Spartan races are a lot of fun. You'll love it of you haven't done it before. Sign up for the elite heat. If you go later in the day or in a non compedetive heat, it's game over. Lots of selfies and socializing. Lines at obstacles. No good.
As for how swim/bike/run carries over, the biggest difference advantage is cardio, obviously. The distances are so short, they're over so quick compared to most tris. There generally isn't much swimming at a spartan race, although they are all a little different. Most of the swimming is in waist deep water, If any. The obstacles all come down to technique. You have to have power, yes, but technique is key. Doing even some of those basic obstacles once gives you an upper hand.
I train for them running through streams. Sounds stupid, but I love it and you'll be doing stuff like that in the race. Toes down, knees up, you find a technique just like swimming. Conserving lower body strength on rope climbs and pulling/throwing obstacles, etc help too.
Spartans use A LOT more body strength than any tri. That'd be the main difference. A lot of strategy comes into play if you're on the pointy end of the race.
The right gear is key too. I actually like the spartan reeboks for ocr stuff and compression shorts. (You'll be wet the whole time, running shorts can chaffe and fill with water)
Not tons of direct carry over from tri, but I find them much easier than tri and, imo, triathletes have a better go at it than, say, crossfitters, who may be lacking the cardio/technique.
Good luck, you'll love it!

It must come in handy, Matt Murphy is an Aussie who raced in ITU for a while and he kills it in Spartan races.

This is a great reply! Thanks!

Does anyone else have anything else to add for the crossover between obstacle racing and long distance tri racing?

I'm planning on doing a Spartan "beast" (12+ miles, 30ish obstacles) in May. I won't have any obstacle practice per say but will be going in with a ton of running and burpee fitness.

With a goal of "front of pack" in the competitive wave, am I in for a world of hurt?!

Any advise, tips, experiences are greatly appreciated!


Thanks!

I would suggest wearing gloves, thick football socks and thin quick drying clothing, I wear shorts regardless of temp and long or short sleave tight fitting shirt depending on temp, I run with a camelback for the super and beast races. I did the beast in VT a couple years ago, it was pretty tough. Also pay extra for the early morning start.

So, I did the opposite -- I obstacle raced and got into triathlon last year. I think there's a lot of crossover.

I have a running background but had taken a long time off from competitive anything. I did a Spartan Beast as my first race just for "fun" a few years ago. I had a total blast and then signed up for more. I won an open race, started racing elite, got (small) checks, qualified for Spartan World Championships. I trained specifically for obstacle racing for about a year and a half and then moved on to triathlon.

I still had to learn to swim to race triathlon but the strength,* ability to recover quickly and go again, and general endurance I gained obstacle racing helped me transition (pun intended) smoothly into a new sport.

Good luck and have fun.

Also, I never wore gloves -- they just get wet and icky.

* by "strength" I mean specifically upper body -- the "pull-up" muscles I needed for obstacles like multi-rig and rope climbs are the same muscles I use swimming.

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(Formerly SoCalTricurious, now in the PNW).

+1 on signing up as an elite. Cardio is huge in these races as it allows you to travel between obstacles much quicker and recover from other efforts. I had a pretty solid strength program going into the race (signed up on a whim because it was local) and think that helped as well. I was really unimpressed with spartan racing and felt like it was a joke. Having the MC reciting some cheesy lines from 300 right before the start didn't help.

I'll add grip strength to what you should work on, if you don't already. Grab some weight plates and walk around with them.

I would say don't do it it's lame. not nearly the challenge that triathlon presents. If you're looking for something new to try go with ultra Trail runs

I disagree, having done both a Spartan beast and an Ironman, the beast was much harder physically. Be interested to hear what others who have done both think.

I found Spartan to be mainly a run race in challenging terrain. The obstacles were not hard enough to be an issue. Generally, the best runner wins. You don't really need much upper body strength. If you can do 4-5 pullups you are probably set. 5 years ago I did not find the Spartan crowd to be too competitive. I was always MOP in triathlon but was FOP in Spartan. Go figure. Maybe is it more competitive these days. It was a really fun race though. Well worth doing. It is as hard as you make it.

