I really enjoyed the Lake Lanier venue as it was a great location for spectators to be able to enjoy the race and athletes could take advantage of the festival area in a great setting. I absolutely love racing out at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, but Lake Lanier was a great location as well and one that I would definitely want to return to.
When I dove into the world of obstacle course racing (OCRs) last year, I quickly had my heart on taking on a Spartan. What started as wanting to do one Spartan Sprint turned into completing my first Spartan Trifecta (and within about 4 weeks). Spartan Races definitely stole my heart and are hands down my favorite OCRs that I have ran. It was time for my first Spartan Race of the year and up first is the Spartan Sprint at Lake Lanier. After crossing the finish line of the Atlanta Women's 5K with the girls and a quick post-race celebration, I headed up to Lake Lanier for an afternoon wave of Spartan Sprint. I arrived around noon and my wave was at 1:30pm so I had plenty of time to get checked in, watch runners on the last portion of the course and get ready to run. After hurting my arm a few weeks ago at Savage Race, I cared for my arm as the doctor ordered and per her direction, I was able to still run Spartan as long as I wore my brace and didn't do "anything stupid" - particularly hanging obstacles - and listen to my body. As normal, the course map was released on Thursday before the race so I took advantage of the map and studied the obstacles and thought about which ones I might need to modify my strategy and/or which I might not be able to complete safely with my injury. There wasn't too much that I was worried about going into the race and just went in with an open and cautious mind. ***Those hills on the course, though!*** I surprisingly was making it through obstacles that I wasn't quite sure how they would go. Since I originally hurt my arm on a wall, I was obviously pretty nervous clearing those, but with a little help, I made it through. I exercised caution as I made my way through the first obstacles such as the over walls, 6' wall, and hurdles. I do think that Bucket Brigade was one of those things that my doctor would consider "stupid" as it put a lot of pressure right on injured spot on my forearm. I must say though that this was the shortest Bucket Brigade carry I have seen on a Spartan course. Y'all, I always love a good mud pit. However, with a top 5 historical record level of pollen, the mud was a crazy nasty blend of Georgia red clay and gross pollen galore. Haha! I was pretty bummed that over the course of the 4ish mile course we didn't encounter any of the new 2019 obstacles. They weren't on the map, but Spartan is know for surprises on course so I was hoping to run into a surprise or two (like Helix). 4-ish scenic miles through beautiful Lake Lanier and 22 obstacles later, we crossed the finish line of our first Spartan Race of 2019 and part one of our 2019 Trifecta. Well played Spartan having the finish line on the sand when your legs are trashed. Well. Played. Yes, the elevations kind of sucked and were total quad and calf burners. Throw that in with a pretty toasty April afternoon and you get cramps galore. Yes, some people were really feeling the effects of heat out there (if you know what I mean). Regardless, the views did not disappoint at all and the layout of the course was amazing. Obstacles were nicely spaced out and was challenging at all the right times. I really enjoyed the Lake Lanier venue as it was a great location for spectators to be able to enjoy the race and athletes could take advantage of the festival area in a great setting. I absolutely love racing out at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, but Lake Lanier was a great location as well and one that I would definitely want to return to. Now to figure out which Spartan Super I will take on this summer or fall in conjunction with Spartan Beast Carolina in November to complete my 2019 Spartan Trifecta!
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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