Spartan Race 2019. I dunno really why I got into it in the first place. Sure, I’ve been to Zărnești Challenge before, but this wasn’t anything like I’ve ever tried. Never been a quite sporty guy. OK, I built some stamina through kick-boxing and running for a decade now, but I wasn’t really prepared for something else. Team sports? Just forget it! When I’ve ‘played’ football for the last time, in 2015, I got a broken arm and I swore I will never, ever do that again. Play football, that is… So I did stick to my word. Swimming and kick-boxing were out of the question with a plaster on my right wrist and even after I took it off I needed to stay away especially from contact sports.

Never climbed a tree in my childhood…

Swimming isn’t my primary hobby in terms of sports anyway, but I hope I’ll do some day an Ironman or, at least, a decent Triathlon. Unfortunately and shamefully, I don’t know how to ride a bike. Again, I’ll catch up with it a bit later. I am decent runner. In fact, in terms of stamina I can say I’m pretty good. Not very speedy, but you know, I am quite of a big guy and not that gifted for this sport so, basically, I take the most of it. Surely this does not recommend me for a Sparta Race. It looked interesting, but I don’t know how did I imagine I’ll cope up with all those obstacles, considering I never even climbed a tree in my childhood. For real!

Trained with a purpose. Not the right one…

To be honest, I was scared regarding what about was going to come, but I’ve decided to do some cross training. Of course, besides running I retook over my kick-boxing training and also got into X-Body a bit. What all of these have to do with climbing ropes, hanging on monkey bars or rings or simply throwing a spear, I cannot say. They don’t, only made me feel better and a bit less afraid of the difficulty that the event has. It did at first, but little did I knew it was even harder than I imagine. As I was accustomed from running events, I didn’t took it seriously to bring myself the signed declaration so I got it from a stand. There was a catch for it though and it wasn’t very pretty…

What the fuck is a burpee?

’30 burpees for it!’, the guy from the stand told me. ‘Haha! Good one! What the fuck is a burpee?’ He showed me. Wow… I knew it from my kick boxing training, but it was called ‘Korean push-up’. Well, almost, not exactly the same… Done it, no problem. Rules are rules! A guy, standing next to me, was laughing: ‘Where your in? Sprint or Super? Oh, SUPER! You’ll do AT LEAST five more series of these!’ Fuck off, I was saying for me, you’ll see what I am capable off! I end up doing 10… My arms where vibrating the next day, no joke. Still… it wasn’t the worst part. As I climbed some fences and crawl under some barbed wire, there were not soooo many problems. When I saw the stairway to Sparta though, especially the triangle shaped one, made of still bars I was almost shitting me.

My fear of heights, strikes once again

I have some kind of height fear, very aggressive at some points, not existent at all in others. I had almost lost my mental grip when I reached the top, because I couldn’t figure out how to go down, on the other side, from the 7 meters tall fence. I very nice lad offered me his hand. He was very well intended, but it scared me even more. It is not you can handle a man of 80 kilos with one hand if he’ll be about to fall. It promptly reminded me of a friend of mine who, only less than three months earlier offered me his arm to take it and reach a small summit from the top of Tbilisi. Didn’t take it, I wasn’t for it, the location was to narrow. Bye! I’ll watch the city from here, please.

The perfect moment…

Now, another guy, seeing me – I think I got a bit white, even though, it didn’t feel like fainting – he explained how to move my hand first and after how to carry the rest of my body, putting, hopefully, one of my feet first. It worked, got easier. For a moment I was the main attraction. Unfortunately, not only for these boys, bot also for her… I’ve seen, at the beginning, her hot ass – I’m a guy, you can imagine. After, her smile looked even better, which should tell you a lot. Now, she was there seeing me scared as a dear in the headlights. Not fun, but this is how life generally goes. Move on, I’ve told myself. You’ll finish this, you need to.

First meeting with Atlas carry

There was, now, a descent. My favorites! Still, now, heavy rain made some beautiful mud and my snickers had their soles quite overused for these kind of things. I was, again, in a stupid situation. Finally, it is over. Some walls, the ropes, rings, spear and so on. A lot of burpees will follow. I am tired as hell anyway, it can’t get much worse. I’ve sprinted, at least that I can still do, when I heard a loud voice: ‘Atlas carry!’ There was the stone ball waiting for me. I am not a fragile guy, but I couldn’t lift the fucking thing. ‘What is it made off?!!?’ 30 more burpees, as I was rational, not to destroy my back. For what?

Spartan medal, the best part of it

Afterwards, when I finally manage to pick it up at other Spartans, checked and it has around 45 kilos. WHAT THE FUCK! Sure, as I was joking with a lad from Slovakia, I can carry, without any problem a 60 kilos or more girl, but struggle soooo much with this piece of shit. Of course, the shape is different and that doesn’t help, but also the priorities in life count a lot. Crossed, in the end, the finish line. Clocked at around 4:13 hours. For 15 kilometres it was a looooot. But having nothing to compare to, I took it as an achievement. Was covered in mud, but the medal and the shirt paid off. They were both great. Took the banana, the energy drink and the almost beer with orange, I think.

Why didn’t I get it from the start?

Consumed them in two minutes, I think, and went to search for the showers… They weren’t for me so I went for my accommodation to have some proper cleaning treatment. Don’t get me wrong… I spent 10 years from my childhood outside and got dirty all the time. I like more and more events like these Spartans, but I am not the type of a tent guy or so and if you put me out of proper conditions to clean up, I’ll be a bit lost. Of course, I can manage in the end, but I prefer to be a bit spoiled when it comes to these. So, I was about to leave. She was there… Wanted to say bye, but made up my mind… What was the point? Maybe it was a sign that I’ve should think like that from that point on. Or not? Who knows, I might never know…

Time’s almost up!

Ticked. Spartan Race 2019, from Poiana Brașov done. It was still raining, so, as I like it, for real!, I’ve gone for a walk through the city of Brașov. Got clean and changed, of course, and ate a șaorma. I think it was my last, at least with meat in it. Meanwhile, my devastated shoes were gone. I’ve found out the next morning that the family’s dog, where I was staying, a German Shepard took them. Of course, I’ve got them back, but as I was thinking better, I should had left them there. Anyway, one lesson learned. Always be careful what you are wearing in your feet in these kind of conditions. Another one is that I will do many Spartans after. In fact, I am closing to my first Beast. This is why I am writing this now. I’ll need some luck, to not be a disgrace again!