Race Review – Spartan Race Colorado Springs 2025

 

                            2025 Spartan       

                 Colorado Springs                               

                            Race Review

 

                  By OCR Kings Reporter At Large

                            David Best             

 

                                              DIZZY....................

 

 I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'....like a whirlpool it never ends!!!

 

 This hit song by Tommy Roe aptly describes the Colorado Springs

 

 Race weekend held at Fort Carson on May 31- June 1, 2025. All

 

 four race types were included (Ultra, Beast, Super and Sprint) as

 

 well as the kids race. The race has been held here since 2022 and

 

 is one of the two Trifecta race weekends on the Spartan calendar 

 

 where you will receive a special honor series medal upon

 

 completion of your race of choice (the other is Newberry, SC the

 

 weekend of November 15 – 16....the Ultra medals are especially

 

 cool!!!)

 

                                       Venue History

 

 Camp Carson was established in 1942 following the attack on

 

 Pearl Harbor by Japan. The city of Colorado Springs purchased

 

 

 land south of the city and donated it to the War Department. The

 

 city has gotten more then a nice return on that investment!!! The 

 

 name was changed to Fort Carson in 1954 and encompasses more

 

 then 137,000 acres and was named after the legendary Army scout

 

 and General, Christopher “Kit” Carson. The fort is currently home

 

 to the 4^th Infantry Division as well as the 10^th Special Forces

 

 Group.

 

                                      Venue Logistics

 

 Fort Carson is located about 20 minutes from Colorado Springs,

 

 so there is a bit of a drive to get from your lodging of choice to

 

 the venue itself. The city offers an abundance of hotel, dining and

 

 entertainment options and if you're an outdoor enthusiast as I am,

 

 then you will be in heaven. You will have two options if your

 

 plan is to fly in for the event....Denver, which is about 85 miles

 

 from Colorado Springs or the airport in the city of Colorado

 

 Springs. I've done the race twice and used both airport options

 

 and if at all possible, fly into Colorado Springs!!!! They have a

 

 beautiful airport that's not busy, plenty of rental cars and the best

 

 part is you don't have to waste your time in that Denver traffic

 

 which gives you more time to enjoy what Colorado Springs has

 

 to offer we Spartans.

 

                   Weather Conditions & Oxygen Deprivation

 

 As Fort Carson lies in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it is

 

 subject to weather conditions that seem to change by the hour.

 

 Cold mornings turn into dry and hot mid days that turn into rain    

 

 soaked afternoons then to cool evenings. This venue is also

 

 know as being a hail magnet (see YouTube videos from 2023)

 

 and this year was no different. As the crew members of Spartan

 

 were putting the finishing touches on the venue late Friday, a

 

 hail storm hit causing damage to multiple tents in the venue area.

 

 Once the storm passed, the Colorado Springs Spartan crew leapt

 

 into action working deep into the night to repair the damage done

 

 and they did just that with flying colors!!! The Spartan crew

 

 members NEVER get enough credit for the hard work and

 

 dedication they bring to give us Spartans the finest race  

 

 experience there is in OCR. But the weather isn't the only thing

 

 we have to battle on race day....it's literally trying to catch our

 

 breath. Colorado Springs lies at 6,035 feet above sea level and I

 

 always thought that the higher above sea level you went, the less

 

 

 

oxygen there is....but not so.....it's actually the lack of pressure at

 

 the higher altitudes that allow the oxygen to spread out so you

 

 are taking in less oxygen per breath then you do at sea level....

 

 about 20 percent less at this venue. They say it takes 3-5 days to

 

 acclimate to this, but personally, I think it would take weeks and

 

 then maybe.

 

                                       Paul Lachance &

 

                            The American Warrior Initiative  

 

 In previous race reviews, we have highlighted so many great

 

 causes like the Teddy Bear Crawl and More Hearts Then Scars,

 

 but I would like to tell you about Paul Lachance and his work

 

 with the American Warrior Initiative. American Warrior Initiative

 

 provides fully trained service dogs to wounded veterans as well

 

 as first responders that need the help and companionship these

 

 dogs offer our heroes. Paul has shirts made up and and 100%

 

 of the funds received for the shirts go to the initiative so they

 

 may continue to service the needs of  our warriors. Paul is a

 

 retired Navy veteran of the Viet Nam era and currently the oldest

 

 Spartan racer in the world which gives him a platform so he may

 

 continue his work for the Initiative. If you are interested in

 

 supporting the cause, just look him up on Facebook by his name

 

 or you may try Spartan 4-0 on Facebook as well.