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Simplify, Train, Live

That's not my experience. I did the Beast in Killington, VT a few years ago and it about killed me. I signed up with my big ass Ironman head thinking "it's only ~ 13 miles" and did no specificity training (I live in FL, flatlander). Carrying sandbags up the side of the ski slope, running up the F mountains, and all the other shit that goes with one of these. Worst was completely underestimating the fueling needs and running out with a couple hours of terrain left. But I finished and have no desire to do one again.

If it's a Beast, they don't tell you the real miles so overcompensate and bring extra gels.

I did the opposite...I trained and raced primarily for Spartan races for the past 5 or so years, and am now getting into triathlon. I've done all the major events from short "Sprint" races to the "Ultrabeasts" (longest I've done is 33 miles in VT) and usually come in the top 10 of any distance at any race (barring World Championship which is just a different animal). One thing I would say is that it depends on the distance and where you do the Spartan race could drastically affect your experience. Some are flat and fast and not challenging on the upper body...where a skinny runner will always win. Some races are longer, on mountains, and extremely challenging on the upper body. And everything in between.

That being said, running/cardio (mostly trail running) is def the most important thing. At the end of the day, your legs and heart have to carry you the 5-15 miles (or 30+ miles). Crossfit idiots and muscle heads can lift all day, but that isn't really the bulk of a race. Secondly, there seems to be a big move into grip strength obstacles...monkey bars, rope climbs, sand bag carries, bucket carries, platinum rigs, etc. This move has happened over the last few years and you see plenty of people who are very fit that have trouble here. Plus, the race organizers usually string together several of these obstacles all within a short period of time/distance, so that even if right now you can easily carry a 50 lb bucket a quarter of a mile, climb over an 8ft wall, climb a rope or do monkey bars...doing them all in succession will hurt. Several of the pros still fall every now and then on this stuff.

Several tips I would give are the following: in addition to a lot of trail running, do tons of pull ups, burpees, and grip strength stuff. Carry 45 lb plates at the gym around. Also, you can train yourself to recover quicker in between higher heart rate obstacles or exercises. Like run 1/2 mile, do 30 burpees then run 1/2 mile, and repeat a few times. First time you do this...your HR will skyrocket at the burpees and not come down until you are done with the 2nd 1/2mile. Keep at it and it will improve. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Great tips and thanks to all who have replied.

I'm specifically targeting the Ohio beast (late may), sounds like they've made it much more difficult in the past 2 years. Also, lots of mud and cold water and short steep climbs. So I'd expect lots of steady-state running with anaerobic spikes for obstacles/burpees.

My main strength exercises are pull ups and burpees, so I'll see how far that'll get me. For a month now I've been mixing those in with 1/2 mile reps exactly as you have recommended. Upwards of an hr so far. I'm also planning on being in 1/2 marathon run shape.

I'm sure nutrition plays a hefty role for a 12mile / 3-4 hrs race. Do you just carry gels? How about water? Are there aid stations (food/water/both) or are you on your own?

Thanks again!

Yea I've heard Ohio is tough. And that's another thing I should've mentioned...they seemed to have recently made a lot of the races that take place on mountains to be mostly steep climbs and descents. Almost never running on a flatter type surface that you would be used to as a triathlete (or ever a normal trail runner). Good hill climbers do well at races like Ohio/VT/VA. Do long sustained hill repeats if you live near a mountain...or use a treadmill at max % incline for like 1-2 hours at a nice comfortable pace. Get mentally prepared to do just go straight up and down for 12 miles. So get the hamstrings in climbing shape!

