Sun Peaks Spartan Ultra Beast Race Review By Jessica Bleasdale

A Stay-at-Home Mom's Viewpoint on the Sun Peaks Spartan Race Ultra Beast from the Top of the World

-Jessica Bleasdale

I feel kind of silly writing this review of the the Sun Peaks Spartan Race Ultra Beast. I am not a top tier athlete nor a long time runner nor a marathoner nor a personal trainer nor someone even with an athletic background. There has been lots of chatter before and after the race that the Sun Peaks Ultra Beast wasn't as hard as Vermont, wasn't long enough, wasn't good enough, wasn't challenging enough, and countless other derisive comments. Let me say quite frankly as a stay-at-home mom who began running a year and a half ago and have been training my butt off harder than I ever conceivably could have imagined, the Sun Peaks Ultra Beast was the greatest challenge on which I have ever embarked. And this is the magic of the Spartan Race brand. Anyone from any walk of life can do the training, do the necessary hard work, do whatever it takes, and earn that feeling of success when completing a race which makes the Spartan Race motto "You'll know at the finish line" so appropriate, particularly in my case at this race.

This review is not a highlight of the technical aspects of the course nor commentary on how this course does or doesn't stack up against other races. There are plenty of other athletes who can provide that type of review. I will give a lowdown on how I made it through the course and what it took for me to prep for the race. This recap and review is for the athletes just like me; those who dare to dream that they can achieve things they once thought impossible. It is for those who self doubt but don't back down. It is for those who are willing to step outside their comfort zone and train hard and willing to do whatever it takes to turn dreams into a reality.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely intimidated lining up in the starting corral with some absolutely stellar athletes. The race was capped to 100 racers so the calibre of athletes in this one group was extraordinary. In the pre-race inspiration speech the announcer gives prior to a Spartan Race it always includes a statement along the lines of "Now look to the Spartan on your left and look to the Spartan on your right,...." There was a running joke among the Ultra racers that as you looked to the people left and right of you that chances are in this race they would not finish it. This reality really set in with me as I waited for the race to begin and every fibre of my being wanted to succeed.

I will give a brief lowdown on the course from the perspective of a back-of-the-pack racer. Originally we were given 9 hours and 15 minutes to complete the course. This time cap was extended by 1 hour as they had made the course distance longer in the days leading up to the event. If you want to see a good video race recap I recommend the one done by Adam Kwitko from Get Out There Magazine who provides a glimpse into the terrain and obstacles of the course: http://youtu.be/eu13yrgbasQ There are lots of conflicting GPS reports on the actual distance of the course. Most racers GPS watches clocked the Ultra Beast course anywhere from 44 - 50km. The race organizers stated the course was 47km. It was 2 laps of the Spartan Beast course, with a drop bag tent in between for racers to re-fuel, change gear, and whatever else necessary before heading back up the mountain for a 2nd lap. This race was on a mountain so cumulatively we climbed nearly 10,000 feet of elevation. There were 58 obstacles to contend with on course which included 2 memorization obstacles just for Ultra Beast racers. I am quite certain I am not alone in being able to easily recall the 4 Prime Ministers - King, Campbell, Trudeau and Deifenbaker, and the 4 Ski Runs - Cahility, Sundance, Grannie Greens and 5 mile, which we had to memorize on the first then subsequent second lap of the race. There were your standard Spartan Race obstacles such as a rope climb, over-under-thru, 8ft walls, spear throw, monkey bars, sandbag carry, traverse wall, tractor pull, inverted wall, and the like. Some highlights (and lowlights) of the obstacles included an ungodly long bucket carry winding up and up a very rooty and narrow trail, quite a long trench of logs under which we had to crawl along sharp rocks and muck through a tight fit, an awkward log carry up and down a mountain, the absolute heaviest tire drag I have ever experienced in an obstacle race, and the log jam which we had to make our way through that seemed to be a time sucker of sorts. There was some leg burning elevation including a 9km run straight out of the starting gate up to the mountain top appropriately called 'Top of the World', some quad-busting-knee-popping steep downhill, great switchbacks, and some sweet single track technical trail which were a delight to any avid trail runner.

