint racers actually had to park a few miles away in a vacant field and be bussed to the venue. I recommend getting to the venue early in the morning or spring for the VIP parking they offer to keep you from waiting for a bus ride to and from your vehicle. The lodge and surrounding buildings are beautiful and look like something you'd read about in a Louis L'Amour novel. Logs and cut stone comprise the lodge and set the stage for a truly western feel. I spent the day looking for Daniel Boone & Davy Crockett......LOL!!!!! 

The “BEAST” RACE 

As you leave the venue area, you head uphill to the starting corral...and it was only the beginning of what seemed to be a race of up, up, up to rolling hills to down, down, down and back to up, up ,up......a theme that continued for the next 14+ miles. Weather also reared its ugly head as it was HOT!!!!Ogden clocked in at 100+ degrees and the resort and course came in at a balmy 84 degrees. It was also dry with low humidity which will only dehydrate you that much faster........and it did!!!! I think the racers drank that course dry.....I know I did!!! These western venues with their dry/low humidity will actually dehydrate you from the inside out. As you are huffing and puffing your way up those mountains, you draw in dry air and expel the moist air from your lungs. If you don't re hydrate often, you'll have a problem. But solving one problem only causes you to have another problem......CRAMPS!!!!! I saw many a Spartan taking in too much water at the beginning of the race only to succumb to cramping later in the day. Pickle juice, mustard packs or electrolytes are definite must have for these dry western venues. There are two additional must haves for your list and the first is a wide brim hat. This was the first race I ever have worn a “Gilligan” style hat and man, am I glad I did. The vast majority of this course is in the open with little shade and for a bald guy like me, my dome would have been cooked. The second must have piece of equipment is a neck gaiter/tube. It can function as a cover for your head and face from the sun, but there is an even better use for it. In reviewing other racer videos, I saw small streams cut into the mountain from the snow melt throughout the course. You can use it to soak up that ice cold snow melt water from those streams to cool you off. You can also soak the gaiter in that water and wear the gaiter around the neck which will in turn cool the blood that is running thru your carotid arteries in your neck. It revived me and it was a game changer at this venue.....it was a big reason I was able to finish this race. We were then sent off out of the corral and up the mountain we went. Wewent up for what seemed to last forever before hitting the 4 ft Wall' then up and down the trail to Sandbag Carry, then up the trail to Hurdles, then Inverted Wall, uphill to Z Wall, then Tyrolean Traverse, Beater and 8 ft Wall. Onto the Bender and Twister back to back, up the hill again to Olympus. Just before Olympus, there was a small snow melt fed stream I was able to refresh myself with using my neck gaiter. I think that stream saved my race as that cold water hit me like water hitting a dry sponge and I was reinvigorated once again. Then to Chain Carry, Armer, Barbed Wire Crawl, 7ft Wall, Stairway To Sparta, Vertical Cargo, Plate Drag to 6ft Wall. All the while we were working our way downhill to the gauntlet of obstacles to finish the race. Bucket Carry, Rope Climb, Atlas Carry, Monkey In The Middle (Rings To Monkey Bars Back To Rings), Rolling Mud, Dunk Wall, Herc Hoist, Spear Throw, Barbed Wire Crawl #2, Slip Wall and finally the finish line. There was no fire jump due to the dry and hot weather conditions. Seeing a fire jump at a western race is rare for that very reason. The Beast Race ended up running 16+ miles with an elevation gain of 4537 and a loss of 4566. The venue had a maximum slope of 50.0%//-44.3% with an average slope of 15.2%//-14.5%. There were a total of 11 well needed water stations and a total of 29 obstacles. I was able to have a post race chat with two Spartans with one telling me he competed at Big Bear earlier in the year and said this race was more challenging. The other said this race was the 3rd hardest race he had ever done only behind the two races he completed when Spartan held races at Lake Tahoe. After leaving the venue to head back to the hotel, I stopped by the Pineview Reservoir and took a well-deserved swim to cool off, relax and reinvigorate in the cool water. I used it as my cold plunge and it worked out just fine. 

David's Pet Peeve And Post Race Rant 

I'm starting a new feature on my reviews and I'm calling it David's Pet Peeves and Post Race Rant. With this first installment, you'll get a two for one special. My first rant is about new racers and their shoe selection. New racers want to wear their old, worn out sneakers on course because they don't care if they get destroyed. Bad move!!!! I see more injuries from newbie racers from slip and falls due to the lack of tread/grip on their shoes. You can get away with a lot of things on course, but worn out shoes aren't one of them. The second is the stacking of obstacles at the very end of a race. I understand why they are doing it....these mountain venues are not the easiest to put obstacles on as most of the course isn't easy to get the equipment and obstacle to, but Hurdles, Armer and Plate Drag could be placed on parts of the course not as easily accessible and therefore breaking up the longer trail runs for the racers. They also stack the obstacles at the end as it is near the venue area and the spectators have something to watch. That's great for them, but for racers that have had those mountains kicking their ass for 14+ miles, it's just another gut punch from the Spartan Gods!!! 

Final Thoughts & Recommendations 

I'll tell you.......THIS IS A TOUGH COURSE!!!!! I've shied away from these mountain courses simply because there's no way for me to properly train for them due to the fact I'm from “FLAT” Florida. But doing both the Colorado and Cincinnati courses prior to this one must have got me in enough shape to complete this one. I guess Joe (De Sena) is right......DO HARD SHIT.......you just need to be smart about it. Proper hydration at least a week before this race is crucial. Pickle juice and electrolytes are a must during the race to prevent cramping. A wide brim hat and neck gaiter are game changers to protect you from the sun/weather and to keep you cool during the race. Follow this plan and you can complete this race weekend as I did. There was one added bonus from participating in these tough mountain races....it makes all the other races seem that much easier. Case in point, I recently participated in the Asheville Sprint/Super and I’m just gliding along those trails and thinking....I'm not even winded!!!! This is sweet!!!!! So, until my next report, this is your OCR Kings Reporter At Large, David Best, bring you all the best Spartan offers us!!!!!

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