#114: Spartan Beast Race
How obstacles create Antifragility
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Hey Friends,
Welcome to the 114th edition of The Antifragile Leader.
In this edition, I will tell you about the hardest physical thing I've ever did, the Spartan Beast Race.
So, first of all, what is a Spartan Race?
It’s an event that happens in several countries around the globe, it’s basically a running event with obstacles, and you have several options:
The Sprint race: a 5k race with 20 obstacles
The Super race: a 10k race with 25 obstacles
The Beast race: a 21k race with 30 obstacles
there are other options like the kids race, some trail running and so on.
Anyway, I picked the Beast one, 21K, and the event took place at Cheile Gradistei, somewhere near Brasov, Romania, at an altitude of 1360 m.
As I was very busy during the past few weeks, I spent little time preparing for the race, as in watching some videos about the obstacles. I only managed to look at some YouTube videos the day before when I was stuck for hours in traffic on the way there.
Anyway, we got to the place late on Friday, and the first thing that concerned me was that we were supposed to wake up around 6 and register and do some other stuff, even if the race started at 8.
I was not prepared in any way, had no gels, no electrolytes, no magnesium (things you should have on you if you’re running more than 15K, especially in the mountains). Luckily, I was doing the race with several friends from my Hayta group, the people I train and go to Hyrox events with (even though I couldn’t participate in any this year), and someone from the group helped me with some gels (Thanks, Cosmin!).
So, there I was, early on a chilly morning, 7 AM, waiting for the race to start. I was nervous, I can give you that, mainly because I have not done any mountain trail running before and never did an obstacle race and didn’t know what to expect.
Someone in the group said we were going to go through a lake, but I thought that was a joke.
So, the atmosphere is nice, people are singing, the DJ is encouraging us, “This is Sparta,” and AROO AROO AROO (like this)
The race starts, and we go on a run on the hills. We jump over some fences, we run, we carry sandbags, and there is a first obstacle I fail, a lateral wall with chains and stuff, I need to run a penalty lap; it’s fine, I run.
I’m already lost from the people I started with, some of them are in the back, most of them are ahead.
I run through a valley, and I’m all by myself. I remember that a friend told me he met a bear during this race a couple of years ago, and I feel sorry I forgot the whistle in the hotel room.
I pick up on some guys, and I’m probably around 5k in the race when a steep descent starts through branches and rocks. Some people are running; most are just walking, trying not to break anything. I finish the descent and meet an old friend, my first CrossFit coach, who is a volunteer. I tell him someone is screaming very loud in the back. We got back in the forest; my left foot goes into the mud, I am so angry that I got dirty, not knowing that in a minute I will be knee deep in a river, walking under barbed wire (there goes my goal of staying clean and dry).
I go through some more obstacles like walls, nets, and carrying stuff, but after 10K or so, I’m tired and I miss the obstacle where I need to go from one point to another on a top,e so I have to do 30 burpees.
There is a long climb after that, and pretty much everyone is walking already.
I meet some people on the way, we talk and complain about the absence of hydration points and I ask them if they know where we are cause it’s beautiful.
By the way, Fundata is one of the most beautiful places in the country and for me, in the world. I have been there last year too and tool some photos of the beautiful scenery.
Now, I don’t have my phone with me, and I just enjoy the view for myself.
I see people who look a lot less fit than I going faster, and I applaud them.
I am not trained for this type of workout; it’s the middle of the race, and I’m a bit over 2 hours. If I keep this pace, I could make it to the end in around 4 hours. I set a mental target.
And then a longer climb starts and I get even more tired.
After this climb, there are a few obstacles. I fail almost all of them. I do a lot of burpees and some runs.
I don’t even look at the rope climb and start doing burpees.
My heart is pounding, and I’m relieved when I see a descent. I run slowly, and things are looking good. I’m approaching km 18, or at least that’s what my watch shows, and the end is near.
And then, we start a climb. And again, I’m not a hiker; I’ve probably done a couple of hikes in the last 10 years (I’m being optimistic; it was probably one). And this climb is the steepest climb I’ve ever seen.
