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Spartan Race Arizona 2025

Spartan Race Arizona 2025. Course and map review of the 2025 Arizona Spartan Event Weekend map, at Fort McDowell Rodeo Grounds, Fort McDowell, AZ. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!! Links below: Get a free entry to Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or DEKA! Check out the details here:    • Free Spartan Race and Tough Mudder Gi...  

Free Spartan Race and Tough Mudder Giveaway

OCR Kings have become Spartan Race Brand Ambassadors and to celebrate, Spartan gave us free race codes which we intend to share with you! We have codes for Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, AND DEKA! Here's what to do: Click this link, fill out the form and submit a short video of yourself running, working out, or getting ready for an event: https://forms.gle/PwEmt8DB198tudCx5 Videos should be 1min or less, oriented 9:16 (portrait), and be sure to include our catch phrase, "Train Hard, Have Fun" If we select your video, we’ll post it on our channel and send you a code for a free race. All giveaway codes are one time use only and expire 12/31/2025. Taxes and add on’s are not included. Spartan Race Codes are good for:

• Sprint/Stadion
• Super
• Beast
• Ultra
• Trail 10K

Spartan Race Heats:

• Elite
• Age Group
• Open

Tough Mudder Codes are good for:

• 5K
• 10K
• Infinity
• Toughest

Tough Mudder Heats:

• First Mud
• Standard

DEKA Codes are good for:

• The bigger events Spartan holds, not local gym events

DEKA Heats:

• Age Group
• Age Group Teams
• Ultra Age Group

 

SitRep: Perris Lake Trifecta Weekend

Perris California

January 25, 26 2025

 

Introduction

Like you and everyone who we have ever known, we are proudly living in the Holocene, which began 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Our ancestors came out of that ice age armed with only spears, animal furs for clothing, and a legendary can-do attitude. The course at the Perris Lake area has geological remnants of these melting ice sheets (California Glaciation, 2024) and the artwork of the people (History, 2024) who defined the region thousands of years ago.

 

Current Events

Last year, the Perris Lake Trifecta Weekend was held in sunny skies, with temperatures in the 70’s, and provided a great winter getaway. This year, things were decidedly different. The California wildfires raged for almost two weeks, shutting down parts of Los Angeles and creating havoc for the local infrastructure. Travel was questionable leading up to the race, and airlines did not offer to change flights without penalty until the last minute. Perris Lake is about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, potentially impacting highway travel. Ultimately, the fires did not create an issue in the greater Moreno Valley, where the race is held but cooler and rainy conditions defined the race for many. But going out west is always a good time (Going Out West, 2024).

 

Spartan Relief Efforts

Spartan announced a relief program and accepted non-perishable goods from racers to aid those impacted by the wildfires. Since Moreno Valley is a sprawling suburb, picking up donation necessities for the relief effort at the local Walmart was very straightforward. When I dropped my bag off at 6:15 the pallet was nearly full already, solid effort by Spartan Racers and for Spartan who partnered with a local WMCA to handle distribution.

 

 

Logistics

I booked air travel to Los Angeles (LAX) at a favorable but non-refundable rate 3 months ago. As we got closer to the race, I explored some other options. I kept in touch with the airlines and American Airlines announced a no-penalty change fee a week before the event. At this point, I decided to change to San Diego at the same rate and drive the 2 hours to a Best Western hotel I stayed in last year in Moreno Valley about 15 minutes from Lake Perris. It has a reasonable rate, a working outdoor whirlpool, 15 minutes from the event site, and plenty of fellow Spartans. Palm Springs Airport is an option if you can fly out on Monday, but I always opt for the red eye to reduce costs and get back to work on Monday.

 

Weather

The weather on Saturday started in the low 40s for early heats and got up to mid-50s with strong winds by noon. On Sunday, temperatures were cooler with a light rain, but the wind abated. I packed compression and a rain jacket that was utilized on Sunday. Since I never wear gloves, I also used Hot Hands for the first mile or so on both days in anticipation of overhead obstacles in cooler temperatures. I stopped in at the Med Tent for injury information and there were more than a few cases of borderline hypothermia. Compression gear solves most of these issues but in the war between fashion and utility, utility is fighting an uphill battle, “there is no bad weather, only bad gear.”

 

 

Historical Significance of the Area

Perris Lake Recreational Center lies within Moreno Valley, a portion of the home of the Luiseno people who began populating the region at the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago (History 2024). The Luiseno were part of the larger Uto-Aztecan language family that inhabited the coastal and inland area of what is now the larger Southern California region. They were skilled hunters who hunted deer, big horn sheep, and antelope utilizing spears, bows and arrows and combined with teamwork and an understanding of animal behavior. The Luiseno also created petrograph artwork painted onto rocks that detailed their hunting and cultural practices. There is a prominent petrograph painted on a huge boulder at mile 8 of the Beast course that utilizes a red pigment, the Luiseno, made from the iron oxide gathered from the hills in the region (Luiseno People, 2024).