 

                                   Course & Obstacle 

 

                                            Review

 

 The course this year seemed to take the same route as in previous

 

 years with a mixed bag of rock, mud and grass with a decent

 

 spacing of hills and flatter straightaways to help with making up

 

 the time lost on those hills and looking for air (LOL). We did

 

 have an added bonus this year....with the rain came the wild

 

 flowers. Flame orange and well as purple and blue dotted the

 

 course and we were also serenaded by many a happy frog that

 

 enjoyed the ponds created by the needed rain. The course

 

 obstacles were as follows: hurdles, overunder walls, 4ft wall,

 

 rolling mud, dunk wall and to slip wall. I ran both the Beast and

 

 Sprint on Saturday and the difference between the dunk wall &

 

 slip wall between the two races were night and day. The Ultra &

 

 Beast racers had to problem with the mud and slip wall, but the

 

 Sprint racers and Saturday as well as the Super/Sprint racers on

 

 Sunday were treated to what I call a suicide mission trying to get

 

 up that wall. The consistency of the mud changed so much in

 

 just those few hours that racers were only able to make it up about  

 

 half way before tumbling down the wall and in more then a few

 

 cases, taking other racers with them. One ingenious Spartan even

 

 sat on the slipwall and pulled himself up to the top and over the 

 

 obstacle. Then on to bucket  carry, Stairway To Sparta, 7ft wall,

 

 beater, Irish tables and twister. We then had to tackle 8ft wall,

 

 Tyrolean Traverse, vertical cargo, Armer and then Olympus......

 

 my Kryptonite. Just before the Olympus, there was a water

 

 station with a volunteer overseeing both the Olympus and the

 

 water station. As I drank my water, he asked “How you doing”

 

 and I responded “I'm pissed off” and pointed toward the Olympus

 

 to show him the multiple “racers” that were stepping on the

 

 handholds to complete the obstacle. I then proceeded to tell him

 

 how tired I am trying to complete Olympus not only battling the

 

 obstacle, but the mud and dog **it left behind by those “racers”

 

 on the handholds. He then told me it's hard for him to handle both

 

 things and he figures the water comes first. (I missed on Olympus

 

 during the beast, but completed in during the Super). Then

 

 Bender, Inverted Wall, Spear Throw, Atlas Carry, Sandbag Carry,

 

 

  Z Wall to the last hill of the day and that one will have you

 

 searching for oxygen!!!! To rope climb, a very long barbed wire

 

 crawl to monkey bars, A-Frame Cargo, Herc Hoist, Multi Rig

 

 and finally the fire jump.

 

                        Final Thoughts & Recommendations

 

 This venue is a very deceiving one. You can look at the map and

 

 say to yourself “That doesn't look that hard” but when you're hit

 

 with the terrain, weather conditions and not much oxygen, you

 

 will be feeling all that come fire jump time. The weather got me

 

 on Saturday as I was doing both the Beast and Sprint, but an

 

 afternoon thunderstorm came in and I was only able to complete

 

 about ¾ of the Sprint course before Spartan closed the obstacles

 

 and made us walk the rest of the course to finish. Yes, we did do

 

 the fire jump and we did receive our Sprint medals. Something

 

 that Spartan needs to address is attracting seasoned racers to

 

 volunteer to man these obstacles and to have these veterans take

 

 the new racers to school on how Spartan is properly done. I

 

 purchase the season pass each year since I race more often then

 

 most, so a free race code doesn't really entice me to volunteer.

 

 What can we do to entice more qualified Spartans to volunteer?

 

 If you have any ideas, please leave them in the comments section

 

 and if they're good, I'll claim them as my own!!!! LOL!!! Until

 

 my next report, this is your OCR Kings reporter at large, David

 

 Best, bringing you all the best that Spartan offers us!!!!!!!!!      

