This year I was lucky enough to be invited to the 2023 Spartan Race held in the Blue Mountains! I’ve known a few people who have run it before but I’ve never had the chance to witness it before and…wow. What an incredible feat! Our good friend Spencer (incredible personal trainer, athlete, and litter UNenthusiast) was running the 10k alongside one of his students and we got to cheer them on and document part of the journey!
We were up before sunrise to make the 2.5 hour drive to registration that morning. It was definitely cold but hot coffee and good friends made it worthwhile!
The sun was just starting to consider lightening the clouds about 30 minutes into the drive! This time of day is my absolute favourite for going on an adventure. Getting out of bed on a cold morning is tough but once you’re on the road all you feel is simmering exhilaration. The possibilities always seem endless when there’s a sunrise waiting for you.
This year’s race was so unbelievably muddy from the rain the previous day so a huge shout out to the participants for slogging through it. I think our friends were in the last heat of the day so any semblance of solid ground was shot, all of the hand grips and walls were caked with mud. At one point I was letting them use my jeans just to wipe off their hands! Definitely made some memories and made their success in completing it so much better!
Just look at that mud! Reminds me of kids songs about sucky squelchy mud and making mud pies, haha.
Beyond the wet is was dang cold. We were chatting with one of the shop associates in the village afterward and she mentioned she’d never seen it like this, that last year’s race was sunny and warm! I said maybe the following year I’d give the 5k a go…remind me to pick up the 2024 Almanac this year!
Overall, so grateful to be a part of the day with new friends and old. I like watching anyone challenge themselves to do something so incredibly difficult, but I LOVE seeing the expressions of those same people when they finally overcome the challenge. The best part of the race was watching strangers speaking different languages, from different teams, without hesitation helping each other over obstacles, cheering each other on, and making sure everyone got through. Of course it’s a race but it’s a race best finished with your teammates.
Spencer is an awesome Canfitpro personal trainer and instructor in Brantford, Ontario (I’m speaking from incredibly #unsponsored personal experience) who runs tons of challenges online encouraging people to do what they can to add more movement to their lives. He also leads an incredible initiative called The Litterbug Project which brings people together to clean up public spaces while moving their bodies and spending time outdoors! Please check out his work, he’s such a powerhouse in the community and I love sharing his positive attitude and passion for bettering the world we all live in!
Spencer Moore Personal Fitness
Thank you so much for hanging out with me for this photo dump!
Keep trucking you lovely ducklings!
#GoDoBe
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