 

 

The Course

The Beast course was nearly identical to last year. We spent the first 7 miles in a big loop around the lake with no real elevation. The terrain had no trees but sparse vegetation that was dead and nearly black from lack of rain. It’s not hard to imagine how a spark or small fire could ignite this type of brush and it would burn for days. The second half of the race sent us along the shore of the lake, running on the beach and wound its way along the shoreline for six solid miles. Part of this was beach running, parts running on a path, and parts in small groves of trees. There were no real technical portions or any of this terrain, and the beach was compact and not much of an issue. The Super course eliminated the loop around the lake while the Sprint cut to the beach early in its routing.

 

Obstacle Placement

Critics of obstacle placement will have a field day with this set-up, obstacles were heavily backloaded along the beach. For the Beast, there were a series of easier obstacles, such as Horizontal Beams and Walls, before they sent us out on the Lake Loop, which had virtually no obstacles. Most obstacles were backloaded on the Super and Sprint courses.

 

There was talk going on about a new obstacle Lattice Wall. Well, when we came up to Lattice Wall it was nothing more than a 7-foot wall with horizontal slats, a super simple obstacle. I have no beef with the obstacle itself but in the name of Mirriam-Webster, it is not a lattice. Lattice has a myriad of definitions in physics and computer science but in carpentry lattice is a series of interconnecting horizontal and vertical patterns that create a crisscross design (Lattice, 2024). Lattice can be used for stability or purely ornamental purposes, but this obstacle had nothing to do with lattice. I propose a write-in campaign to change the name of this obstacle to something based on reality, and I implore all Spartan racers to join me in solidarity.

 

But there is good news! For the Beast, we came into the breach right after Multi-Rig, where they had a Dunk Wall set up in the lake. Spartan did something fantastic here for the Beast, given we are in Southern California, home of Navy Seal training (Navy Seals, 2024). They designed a preschool, baby version of BUDS. This meant a 20-foot swim out into cool, choppy water, under the Dunk Wall, and back to the beach. After we got out of the water, there was an uphill Barbed Wire Crawl on the sand, and then we moved onto the Kayak Carry. The kayaks were legitimate, made of plastic composite; not heavy but unwieldy. We only had to carry them 20 feet into the lake for the turnaround. However, this was long enough for 4 guys I fell in with to yell “Who’s going to carry the boats” about ten times”. It seemed redundant of me to point out that in fact, we were carrying the boats, but I got the point. This series of obstacles was a memorable obstacle set-up and put a local spin on the race. Sad to say, after the Beast, they shut down the Dunk Wall due to increasing wind. This meant Super and Sprint racers missed out on this experience, a tough break for them.

 

This course always has a long first sandbag carry that uses a paved section of the lake. This year they threw in a second longer sandbag carry with those green sandbags used for building dams during a flood. It was about a mile to get to Multi-Rig, Hercules Hoist, and Slip Wall coming in for the final obstacle A-Frame. There was no fire jump; I spoke with the race director who said they never have them in California anymore; for obvious reasons.

 

T-Shirts and Medals and Debts Unpaid

The T-shirt has a nice design; the Spartan Logo is larger, and the back has a design that incorporates the Boar. This year there are only unisex sizes, and they seem to have a more athletic fit. So, if you are still in a bulking phase, you might consider sizing up. The medals this year are a great design, and the Trifecta Weekend Medal almost looks like a multi-trifecta medal.

 

For those of you who have not gotten your shield from Greece yet or a back owed multi-Trifecta medal, they had some on hand for racers. They plan to ID what you are owed and if you are registered and provide them to you at a future race. If you fall into this category, you may consider contacting customer service to let them know. To avoid another incident with my good friends in TSA (who knew Calamine lotion could be used as an explosive), I opted to pick mine up in Jacksonville next month since I am driving to that event.

 

Festival Area

It was somewhat sparse this year, primarily due to the larger issues in California. There were some local gyms, our friends at the Border Patrol and the Army as well as some local food vendors. A protein shake with the perfunctory name “Don’t Quit” (I mean, we just finished) was given out, which is new this year. It's not bad and probably a better post-race option than in past years. Regin Energy was not at this race, and I get the feeling they will not be back.

 

Summary

I’m glad we have a January race, instead of the Jacksonville kickoff in February/March. With any early season race, we’re rolling the dice on conditions, but we still can get some miles in and a Trifecta under our belts so we can adjust our training. In December, I re-did my entire strength, running and lifting program and I found out a lot about how I am responding to a new approach. Races are feedback and it was great to get feedback early in the season so I could make some adjustments in my training, nutrition, and recovery This is a solid venue to get feedback; it is runnable, and the conditions are reasonable for this time of year.

 

I also want to thank my ancestors (through genetic and cultural links) who got us through the last ice age; you will never hear me complain about the weather.

 

 

References

 

California Glaciation (2024) https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/research-highlight-researchers-uncover-new-details-about-californias-ancient-shoreline

 

 Video Overview of Glaciation and the Quaternary (2024)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_SKZVyJDlo

 Going Out West (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3brI5s6tULI

 History (2024)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiseño 

The Holocene (2024)

https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/deep-time/holocene

Lattice (2024) https://www.lowes.com/n/buying-guide/what-is-lattice

Luiseno People (2024) https://www.californiafrontier.net/the-luiseno-of-southern-california/

Navy Seals (2024) https://navyseals.com/buds/

 

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https://youtu.be/u7LW61Rdo_g?si=Itgc7kYevouZjmaw

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