 

 

                          

 

 

    

     

Race Review - Spartan Race Tri-State Bethel NY 2025

Race Review - Spartan Race Tri-State Bethel NY 2025. An after action, SITREP of the Tri-State NY Spartan Race Super in Bethel, NY, as run by Mack and Damer, June 7, 2025. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!! Links below: Send us your video, get a free Spartan Race:    • Free Spartan Race and Tough Mudder Giveaway   Save 20% on your next Spartan Race, use Spartan discount code: OCR-KINGS Register on www.spartan.com

2025 Spartan Raymond James Stadium Race Review

 

2025 Spartan       

               Raymond James Stadium

                        Race Review

 

                  By OCR Kings Reporter At Large

                            David Best             

 

  Are You Not Entertained...........Are You Not Entertained.............

 

                         Is That Not Why You're Here!!!!!!!!!

 

  The answer is yes and and I was quite entertained at the Spartan

 

  Raymond James Stadion Race event held on May 10, 2025. It  

 

  was a one day only event that included a kids race as well the

 

  Teddy Bear Crawl done for charity. The race has been held at

 

  this venue since 2023 and is contracted to run until 2026. This

 

  particular race is part of the Honor Series that commemorate and

 

  honor the military and first responders who overcome those

 

  everyday obstacles in an effort to serve and protect our country

 

  and communities. There is also a special Honor Series medal

 

  awarded upon completion of the race.

 

 

 

                               Venue History & Logistics

 

  Raymond James Stadium is home to the two time Super Bowl

 

  Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002 & 2020) as well as

 

  the University of South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium

 

  opened in 1998 and can seat a maximum of  75,000 and has

 

  hosted three Super Bowls ( 2001, 2009 and 2021). It has also

 

  hosted such musical acts including Beyonce, Taylor Swift, U2

 

  and The Rolling Stones ( I was lucky enough to attend that one).

 

  The stadium is conveniently located less then 10 minutes from

 

  Tampa International Airport and about 20 minutes from Busch

 

  Gardens and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Once your Spartan

 

  Race has been completed, there are more then enough things to

 

  keep you entertained afterword. Hotel and restaurant options

 

  are to numerous to list since this venue is so conveniently located

 

  in the city and if you need to work on that tan, no problem as

 

  there are multiple beaches and parks within minutes of the  

 

  stadium.

 

 

                    Parking, Registration and Security Check

 

  I was able to attend this event last year and parking, registration

 

  as well as the security check into the stadium were a snap. It

 

  wasn't like that this year. Parking and registration were a

 

  nightmare, but is wasn't the fault of Spartan......it was actually the   

 

  fault of Hurricane Milton & the Tampa Bay Rays . Since their 

 

  home venue, Tropicana Field, was destroyed during the

 

  hurricane, they are playing their home games this season at

 

  Steinbrenner Field (spring training home of the New York

 

  Yankees) which is across the street from Raymond James

 

  stadium. The Rays had to use the parking area located at

 

  Raymond James because the Rays had a 4:10 game scheduled the

 

  same day as our event with the Milwaukee Brewers. That meant

 

  Spartan had to reconfigure and reroute the race to accommodate

 

  both events. Parking was very slow as they only had two people

 

  collecting the $10. parking fee that could only be paid by credit/

 

  debit card. The registration tables were placed in an area that had

 

 

  limited access and people thought they had to wait in one long

 

  line instead of multiple smaller lines we Spartans are accustomed

 

  to. Some Spartans waited in line for hours. But just when you

 

  think you've made it into the venue after battling your way past     

 

  parking and registration, then comes the security check. Passing

 

  through the metal detectors and having the security force search

 

  your bags was quite the ordeal for more then a few Spartans.

 

  Numerous Spartans had their gel and mustard packs as well as

 

  their electrolytes packs confiscated and one young lady had to

 

  throw away an empty nalgene bottle she planned to fill once she

 

  entered the venue.  There was also a racer that wasn't allowed to

 

  bring in a banana and had to eat it before entry was granted. Once

 

  inside, there was the normal bag check, store and vendors.

