Runners climbed over walls, waded through water and crawled under barbwire during the 2023 Spartan Race in Red Deer.
There was an estimated 5,000-5,500 adult and child participants, and spectators at the event, which began Saturday and will wrap up on Sunday at Heritage Ranch.
The event featured multiple heats: a 5K Sprint heat with 20 obstacles, the Super 10K heat with 25 obstacles, the 1-3K Kids Race and the Hurricane Heat 4Hr.
“Obstacle course racing is our sport. We’re working to get it into the Olympics,” said Nicolas Bertrand, race general manager.
“We hold events in seven different places in Canada … and we really try to make it run at a high level. There are a lot of fun runs out here, but we try to focus on the competitive side a little more.”
The Red Deer Spartan Race was the first Canada National Series event of 2023.
“There’s the Elite Series in the morning, with competitive waves and set age groups. We have referees on course and we have rules – I had to disqualify three people this morning because they didn’t do something right. The sport aspect is very much pushed forward,” Bertrand explained.
“But in the afternoon, there are a lot of people who come just for fun. We operate that side of the business as well – we create a fun time for everyone and we don’t referee every obstacle.
“We do want to push them outside of their boundaries a little bit. It’s nice to do something fun, but if they can put a day on their calendar and say, ‘I’m going to start training three times a week,’ and it makes you feel like a better human, then that’s what we’re here for.”
The course has obstacles you would expect to see at a military training base, said Bertrand.
“It’s pretty cool to have a diverse set of obstacles,” he said.
“Personally I can’t do most of these obstacles, but there are a lot of really talented people who can. Some people here who can’t do certain obstacles can come back next year and challenge themselves again. There are a lot of first-timers, but some people you see come back year after year to challenge themselves.”
Currently, the Red Deer event is the only Spartan Race in Alberta. The event has been coming to Red Deer since at least 2015.
COVID-19 had an impact on Spartan Races across the country.
“It shut the company right down. Our first race back in Canada was right here in Red Deer in 2021. It didn’t perform very well because people still had that fear,” Bertrand said.
“In 2022 we came back and did everything we could to put out a great product so people can be introduced to the sport and be brought back. We really see the results this year because it’s probably gone up 30 per cent in attendance.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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