My Miami Spartan

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Saturday 25th February - Miami - 84 degrees F
Finished 987 / 2097 (males)

Well I did it! It took a lot of effort, help and support from other people but I managed to secure an official race sponsor for my charity Cancer Research UK. Thanks to Park Resorts Holiday Homes who stepped in to sponosr me at the 11th hour and coughed up an amazing £1,000 and supplied me with some shirts for the event.If you are looking for a holiday caravan on the UK coast please see Park Resorts list of holiday parks here.

The flight to Orlando was 10 hours and I was so happy my hotel was only 20 minutes away. Next morning I had a slow 6 mile run at 4am because it was cooler then, which left me a day to rest before the Super Spartan (8 miles of obstacle running & Spartans beating you up).

We drove 4 hours to Miami to be there in time to register for our wave start time at 10.30 and what a superb drive it was down the I-95 and got some photos for this blog and my sponsors. Then it was to the start line for me and my Florida friend Abby.

The obstacles weren't that challenging (as in difficult), the biggest challenge were the number of people queuing for each of them. But where possible, we queue jumped and took the obstacles head on - apologising as we did so. Then came a fully clothed 1/4 mile swim which was very refreshing but congested with flailing arms and feet everywhere. I chose this time to dump my shirt.

Then came the hardest part (as far as I was concerned) a narrow 3 mile woodland run with lots of obstacles but no water and no breeze to cool you in the 84 degrees.

Zig zagging, over bridges and in ditches with very little space to overtake slower runners who were holding us back. But getting forgiveness wasn't an option, we simply asked them to 'move over I'm coming through' and went for it. Most people were only happy to stop for a rest and allow us to pass.

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By the end of the woodland part of the course we were seriously dehydrated and for a moment I seriously thought I may have to pull out and let Abby continue alone. Even when we found water at the woodland clearing, it was too late, and no amount of water was going to re-hydrate us now.

THEN I got cramp in my calf and to cut a long story short, I had to run/walk the rest of the way and younger competitors jumped to my aid and lifted me over one of the obstacles because my leg was cramped in agony with a huge tennis ball sized muscle sticking out of my leg. - Thank guys you were great. I'm not even going to mention here the severe chaffing I was suffering from because of all the dirt and stuff in my pants!

The home straight appeared before us and it was time execute our 'cunning plan' without being seen. I'd secretly taken with me a vial of fake blood and it was time to pour some over Abby's head so it ran down her face. Golly it looked so authentic that lots of peole were continually asking if she was alright.

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After the last obstacles we faced the finish line and the wrath of the Spartans to come. Struggling to walk and remain conscious, I carried badly injured Abby right past the Spartans until we have enough room to sprint for the line, looking back and laughing at them. The crowd loved this deception and were ridiculing them for being taken in by a 'girl and an old buck'.

The best bit was to come. The beer was cold and the lake was warm. So I stripped off and jumped in to got all the grit out of my 'little places'.

I really loved the Super Spartan distance and want to do another but in a cooler tempreture.  After the event, we picked up a sushi and drove 4 hours back to orlando with our battle scars and the medal. 

The Spartan events are just so much fun and you don't have to go to Florida to do them. For a taster there's the much shorter Sprint Spartans all over the UK and I've already registered for the Yorkshire 2012 already - Are you man enough to join me?

Below is the video of the Yorkshire Spartan I did last year, take a look and see what fun this is.. then tweet me.

Please see my links below the video.

Visit Park Resorts Holiday Caravans to enter their £35,000 caravan giveaway

I've raised £35,000 for Cancer Research UK but do with another quid if you can spare it?

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