My feet are burning, my heart is racing, and my pulse is over 150. I look up and see some people ahead of me way, way, way up. I can’t imagine how long it will take me to get there. I feel like I will never get through this climb.
But I remember my training; I remember how I’ve done it in the past when I felt like that. I remember that most of the time it’s in our head, that we can always do a bit more, that we can always push a bit more, just a bit.
So, hands on my knees, I take one step at a time. It takes me 10,15,30 minutes, I don’t know, I don’t count, but I’m at the top. I take a deep breath and start the descent.
I’m finished. I just hope there will be no more obstacles or only a few of them and the race ends. I’m already close to my 4-hour mark, and the watch shows me I’m well over 20 km.
At the end of the descent, I see some friends, I see my wife, and I see my son. Jokingly, I start shouting at her that I’m going to die and the details of one of my bank accounts.
I kiss them both and go on.
And then, something happened. Something I’ve only heard about but never experienced.
A second wind.
Here’s how Wikipedia explains it: Second wind is a phenomenon in endurance sports, such as marathons or road running, whereby an athlete who is out of breath and too tired to continue (known as "hitting the wall") finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion.
I found an extra strength to go on. I thought I was done, but I found some extra resources there. Maybe it was my brain, maybe it was the fact that I saw my dear ones; I don’t know.
The fact is, I’ve had around 10 more obstacles from that point to the end. 10! When I thought it would be just one.
And this included swimming through a lake. Yes, the lake thing was true.
I swam across a lake, wearing my running shoes and clothes.
And I had to run after swimming in the same clothes…
But I passed all these obstacles but one (the slackline, which I knew I would fail, as balance is my number one weakness), a few more walls, nets, crawling through barbed wire, and jumping over fire.
And I managed to finish the race in 4 hours and 35 minutes. 290th out of 498.
I probably did 150 or so burpees.
My watch shows 23 km.
It’s my longest workout ever and the most calories I’ve burned in a day.
Was it a great result? Not really. But it was a great result for me.
Because I wanted to quit many times along the race, and I didn’t.
Because I had the courage to do this thing.
Because I proved to myself that I can do the hard things, and even though I feel like quitting, I don’t do it.
Looking back at this race, I realized a few things.
First, you’re never as prepared as you’d like to be. In life, in business, and in races, there’s always something you didn’t plan for. And that’s okay. You start anyway, adjust along the way, and keep moving.
Second, progress is rarely linear. Sometimes you’re running downhill feeling invincible; other times you’re on your hands and knees just trying to take the next step up the mountain. That’s normal. What matters is that you keep going.
Third, you’re stronger than you think. When your mind screams “I can’t,” there’s usually more left in the tank. You just need to find your second wind.
And finally, no matter how hard the journey, crossing that finish line always feels worth it.
That’s true for races, and it’s true for every hard thing you take on in your life and work.
Don’t quit when it gets hard.
And don’t underestimate what you’re capable of.
Because you’ll only find out on the other side of that climb.
Recommendations:
My friend and fellow colleague of the running group I’m in, Raluca Kisescu, released a very good book that’s apparently about running. But it’s also about love, relationships, hopes, and never giving up on your dreams.
As it’s action is set in one of the Greek islands, it’s a wonderful vacation book.
Also, all the book royalties goes to her son, Serban, which is a nice gesture. Order the book here.
PS: It’s only available in Romanian at this moment.
I finished the “My Brilliant Friend” series on HBO MAX. I feel it’s one of the best shows out there, especially since it takes you through how the Italian society has changed between the 50s and the 80s, and it covers the complexity of relationships while time passes. I especially loved the first two seasons, since I’m in love with Italy during those times, at the middle of the last century.
I watched the F1 movie in the cinema last evening and I liked it. It was very entertaining, especially if you’re a fan of the sport.
It also got me thinking more about “failure”, and how it shapes us. And I will write about this next week. Stay tuned.
Thank you for reading.
If this resonated, forward it to someone navigating change or wondering how to stay relevant in an age of AI.
Stay antifragile.
Leo
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