Now you may be familiar with the standard three race formats that Spartan race offer, the Sprint, the Super, and the Beast. (If you’re not familiar with these, then you can check out this blog). Are you aware of Spartan ultra distance though? If not, then this is the blog for you, and if you are this is also the blog for you.
Like a Spartan Race Ultra, this blog is going to be a long one but if you need a one stop shop on everything to do with one of these races, you’ve come to the right place.
In this blog, I am going to go in depth about anything and everything about this type of race by using my own experience of completing both a Spartan Ultra and “normal” ultras. This will start off by explaining what to expect from a Spartan ultra, before going into the following topics:
- What training is best for an ultra
- Advice about hydration and nutrition, both leading up to the race and during
- What kit you may want to take with you that will make life easier for you
- Rules that I use for myself when it comes to nutrition and hydration
- How best to prepare the night before
- Plenty of general tips that spread out across all the sections
To ensure that I gave the best advice in this blog for you, not only have I used my own experiences, I have pulled together the best advice from the other Spartan ambassadors for you.
So without further ado, let’s get into things.
What To Expect From A Spartan Ultra
As promised, I will start off going through what you can come to expect on a Spartan Race Ultra course. This will allow you to know what to expect from the event and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the task at hand. By no means is this meant to put you off, instead it is the mentality of forewarned is forearmed.
Format
With me only knowing the format for the UK race and the Morzine race, I can use these as examples of how these races are conducted. There may be other races out there that do it slightly different, but unfortunately, I am not aware of those.
This format will mean that you conduct the Beast course twice with one of the laps having an extra section on it to make up the distance. When I did the UK Ultra, This added section was on the first lap and contained two additional obstacles to that of the standard Beast course.
So the main thing to note from this information, if the Ultra and Beast are on the same day, is that you are likely to encounter large numbers of individuals on obstacles. Where there are volunteers, they should have an allocated lane for you so that you are not held up for too long. However, there are likely situations where there won’t be volunteers so will require the confidence to ask to go ahead so you don’t hinder your race.
Time Count Off
Something that is definitely worth highlighting in case it is missed in your preparations is that there’s a time cut off. Again, depending on what course it is, the time cut-off will be conducted in different ways. For that of the UK ultra in 2023, there was a time cut off for finishing your first lap, starting your second lap, and getting across the finish line.
Make sure you’re aware of time cut offs for your course so that you aren’t left disappointed!
Elevation Gain
Hopefully this isn’t news to anybody but in case it is, there is going to be a decent amount of elevation gain. This will depend what course you’re on. To give some examples, the UK ultra had around 1500 m elevation gain, whilst Morzine had over 3000 m of elevation gain.
So choose your course wisely if you have the option!
Obstacles - Anything Different?
The ultra race will have at least 60 obstacles on it, though I will warn you that it may be more! Though it is advertised as 60 obstacles, when I completed my last ultra, the course had nearly 70 obstacles on it by the end. With the fact that you conduct the Beast course twice, you will have to do the pretty much all of the obstacles twice.
If you’ve taken on a Spartan race before, you are most likely aware of the obstacles that can be on the course. This is no different for a Spartan ultra, you just may come across extra obstacles that aren’t as common. An example of this, the ultra in the UK in 2023 was the first time that I came across the slack line for a UK race (this has been brought in more often) and the memory test.
Another thing to be aware of with the obstacles is that you may face longer or upgraded versions of them. This could be Stairway to Sparta 2.0, Twister that has three sections, Monkey Bars that are further apart, or even double carries. These may be two sandbags at the same time or a carry into another carry, where you swap items.
Key Elements of Training Prior For Any Ability
So how do you go about training for such an endeavour? Let me take you through what I have learnt when it comes to training for this, as well as some of the tips and tricks the other Spartan brand ambassadors would advise.
Running Isn't Essential, It's Time On Feet
To complete an ultra, you don’t necessarily need to be able to run the whole distance. Sure, if you are someone that’s looking to win the race then yes, you will need to be able to run most if not all of the distance. But if you’re just looking to complete the ultra though, being able to run parts of the race will help you to beat the cut-off times but the main thing you need to be used to is time on feet. You’re going to be on your feet for 6+ hours whilst also doing obstacles, so knowing that you can handle that amount of time on your feet is going to be key.
So when it comes to your training prior to an ultra, yes it can incorporate plenty of running but the focus should be on time on your feet.
With that, 50km can be quite daunting distance and you may want to significantly increase your distance very quickly. This is going to be a recipe for injury and my advice would be for you to build up your distance gradually using the 10% a week rule. This means building up your running distance/time by 10% each week.
The other thing for me to highlight is that you don’t need to cover the 50km in your training.
The final thing to consider with this is that when you are on your feet for so long, your feet can swell. So this is something to try and provoke with training to see if you do suffer from this so you know if you need a change of shoes or go half a size up.
Test Hydration & Nutrition Solutions
Testing your hydration and nutrition solutions is probably one of the most important areas to any ultra training. You aren’t going to perform well if you just rely upon what you eat before the race and what is provided at the water stations. You are likely going to be out on course for 6 hours plus. This means that you are going to need to find a way to give your body calories during so that you can keep moving forward.
