Spartan Race 2013

On the 1^st of September 2013 a small team was formed to compete in the Spartan Race held at Carver Barracks in Saffron Walden, UK.

The organisers of the race promised - Spartan Sprint - 3+ MILES / 15+ OBSTACLES. The challenging sprint obstacle trail races are a great way to get off your couch and start living. From beginner trail racers and mud run participants to hardcore warriors, tough guys and marathon runners, they all come out to test themselves on the insane obstacle races!

I wouldn’t describe our group of 14 strong as hardcore warriors, more like Customer Service Technicians, Product Support Engineers and Team Mangers – who sit at desks all day!

Out of the 14 who signed up only 9 of us saw it through to the finish line!

We had all spent months gathering sponsorships for DementiaUK (Charity Registration No. 1039404) in preparations for this moment! With our lovely sparkling white DementiaUK running tops (probably not the best colour for a muddy challenge like this) we warmed up at the starting line with hundreds of other people, many also running for charity.

The first section was a sprint with hay bale hurdles, crawls under bridges, steep climbs and mud, mud and more mud! On several sections we had to carry heavy sandbags, buckets of water, huge rocks and drag tractor tyres over very rough/difficult terrain. Then we hit the big obstacles – the walls! Oh god the walls we had to somehow get over! The Hercules Hoist involved heaving concrete blocks on a rope up high, the Javelin throw, the barbed wire crawl, the cargo net, the slippery wall climb, rope climbs, the fire pits! Pretty sure there were a lot more than 15 obstacles! It took our team just over an hour to complete the course and ALL members ached and moaned the following day.

Video of the Spartan Race:

We all received our hard won medals at the finish line! Other souvenirs included scraps, bruises, aches and pains and good stories to tell.

This is the second year I have supported DementiaUK and it was wonderful to have so many of my work colleagues join me on this adventure! Couldn’t have done it without everyone, I am so proud of everyone who got off their butts (desk jobs – say no more) to train and take part in this huge challenge!

This year we have so far managed to raise £1219.99 and the figure is still climbing!

Just Giving website -  http://www.justgiving.com/SwapOut

We were running in memory of Doris Walter, Dorothy Camp, Jean Marvel, Margret Morgan, Lola Moring, Jesse Flowers

We are running for those still with us - Joan Reynolds,