If you do elite wave (which I recommend no matter your fitness level) you won't have a problem with water stations for the hydration. They are like every 30 mins. But you may want to carry a small waist pack or a small solomon running pack for a beast race. Not 100% necessary but for a first timer you may be more comfortable mentally. I carry gels, almond butter packets, or something like it in my shorts or pack. They may have food at stations, but it's a crap shoot so I wouldn't depend on that for food. Def bring your own food.

I've done a half-dozen Spartan races over the last 2 years including the Ohio Beast in 2016. Sounds like your training plan is right where it needs to be. Last year's Ohio Beast was about 14 miles and around 2k elevation gain, but this year's could potentially be even longer with more climb so be prepared. Spartan likes to change the course layout year to year on most races, so you never really know what you're in for until you're in the thick of it. This is especially true for the Super and Beast distances.

As for nutrition/hydration, I don't recall ever seeing any food/fuel, it's only water on-course. Also, Spartan is notoriously bad at bringing enough water to last the entire day, but if you're running in the early morning heats you'll be fine. For Beast distances I like to bring 3-4 gels and a couple scoops of an electrolyte/fuel powder in a hydration backpack. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared!

I can almost guarantee you one thing - you will have an absolute blast and very likely be signing up for more as soon as you get home! I'd also encourage you to look into some of the other obstacle-racing brands, Savage Race in particular is a fun one (though short distances).

Have fun and kick some butt.

not sure how other people can exactly compare OCR with triathlon but these 2 is like comparing apple to oranges... I have gone from OCR to TRIs and there's not a single thing that you can compare to an another other than you'll spend a several hours working out and burn an bunch of calories and get your HR really high!

Spartan races:

sprints are 3-5 miles with 15+ onstacles, these races are very competitive and in my opinion the hardest one since in between the miles ran there's not many obstacles but right at the end you'll have a anywhere from 7-12 obstacles and they seem to target to your grip strength!!! this many be the most important thing to develop when participating in OCR a powerful grip strength will be huge factor in how well your perform in 90%of all obstacles.

Supers: 6-8 miles in distance with about 20+ obstacles, again this races will have quite a bit running but none of what you're mostly used to doing in TRIs... the terrain is the main factor here and special shoes (Spartan reebok) are almost a must in OCR. this distance is gear more for the fast runners as opposed to the sprints where overall strength is what will get you to the front.

Beast: 12+ miles 30+ obstacles and unless you're a superb runner, and a very strong (upper body) you'll be running this course course in no less than 2:45.xx for the very fast guys... this races are quite the challenge, mostly the terrain is difficult and huge climbs (4k elev at Socal beast in Temecula, CA) or tremendously muddy (Spartanburg, SC ATV park) just from my experience I can tell you that if you decide to run a competitive wave or elite heat; you best have the required gear to run well or else you'll be dusted by all of the guys and girls (women start elite and competitive start at least 5 min behind men's waves)!!!

for any OCR race, having the right shoes can save a lot energy and time, the correct clothing will ensure that the least amount of muds/dirt/water is on you thus allowing you be faster. I always ran my OCR races with the Spartan arm sleeves as they would save my elbows from being completely destroyed from all of the crawling and every other thing that you run into (figuratively and literally)

Here's currently my standing, looking to do Socal beast in Temecula in the upcoming year as this race had me quitting and some how found a way to finish! Hardest race I've ever done and i need to redeem myself from such performance

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Speed kills unless you have speed skills!!!

are you by chance a pilot or avgeek?

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"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

Great response! Thanks

Sounds like you're well versed in OCR and your input is appreciated!

Can you touch on fueling and hydration. From previous responses it sounds like water is provided every few miles so I shouldn't really need to worry about caring water....but how about gels. How do you carry enough fuel to get you through a 3-5 hr race? Is there a neutral aid table or anything where you can stash gels/fuel/etc?

Thanks.

Fuels and water... to me imho i don't bother much with water, though i have used camel bags for a couple of my Supers and Beasts totally unnecessary for any sprint race!

For a sprint, for a FOP ocr racer (45-1:15) min a single gel is more than enough! Sprints also have the most support of any spartan race!