 

                   Course Conditions And Obstacle Layout

 

  Last year's race was HOT & HUMID and I was hoping this year's

 

  race would be different......well, it wasn't!!! It was very HOT &

 

  HUMID and I'm a lifelong Floridian,  so I know about heat.

 

  Over 3200 racers and many more spectators battled the elements

 

  both natural and man made to participate in this stadion spectacle.

 

  The course layout was as follows....4 foot overwalls, jerry can

 

  carry, heavy jump rope, herc hoist (Spartan even lightened up the

 

  bags and some racers still dropped them), then slam ball, push

 

  ups (both slam balls and push ups were in the air conditioned

 

  South Florida Bulls locker room), then onto the stadium grass

 

  field for rope climb, a barbed wire crawl (not usually seen at a

 

  stadion race), box jumps, back into the interior of the stadium

 

  for monkey bars and then to atlas carry. Then a multitude of

 

  corded low crawls up to the top of the stadium where a nice

 

  sandbag carry up and down multiple flights of stairs awaited us.

 

  I passed many Spartans resting in the stadium spectator seats

 

  completely gassed from both the heat and those stairs. Then a

 

  weighted vest along with more corded low crawls took us down

 

  to level two of the stadium where we then engaged the 6 foot

 

  wall and then down to the ground floor where a short run took

 

  us to the multi-rig. The multi-rig has a special configuration for

 

  stadion events as it is rings only and the rings are made of nylon

 

  instead of the medal rings we are used to at the other Spartan

 

 

  events. This will cause you problems with wet/sweaty hands and

 

  with the rings being so light, they can get away from you very

 

  quickly. Another short run to spear throw. Spear throw was set

 

  up in an area of asphalt and concrete and while I had no problem,

 

  Spartans that ran in the afternoon were limited to one working

 

  spear throw lane as the others were all broken from the impacts

 

  with the asphalt and concrete. Then onto the field for the 7 foot

 

  wall, z wall, ram burpees to A frame cargo, the gauntlet and

 

  then the finish line. The obstacles omitted from this years stadion

 

  race were the tonal rotational chop and rolling epic.

 

                  Recommendations And Final Thoughts 

 

  I think Spartan needs to address the following to make this and

 

  all future stadion races more user friendly for both spectators and

 

  participants. They need to double the amount of people collecting

 

  the parking fees from two to four. The registration area needs to

 

  be in a more accessible area as well as someone to direct people 

 

  on where they need to go. They need the race director to meet

 

  with both stadium and security staff to review entry procedures as

 

  well as what is allowed into the venue. Bananas, goo, gels and

 

  electrolytes should not be prohibited items. Racers need to wear

 

 

 

  large wrist sweatbands and carry a microfiber towel to help

 

  alleviate wet hands which will help in completing the grip

 

  obstacles since this race is hot and humid.  With that being said,

 

  I highly recommend trying a Spartan stadion event as it is such a

 

  unique experience. The stadium, the music, seeing yourself and

 

  other Spartans on the jumbotron as well as your interaction with 

 

  the spectators. For just a few hours, you are transported  back to 

 

  the days of ancient Rome, where  you were able to participate in

 

  such a spectacle. I was effected in this way....I was transformed

 

  from your mild mannered OCR Kings reporter at large into your

 

  gladiator, your champion.......... Maximus Bestimus Delirious!!!!

 

  I will leave you with this one final thought.......what we do in

 

  life......echoes in eternity. And until my next report, this is your

 

  OCR Kings reporter as large, David Best, bringing you all the

 

  BEST Spartan offers us!!!!!!!!! 

x

Race Review - Spartan Race Fayetteville Trifecta Weekend

Race Review - Spartan Race Fayetteville Trifecta Weekend

Race Review - Spartan Race Fayetteville Trifecta Weekend. An after action, SITREP of the Fayetteville Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend at McCormick Farms, NC as run Tom Shankapotomous May 3 and 4, 2025. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!! Links below: Read Tom's full SitRep on Shank Gym: https://www.shankgym.com/post/fayettv... Read Tom's post on Geology – Deep Time, Tectonics, and the Structure of the Earth: https://www.shankgym.com/post/geology... Save 20% on your next race with Spartan Race Discount Code: OCR-KINGS

