The North Florida Spartan Super and Sprint weekend was hosted at the Diamond D. Ranch in Jacksonville, Florida.
North Florida did not disappoint on the amount of mud and obstacles for the Super on Saturday, April 28th. I had originally signed up for the Super but due to a family emergency had to cancel it. I was able to switch my registration for the Sprint on Sunday with no issues once I arrived. Great first impression, Spartan. Customer service is a top priority of mine when it comes to racing at such large events. Nevertheless, I had a great, fast-paced 4-mile sprint to kick off my first Spartan of the 2018 season!
Super on Saturday took racers through a mile of waist-high mud.
Video Credit: Jessica and Corey Carter, Palmetto, Florida
Course Map – Super and Sprint presented by Jax Sports
Obstacles
In typical Spartan fashion, obstacles really have not changed much over the years. We’ve got some carries (sandbag, buckets, and logs), a spear throw, walls, burpees, and monkey bars. I’m not sure if the monkey bars were a tad bit closer together, or if I’m just getting better. We’ll go with the latter. They seemed very easy to swing across so much that even the photographer screamed: “WHOA, you flew by”!
Bucket carries were VERY efficient this year. I’m going to be 100% transparent with you, ORM. I, Jessika Poppe, slack so hard at the bucket carry. 7 times out of 10 I am that person that will fill my bucket halfway to make the carry easier. The other 3 times are when I am running competitive age group and will always fill it up cause “I ain’t no cheater.” Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised how well the lids stayed on top of the buckets and kept the rocks inside. So much, that racers flipped the buckets upside down in order to get a better grip and the lids never faltered.
Photo Credit: Spartan Race Facebook
Photo Credit: Kellie Murphy
One obstacle did seem to falter, however. The cargo net A-Frame typically found right before the fire jump and finish was placed very early in the race. When I was climbing up it I can honestly say I felt unsafe. It was so loose that I was shaking the entire way waiting for my body to just fall right through. I expressed my concern to two nearby chatty volunteers and they shook off my request to call to have the directors tighten it. They claimed “Spartan wants it this way,” but when I asked Jessica Carter who completed the super the day before, she claims it was so tight she could “walk up without hands.” Hmmm, some confusion in the communication here, Spartan.
Regardless of losing some time on the A-frame, I managed to complete this sprint fast enough to qualify for OCR World Championships (yet again). London here I come! To end on a good note, I must say, the t-shirts for 2018 are AMAZING! The quality is almost like a polyester dri-fit material and they are very comfortable and fitted. Maybe parting ways from Reebok was a good move. I did have to get a size bigger when receiving my finisher shirt because they do come in Male and Female sizes.
This one sells on Ebay for a starting bid of $30. HAHA. Get yours today, without completing a race.
A big thank you to ORM and Spartan Race for a kick ass event!
Stay Muddy my friends!
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Jessika Poppe "Pop Fitness"
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