I have to admit that it was a relief to check the races listed for 2023 and notice that Utah did not offer an Ultra (30 miles) this time around. Because Utah in July, even in the mountains after the snowiest year on record, is HOT. Just 13 miles on Saturday was hard enough...4000 feet of climbing was a literal beast.
My friend Addie rode up with me on Saturday morning. The Utah Beast would be her first Spartan. She's fit and fast, but that's like running a marathon a week after buying your first pair of running shoes! The Utah venue is one of the hardest they have, and it did not disappoint. The course itself was very similar to the year before, which was nice in some ways...the downhill bike trails are a joy to run down in the first half of the race.
Everything was so green and lush and the streams were running full. There was even a few snow fields to walk across. Amazing amounts of snow still here so late into summer. A handful of snow in my bra and carried in my hands felt wonderful as it started to heat up.
The bucket carry was diabolical this time...the longest one I've ever done perhaps...up a hill and then back down. Followed closely by the longest barbed wire crawl I've ever seen as well...with the wire so low that even rolling under it was difficult. I noticed I now have a big rip in my shorts...perhaps it's time to buy a new pair!
I lost a little bit of focus on the second half. My training this year had been hit and miss, I've been busy doing other things and workouts have taken a back seat for a little while. It's always hard to know where I am in the age group racing. I saw a woman ahead of me just after the dunk wall, she missed the spear and I caught up to her over the hurdles. With 100 meters to go, I just didn't really care if she beat me or not, so she finished just 30 seconds ahead. That put me 4rd in my new age group. I was 7th overall which says again how competitive the 40-49 age groups are.
Having the venue at a ski resort meant that there was a nice air conditioned lodge where I could hang out and eat pizza while I waited for Addie to finish. Her start time had been later than mine and she was racing through the heat of midday. She finished in one piece, thankfully, a bit shell-shocked but soon talking about how her next race might be a Super.
On Sunday I came back again ran up the mountain twice more for the Super and the Sprint. I actually felt better on the 2nd day than I had on the first. I was able to keep my focus and finished 3rd in a race that was part of the National Series, so that felt pretty good. Plus it was shorter than the Beast and that always feels so nice too!
Jim raced the Super as well, he does the Age Group races now too. This year they got rid of the burpee penalties, which he hated, and switched to penalty loops, which is his strength. He's used to finishing on the podium against men much younger than he is. The Nationals brought out some great competition for him, though....he was 9th this time. His finishing times keep getting closer to mine, and I'm not slowing down so he must be getting faster!
The Sprint was just an Open race, so there was no pressure at all. I *might* have skipped the barbed wire crawl on the Sprint...rolling through it twice already had some nice bruises on my hips and arms and I didn't need any more. I was really happy to go 3 for 3 on my spear throw, despite having not done any practice throws at all this year.
All three races were a total of 7000 feet of climbing and about 24 miles. My photos from this race are mostly grimaces! No wonder.
Even the kids race got nice a muddy course this year...lots of water everywhere. My feet stayed wet from a marshy penalty loop on the Olympus but I didn't mind at all, the cool water felt amazing.
.jpg)