2025 Spartan Palm Beaches Race Review

 

                    2025 Spartan Palm Beaches

                           Race Review

                        By OCR Kings Reporter At Large

                                           David Best

The 2025 Spartan Palm Beaches race was held at the Sunset Cove Amphitheater and grounds the weekend of  March 29 – 30. The amphitheater has played host to many national acts such as The Zac Brown Band, Willie Nelson, Darius Rucker, Sublime with Rome, Yes and numerous others. The venue can accommodate a maximum of six thousand people. The venue also has two lakes for fishing and other water sports as well as picnic areas, ball fields, a dog park and a 27 hole public golf course. There are plenty of things to keep you busy at the venue once your Spartan Race experience is over for the day. 

                                          Venue Logistics 

  The venue is evenly spaced between the Palm Beach International and   the Fort Lauderdale International airports as well as easily accessed by   both the Florida Turnpike and I-95 so traffic delays are minimal. The   venue has numerous dining and hotel options available within 5 to 10   minutes. The beach is about ½ hour from the venue if you need to work   on your post race tan. Parking at the venue was no problem as we parked   on the grass near the entrance to the venue.  

 

                               Festival Area And Race Review 

  The festival area was in the same area as in previous years with dining   options that included Up In Smoke BBQ as well as Travelin' Tom's Coffee   and Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream. Spartan has now partnered with Real   American Beer so at least we Spartans now get a real beer post race   instead of the seltzer they've been handing out in prior races.

 

  The race was a Sprint only event week and the obstacles reflected that.   The race began with hurdles then over walls (4 foot) before coming to   a slight cliff climb that included ropes to aid in the climb. Then monkey   bars, bucket carry that did include some undulation, then a decent run   before hitting the inverted wall, another long run before coming to the   six foot wall and a shallow lake crossing. Then vertical cargo, sandbag   carry, spear throw, helix and then to herc hoist. One thing that never   gets old at the Sprint events are the new racers and watching them learn   about the obstacles and herc hoist didn't disappoint. A young man was next   to me and got his bag to the top....the next thing I know the bag was   speeding down with him still holding the rope and he goes head over heels   into the metal fencing that surrounds the hoist. The only thing he hurt was   his pride as his buddies got the whole thing on video. From herc hoist, we   hit slip wall, atlas carry, plate drag, barb wire crawl, rope climb, multi-rig,   A frame cargo and the finish line. The obstacles omitted from this years   race were rolling mud, dunk wall, Z wall  and the fire jump. The race  weekend was well attended with over 2,900 racers on Saturday and 1,100   on Sunday. The weather was partly cloudy on both Saturday and Sunday   with light showers on Sunday morning that did make the overhead grip   obstacles quite challenging. One thing the venue didn't have this year was   a shower area, but since there wasn't really any mud at this years venue,   it wasn't a big deal and if you needed a post race bath, just hit the lakes. 
 

                       Final Thoughts And Recommendations 

  Even though this is just a Sprint only weekend event, I just love this race.   After pounding out Trifecta weekends in SoCal, Houston and Atlanta, this   race comes at the right time as you can relax and have fun as well as work   on your spear throw and grip obstacles. It's also a great venue to try for   your personal best time on the Sprint, but if you do, sign up for the Sunday   morning Sprint as there are a lot less participants. This is also a great   venue to bring the family to as you can fit in two Sprints and have the   rest of the day to swim, fish or hit the beaches. Until my next Spartan   race review, this is your reporter at large for OCR Kings David Best.    

Race Review - Spartan Race Atlanta Trifecta Weekend 2025

Race Review - Spartan Race Atlanta Trifecta Weekend. An after action, SITREP of the Atlanta Spartan Race Trifecta Weekend at Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA as run Tom Shankapotomous March 15 and 16, 2025. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!! Links below: Read Tom's full SitRep on Shank Gym: https://www.shankgym.com/post/atlanta... Send us your video, get a FREE Spartan Race:    • Free Spartan Race and Tough Mudder Gi...   Expect more from your skincare, check out Oars and Alps: https://www.oarsandalps.com/ocrkings #taketotheoars #spartanrace #spartan