Melbourne Sprint & Super Combo 2016
Woke up bright and early for the Melbourne Spartan Sprint and Super Combo. This would be my third and fourth race in 2016, making it 66% of my double trifecta goal. I started my first race, the Super, at 8.20am.
While I tried to induce some form of cold acclimatisation in the lead up to the race, my training and cold acclimatisation plans were messed up due to a bout of gastric flu a week before I left for Melbourne. I ended up spending an hour or more in first aid, trying to warm up from pre/mild hypothermia (never measured). Mileage varies, and I simply don't deal with the cold well. It was made worse by the cloudy sky, the fog, and the constant rain.
While I tried to induce some form of cold acclimatisation in the lead up to the race, my training and cold acclimatisation plans were messed up due to a bout of gastric flu a week before I left for Melbourne. I ended up spending an hour or more in first aid, trying to warm up from pre/mild hypothermia (never measured). Mileage varies, and I simply don't deal with the cold well. It was made worse by the cloudy sky, the fog, and the constant rain.
With one of the medic on duty who got me up and out again to complete the races
In retrospect, after completing the Melbourne Sprint and Super, I can truly call the obstacles in the Singapore and Malaysia editions easy. It's not that I completed all the obstacles in the local races (I failed the spear throw!). But somehow the Australians have managed to make every obstacle harder, heavier, and more worthy of curses.
The sandbag carry in the Singapore Sprint was a tame affair of a tiny Spartan pancake (red for the guys, yellow for the ladies) up and down a slope that is at most 3 stories high. The Australian race started with a much heavier and bigger bag, and then you go on a long hike downhill. By the time you reach the bottom, you are already bottomed out, and that's when the uphill climb starts. The climb in total, both downhill and uphill was at least 500m, definitely not a mere 3 stories climb. And then you still have the atlas carry, the bucket brigade, the farmers' carry and tire drag, with each obstacle boosting a longer distance than in Singapore/Malaysia. I smashed through the Hercule hoist in Singapore and Malaysia, but in Australia, I had to resort to jumping up and onto the rope and using my body weight to bring the weights up to the top.
I enjoyed the Tower and the cargo net climb in this race. Managed to clear them during the Super, but failed to reach the top during the Sprint, falling off both obstacles the second time round. There were 3 rivers to be crossed, and 5 river crossings, 2 of them were knee deep wades, 2 more were waist/chest deep, one with a cargo net over it, and the other with lily pad platform to climb onto and over. The last river crossing was neck deep. This was the one that killed me. After I came out of it, I was shivering vigorously, and that is when the crew took me away to warm up.
After almost an hour and 4 coffees in first aid, I decided to give it another go. I was under no illusion, if I slipped into heavy shivering again I would quit. I was thinking of calling it quit right there, then I remembered there's no medal if I failed to complete. So I told myself to at least complete the Super. As I took my first step out of first aid, the crew told me to 'start running! and you will warm up!' After I completed the Super, I felt a renewed faith in myself, and decided to go on and complete the Sprint.
Somehow managed to complete both races in the end. Took me 4 hours plus to complete the Super and another 2 hours for the Sprint (avoided the deep river crossing for the Sprint). The results were nothing to shout about, but I learned how badly I do in the cold. I was proud of myself, despite going down due to the cold, I managed to climb back up and complete it.
I honestly though I smiled brilliantly in this photo, but when my girlfriend showed it to me later, I was quite shocked that I looked so miserable!
The race was well organized, with signage describing the obstacles and volunteers on hand to help you along the way. The scenery was fantastic, there were parts where I wish I was not running, and have a cup of tea and a sausage sizzle in my hand instead.
The festive area was well organised, with lots of tents, and fireplaces everywhere to keep participants and spectators warm. The funny thing was, they ran out of Sprint medals due to a logistic mess up, and they will be mailing it to me soon. Overall, a race to remember, both as the toughest and as the coldest.
One of the many fantastic views during the race. My photo does not do it justice.
The festive area was well organised, with lots of tents, and fireplaces everywhere to keep participants and spectators warm. The funny thing was, they ran out of Sprint medals due to a logistic mess up, and they will be mailing it to me soon. Overall, a race to remember, both as the toughest and as the coldest.
The t-shirts!
Lessons for future races and racers:
1. It is not a bad idea to wear mittens when doing barb wire crawl, as they keep your hands clean and mud-free for the climbing onstacles.
2. If you are doing a race in cold weather, remember that the cold weakens your grip, and you will have a harder time just holding onto things.
3. You can remove and drop your hydration bag on the side when doing some obstacles, they can be a hindrance. But remember to retrieve them after.
4. Hot coffee is your friend!
Lin Yimian, CSCS, SGX
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