July/August 2017 AsiaSpa 65Spartan training ramps up intensity
Writer Catharine NicolT
his April, the hills of Hong Kong were echoing with shouts
of “Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!” as its second Spartan sprint race
took place in Kam Tim Country Park. This is weekend
warrioring at its most warrior-like. The 6km course is dotted with
22 obstacles, 200 tonnes of mud and over 4,500 wannabe Spartans
sporting tribal face paint, headbands and attitude. At 8.45am I was
adrenalined-up at the start line, about to test my physical fitness,
mental endurance and fighting spirit for the second time.
From the Beginning
The first Spartan launched to an unsuspecting Hong Kong in
November 2016. I was eager to revisit my childhood memories of
messing around on playground obstacles, albeit transformed into
adult-size challenges with a fierce dose of competition thrown in.
I signed up with my boyfriend, and due to a perfect storm of injury,
travel and lack of focus, we were woefully out of shape as the event
drew near. In a flash of inspiration we spent our pre-race week
running up down-escalators and down up-escalators. Hilarious,
but hardly efficient.
As a result, our 96-minute attempt at Spartan involved mostly
walking between obstacles, reserving our energy for heaving
ourselves over, through, under or around each one. We loved every
minute, other than the 120 burpees we earned for the four we
couldn’t manage. The two monkey bars – too fat and slippery, the
rings too far apart – the spear throw (could they have been designed
any worse?), and the sleek nylon rope climb all defeated us.
But we finished jubilantly and collapsed on the grass for the
free beer, comparing war wounds and prowess (or lack of) in the
sunshine, absorbing the highs of the Spartan tribe around us.
Extreme Racing
Everyone seemed to be in the same high-fiving, triumphant zone.
Spartan is more casual than a triathlon and more fun than a multi-
sport race. Along with the elements of surprise, mental challenge
and physical exertion, you get to remember what it’s like to be
covered in mud, just like being a kid again.
Personal trainer Andrew Cox at Joint Dynamics had several
clients demand Spartan training and believes the emotional and
even spiritual rewards of the post-race high outweigh the physical
discomfort needed to achieve them. He also adds, “In a tech-driven,
connection-deprived world, these events build community. When
I wear a Spartan, Tough Mudder or Iron Man shirt (tattoo even) it
speaks of my tribe – who I am, in part, and who I spend time with.
Sit down for dinner with three or four friends who have completed
an Iron Man event and you see the bond is solid.”Spartan 2017 Training
Come April, I cautiously hoped for a more successful approach. The
year started well with around 2kg of weight lost via diet and plenty
of bootcamp, running and yoga. I joined one of personal trainer
Camilla Fernstrom’s Spartan sessions, which included playground
monkey bars, carrying heavy backpacks and tyre heaving and a
short rope climb between bursts of cardio.
But as Spartan’s own trainings started and Hong Kong gyms
launched special training packages, I fell victim to an excruciating
three-week flu followed by three weeks of travel. Once well, I
returned to running and yoga, and the occasional series of burpees,
which are all easy to do on the road. But monkey bars, spear