Supers, 2 or 3 gels will get you thru; FOP ocr (1:05~1:45) the support is mild yet you really wont need more than 2 water stops to be honest imo. Not once can i claim to have needed the camel bag even in hot ass san antonio in the middle of the summer in a 10.5 mile super!

Beast, i have 6 of these races and i have brought camel bags 3 times and 2 of the 3 it was useful and once it was actually more of a pita to have it! Austin may have been the one time i brought it and didn't need it... SC, Temecula, Ohio were absolutely needed as the terrian never really allowed for a good amount water stations... there was a big fuss 2 years ago when there was shortage of water in just about every other spartan race and Joe very sarcastically "assumed" responsibility of the water shortage and i think it has been handled well ever since!

If you can, attempt to go to the military races, they give special medals, montana beast is a special medal, winter races, vermont beast also a special medal.

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Speed kills unless you have speed skills!!!

Spartan style racing looks like it would be a blast.... But the actual costs (entry, elite upgrade, parking, etc.) along with my perception of many of the other racers turns me of.

Is there a race organization that is less "dramatic" and expensive?

David K

David,

if you purchase the trifecta pass or the season pass that will net you the best bang for your buck! when I did my 20 races in one year, I purchased the season pass and at that point I had access to any race even sold out events!!!

they have races in groupon from time to time to which you can sign up for 60 bucks a run the sprint race... if your objective is to run with the elite or competitive wave then there's a price to pay for that as well!

you can try savage race and warrior dash will be a bit cheaper if the ticket is purchased in advance, you'll notice that tuff mudder is likely a more expensive than Spartan race... those guys are proud of their race!!!

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Speed kills unless you have speed skills!!!

I did a Beast last Fall. There's lots of good info here. I'd like to emphasize a few of the points already made.

Sign up for the 2 groups that are faster then the "everyone else". One is called Elite, as mentioned here, I don't remember what the other is called. Last Fall I was in the next-to-last start wave of the "everyone else". So when I started there was maybe 2800 folks on the course already. Ultimately I finished 18th, therefore I passed almost 2800 folks on the course. Almost every pass I made required that I hollered at folks that I was "coming up on their left" and then dance a couple steps off the "trail" to pass them. The only thing that defined the "trail" was that it was a bit trodden down from the other participants. Once you got 12" off that, you were on untrodden ground jumping over branches, thru bushes, and over logs. It was exhausting having to constantly warn folks that I was approaching from their rear, deal with the large percentage that moved right into my path, and deal with the much trickier footing of being off-path.

I've signed up for the event again for next Fall, but this time I'm in one of those fast groups so it won't be such a damned nightmare having to pass all the folks that are just dabblers.

Months before the event I would get serious about burpees. Somehow, burpees are especially awful. By the end of the race, you're pretty tired and the burpees will be real ass-kickers.

The strength elements to work on, as mentioned here, are being able to lift your body weight up and hang from things, to include having strong fingers. Do some practicing where you hang from a chin up bar suspended by only the tips of your fingers. You also need to be able to carry heavy things. Like a Home Depot bucket full of gravel, or a really heavy sandbag. The former would be carried with your hands at your waist, but the latter would probably go up on a shoulder.

We had lots of near vertical hills. Don't go into oxygen debt trying to jog up super steep hills. Just go up them at a brisk walk.

The race didn't have much water at the start, but they did have water on the course. The solution is to bring along a big bottle of water so you can easily start with as much water in your belly as you want. Altho I brought along some chow, I didn't eat any. I had some chow in my belly at the start and that was fine. Altho the race will wear you out, in terms of calories actually being burned it's not a helova lot. Look at the finish times and make an estimate from those re. your chow and water needs. Sure, we all know that bringing food/water weight we didn't need is to be avoided, but it's one thing to have carried more water on your bike then you needed. It's a whole 'nother thing to be carrying excess water on your back when you're hanging from some bar with weakening fingers.

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