Obstacle course racing is one of those things that sounds really intimidating until you show up and realize people of all ages and fitness levels are out there doing it. Plus it’s just a lot of fun. Every year our family does the Spartan Races in the Atlanta area – here’s everything you need to know to give it a try too.
Spartan is a type of obstacle course race. Think a 5K or 10K run, except you’re going through the woods, crossing streams, crawling through mud, climbing walls, doing monkey bars, and hauling yourself up a rope. It’s a full body workout in a way that straight running or gym training just isn’t. You have to go for speed, but you also have to pace yourself strategically so you have something left in the tank when you hit the harder obstacles.
What makes Spartan particularly worth trying as a family is that they offer races for basically everyone, from a four-year-old to a seasoned endurance athlete.
Kids races are available for ages 4 through 14 and scale with age:
For the younger age groups, parents are allowed to run alongside their kids, which is genuinely helpful when a five-year-old hits a wall that’s taller than they are. As kids get older, they run independently and can compete for time.
We had our younger kids in the 1.5K and our oldest in the 3K. Both were a hit. The 3K is essentially the 1.5K course run twice with more challenging obstacles added in. There’s no penalty for kids who need to skip something, so nobody gets left behind or demoralized.
When you sign up, you’ll be assigned a start time. New heats go out every 15 minutes or so to keep the course from getting too clogged up with people. Be at the starting line a few minutes ahead of schedule. They do a fun hype up announcement then release you onto the course. Just follow the marked trail and do the obstacles as you go.
Adult races come in three standard distances:
Spartan has a reputation for being brutal, and rightly so. But they’ve made real changes in recent years to bring in less die-hard participants. In the past, if you failed any obstacle you had to do 30 burpees. But now, for most failed obstacles you can just do a penalty loop (short extra run). It keeps things moving and takes some of the sting out of failure.
The one exception: the spear throw still carries 30 burpees. I know this from personal experience. I also slipped off one other obstacle because I was wet and muddy. Other than those two moments of humility, my Super went well. Final time: 1 hour and 26 minutes. Feel free to try to beat it.
The point is, don’t let Spartan’s reputation keep you off the course. Start with the Sprint. Walk the parts you need to walk. Skip an obstacle if you have to. The goal for a first race is just to finish and find out what you’re capable of. The training you put in before the race is half the value anyway.
Fair question if crawling through mud isn’t your idea of a good time.
For adults, the race gives you something concrete to train for. It’s easy to skip a workout with no stakes. It’s harder when you’ve got a race on the calendar and obstacles to get over. The fitness gains come as much from the training leading up to it as from race day itself.
For kids, it’s a genuine resilience builder in a way that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Crawling through cold mud is uncomfortable. Getting over a wall you’re not sure you can climb is hard. Finishing anyway builds something. They also learn to work through obstacles they can’t do alone, which is a different kind of lesson than most activities offer.
Kid passes include spectator passes. If grandparents or non-racing parents are coming to watch, buying the kids race tickets gets those folks into the venue for free. Worth knowing before you pay for separate spectator admission.
Print your tickets on paper. Cell reception at most Spartan venues is spotty at best. A physical ticket gets you through check-in without standing in line trying to load a QR code on a slow connection.
Use the free bag check. Parking is often a significant walk from the race area. Drop your phone, keys, jacket, and anything else you don’t want to carry into a bag, check it at the venue, and forget about it until after your race.
Bring food and water. Racing burns through energy fast, and having snacks ready for kids immediately after they finish their race makes a noticeable difference in morale. Don’t count on the venue food to be cheap or convenient.
Spartan races are one of the better family activity days out there because everyone gets their own challenge scaled to what they can actually do. The kids come home muddy, tired, and proud of themselves. Adults do too. That’s a pretty good combination.
Get out there and give it a try.