This race did not go as I had planned, which happens to the best of us sometimes on race day. Originally I was going to do the race with my husband, Chad Bleasdale and my teammate and friend, Jen Aragon. But neither Jen nor I were healthy heading into the race so my husband in fine form headed up into the mountains well out of sight from the get go; we had all made a pact that no one had to stay together because it was most important that no one hold each other back from completing the race. A trip to the doctor after the race gave insight into why I wasn't feeling in fine form as I found out I have an RSV respiratory infection that causes pneumonia, and a sprained ankle I must have gotten on my last training run before the race. But race day is not the day to make excuses and plod through the race I did. After a little over 10 hours on the course we did it; we actually crossed the finish line. Sore, tired dehydrated, hungry, bruised but none of that mattered because we completed the Ultra Beast to earn our Spartan Race belt buckle medal and our place in Spartan Race history.

I learned some good lessons from this race:

1) A race should always humble you. If you find a race easy then you did not give it all you had. You could have run it faster, you could have ranked higher in finishing, you could have doubled up on obstacles, you could have run the race blind-folded, etc. A race company provides the framework for the course and the athletes provide the true grit it takes to make it an exciting challenge. It is important to take pride in completion of a race as it is well-deserved; however it is never necessary to knock down the accomplishments of other people just to make oneself feel superior. I am grateful to those who celebrated my success even though they are far superior athletes as they knew this race had its own challenges and knew this was a huge undertaking for me. I am truly humbled by not only those who finished the race hours ahead of me but also by those who had to DNF the race as it easily could have been any one of us in their shoes on a different day.

2) Mental training is almost as important as physical training. This is a hard concept to fully appreciate until competing in a race of such magnitude. Being out in training runs or races for hours and hours at a time leaves lots of time for the brain to churn and create self-doubt. A human body is capable of so much more than what seems possible especially if you do not let your fears sabotage your potential.

3) To run a mountain race you have to train on mountains. Sounds obvious of course but it can be really hard to mimic the race course if you do not have access to similar terrain and elevation. On this race I saw full grown men on hands and knees puking in bushes because this race was so taxing in terms of incline. On that last dreaded incline on the 2nd lap I saw one racer on his hands and knees trying to make it up the mountain. For nearly 90% of my training runs I did them with my husband and our 2 children in strollers. We had to get creative with our training so often times we would run gravel logging roads up mountains pushing the kids in strollers which was an exercise in both strength and endurance.

4) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Did I mention you should hydrate? I was not properly hydrated going into the race. I know that now. On race day I went through 4L of electrolyte water plus pitstops at water stations and I still finished the race very dehydrated. In all my time thus far with running and racing I had never experienced cramping. But I did cramp up in this race on multiple occasions because I was not properly hydrated.

5) Rest, rest, rest. This is easier said than done as a Mom. The night before the race I was up all night with my 5 year old who decided that was the night he did not require any sleep....ugh. But truthfully I was not getting the proper rest I needed leading up to the race. At least 2 weeks before the race I should have set an early bedtime and stuck to it as part of my pre-race training plan.

6) Run smarter not harder. By the time race day came around I had a pretty good idea what my capabilities are and where my strengths and weaknesses lay. I know that gunning it up the mountain to try to keep up with the front runners would have been futile. I walked when I needed to walk, asked for help when I needed help, ate when I needed food, etc. A race like this is not about what anyone else is doing but rather what is going to work for you. Simply put just run your own race. I was the farthest thing from the fastest but I did finish.

7) Be prepared. To take on a massive undertaking requires proper training and planning. There are lots of free resources and blogs from which to glean training plans and gear prep when deciding to take on an Ultra Beast. Of course nothing guarantees completion of a race but it sure helps to set yourself up for success by following a proper training plan, asking advice from people who have done an Ultra Beast before, and having support systems in place to offer guidance, support, advice such as running clubs, or teams like mine such as the Canadian Mudd Queens, or Facebook groups of like-minded racers. One blog in particular that I found helpful for tips on everything from training, to drop bag preparation, to how to avoid a DNF is by Ekaterina Solovieva http://solovieva.com

8) Practice the obstacles. Again kind of an obvious and self-explanatory point. But truly one of the worst time suckers and energy drains of an obstacle race is blowing your wad on trying an obstacle only to fail and have to do the penalty of 30 Burpees. Yes, Burpees are bound to happen at an obstacle race especially as you get more tired. However if you can hone in a few tricks on certain obstacles then you have a greater chance of nailing the obstacle on course. I repeatedly watched a video on YouTube on how to do a "j hook" while doing a rope climb, got my husband to hang a piece of rope in the yard, and practiced until I got it right. Head to a local playground to monkey around, make some stuff for your backyard on which to practice, head to a Crossfit gym or other similar establishment who use various obstacles as part of the workouts, or attend obstacle training camps. With the rise in popularity of obstacle racing there are many more opportunities to practice obstacles.

9) Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. If I said this once to myself during the Ultra Beast I must have said it a million times. There were definitely moments I wanted to quit or thought I just couldn't possibly go on. But I would tell myself I just had to keep moving forward by putting one foot in front of the other. There were times when I did not even lift my head to see how much further I had to go up a mountain but instead looked at my feet and told myself to just keep moving. It comes back to the mental game these types of races can play on oneself. For every self doubt voice in your own head there is a supportive voice that can encourage you to do great things. When I reached the 'Top of the World' during the second lap we were told we met the time cap by 1 MINUTE!!! I cried both tears of joy and exhaustion. These races can pull the very best out of you if you just keep moving forward.

10) Be proud. You crossed the finish and deserve to celebrate. The couple of days after the race I allowed a handful of naysayers to diminish my shine of feeling like I accomplished something great. It was being said by a few that the race was a walk in the park and way too easy in comparison to the Vermont World Championship course that took place one week prior. My friend and fellow athlete (one of the best in North America) Frank Phipps said it best "I wish all over the Spartan world we didn't have to compare against other races...Each one is unique in its own right...yes some are harder than others. Vermont will always be the godfather of hurt but who wants Mon-Fri 9-5 races anymore?!" I was reminded by the hundreds and hundreds of people who have celebrated and congratulated my accomplishment that it is a big deal, I do deserve to say I finished an Ultra Beast, and I have inspired others to take on greater challenges.

From a constructive standpoint there were some logistical elements of the race that need some work. When we registered for the Ultra Beast racers were told upon completion we would receive: 1 Sun Peaks Ultra Beast Belt Buckle, 1 Ultra Beast glow in the dark medal, 1 Ultra Beast finishers shirt, 1 regular finishers shirt, 1 Beast shirt, and 1 Beast medal, as well we would receive a special piece of Ultra Beast swag, and that the race counted towards a Spartan Trifecta. By the time the race had ended we received: 1 Ultra Beast finishers shirt, 1 regular finisher shirt, and 1 Vermont Ultra Beast belt buckle. Apparently there was a mix up by the Medal Manufacturer in China who accidentally sent Western Canada Spartan Race the Killington belt buckles instead of the Sun Peaks belt buckles. I have been assured we should be receiving these by mail. Also despite my multiple email messages prior to the race, they had no record of my accomplishment of a Double Trifecta so they did not have that medal available for me, nor did they have the new Trifecta medal for me.....so I have been told these will also be mailed to me. And disappointingly nothing ever came of the the "special Ultra Beast swag" we were supposed to receive.

The positive things I have to say are many. First, kudos to Western Canada Spartan Race for having the balls to put on the inaugural Canadian Ultra Beast race, which is only 1 of 3 Ultra Beast races to take place in the entire world (USA and Australia hold the other 2.) Secondly, the volunteers were amazing and their encouragement throughout the race was superb. Thirdly, racers participating in the Spartan Beast were told to look out for green arm bands that would distinguish the Ultra Beast racers and to give Ultra Beast racers priority on the trails and obstacles. The Beast racers were both accommodating and very supportive in their words of encouragement. Fourthly, as Jen and I came down the mountain to the final obstacles we could hear so much loud cheer from our fellow Canadian Mudd Queens teammates and racing friends and Spartan Race staff that I was overwhelmed with joy by their love and support. We were so exhausted we had to take the penalty of 30 Burpees on the final rope climb but members of our family and team and friends dropped to the ground to do the majority of our Burpees for us. This compassion is what makes fellow racers an obstacle racing family. Fifth, to have fellow Canadian Mudd Queen Jen Milligan, who is one of the best obstacle racers in the world come out long after she had finished her race to put my medal around my neck was a touching moment to me and one I hold dear. Sixth, our friends from Mud Mulisha who brought Jen and I each a post-race cold beer to toast our victory as the beer gardens had long since closed up. Seventh, having a great friendship with my fellow teammate Jen Aragon with whom I raced side by side on that mountain all day. This will be a lasting moment in our friendship for years to come. Last but certainly not least, to be greeted by my husband Chad Bleasdale who was already wearing his Ultra Beast belt buckle come give me a great big hug and kiss to celebrate all the hardwork that we did in training together as a family that culminated in both our success at the Ultra Beast will forever be a special moment in our marriage. Our commitment to Spartan Race has made our commitment to each other in our marriage even stronger.

Big kudos to everyone who stepped up to the plate to conquer the mountain that day. Such amazing athletes and competitors, and I am very blessed to have friends and teammates from the Canadian Mudd Queens, Weeple Army and Mud Mulisha. It was a great day to slay the Ultra Beast.