There are so many different solutions that you could utilise for a race like this out in the market. Whether it be gels, energy pouches, bars, drinks or actual food, you need to find the solution that works for you and test it. When you are running for such a long period of time and consuming these products, for some people, it can upset their stomach and that is the last thing you want is for that to start affecting your race.
So when you were doing your training run for the ultra, use these opportunities to test nutrition and hydration solutions to find what is perfect for you.
I will get onto the specifics of hydration and nutrition in the section later on.
Obstacle Training
Obviously, this is an obstacle course so being able to complete the obstacles will make your life a lot easier. This will both reduce the amount of time that you have on course and reduce the amount of time you spend in the penalty loops, which can zap a lot of your energy. This means it would be better for you if you are comfortable with completing the all obstacles, if not most.
Another element for you to note when out on course is that you are going to have to be used to doing the obstacles with whatever pack you decide to use. This may not seem significant but if you have a large and bulky pack, it may hinder you completing certain obstacles such as a barbed wire crawl.
Transition Point
With the format of the race, including a transition point between the two laps, having a set out plan to ensure you are not spending too much time in the transition point is key.
This means when it comes to the transition point, I would advise you to have:
- Any drinks that you may need easily accessible and pre-mixed if you can.
- Your nutrition laid out and ready to be consumed easily. If you can, and it agrees with your system, I would have some solid food during this time (but not too much to cause yourself issues) so that you have a break from continuous gels.
- Have your on course hydration and nutrition solutions easily accessible to put in your pack, or if you have a spare one, use the technique of having a pre-packed spare pack ready to take on course straight away.
The reason why you want to have a set out plan and method for that transition point is so that you aren’t spending too much time there, allowing you to get back out and on the move as soon as possible. Why that is vital is because of three reasons:
- You don’t stay still for too long and start seizing up, which is then going to hinder your second lap and make life difficult.
- You don’t have too much time to start second-guessing yourself and potentially getting into a headspace where you may want to quit for some reason.
- You aren’t stung by missing out on the cut-off time, as if you are too late to leave the transition point, your race will be over.
Advice On Kit
To make life a lot easier for you, having a decent hydration pack to hold all of the mandatory kit, your nutrition and hydration, and any other nice to have items is going to enhance your enjoyment of the event. The last thing that you need is for your hydration pack to be uncomfortable or rubbing.
As I have just mentioned, there is a mandatory kit list that you have to take on course. So be sure to check what this entails and have this with you or else you won’t be allowed to start. Races will have mandatory kit checks too. If you don’t have the required equipment at the check, you won’t be allowed back on course and may be disqualified.
What Could Make Life Easier
On top of the kit that is required for completing this race, there are a couple of additional items that are recommended for you to consider to make life easier. These are:
- Waterproof bag – it may seem like an obvious choice, but it can be easy to overlook. Make sure to have a bag that is waterproof to put your Mandatory equipment so that any water crossings don’t ruin them.
- Chaffing cream – You’re likely going to be warm, sweaty and moving or a long time. It may no affect on you on shorter runs but chaffing could come up. So it would be worthwhile having something to prevent chaffing.
- First aid kit – Whether you carry this with you or leave it in your transition bag, Having a basic first aid kit will allow you to deal with any problems that you have from racing this distance. I’m mainly thinking about blisters, but it is best to have all situations covered.
- Sunblock – I know, wild suggestion for the UK, but it could be sunny and with you being out in the Sun for a prolonged period of time, you could end up sunburnt.
- Toilet roll – With all of those gels and you being out on course for a long period of time, you could end up in a situation where nature calls. Don’t get caught short and take toilet roll with you in case you need to go whilst on course. Don’t worry, It happens to the best of us.
Prepare The Night Before
Prior preparation prevents poor performance.
What I mean by that for this section is prepare your kit the night before! With how early the ultra race will start, it is unlikely that you will have the time to include fully packing all of your equipment that morning. Plus, it is only an added stress for you if you’ve come to pack that morning and realise that you are missing something without time to rectify it.
It’s best to go to bed with everything packed so you can have a restful night’s sleep.
My suggestion is that you take the time the night before to pack everything away in your bags, both the pack you are racing in and your support bag that will be at the transition point. This means you have ample time to set everything up to make your life easier both in the morning and when you are going through the transition point.
The last thing you want is to be having to empty bags out to find something when you have another lap to go out and do, or worse, realise just before the race you’re missing essential kit and have no time to rectify this.
An example of the latter is me forgetting my whistle, only coming to realise the night before. Thankfully, the Airbnb host had one I could borrow, saving me the embarrassment of not having it on the start line and potentially not being able to start the race.
Nutrition & Hydration Advice
Nutrition Before The Race
When it comes to ensuring that your body is fuelled correctly and sufficiently for such an endeavour, this is where all of the old but good advice comes into play. By that I mean all of the principles around carb loading in the lead up to the race, getting a good meal in the night before, and for me, having a sizable breakfast, the day of the race that has both carbs and fat in it. This should set you up with a good foundation before the race so that you have enough energy to start with. The last thing you want is to be fighting an uphill battle to have enough energy in your body.
So an example of my pre-race meal, which I have at least 2 1/2 hours before I start any race is overnight oats with nuts, blueberries, raspberries, Chia seeds and flaxseeds. Before any race, I will sit and eat a full Tupperware box of this.
Macronutrients aren’t the only key thing to make sure you have plenty of in your system. In the lead up to an event and of the morning of the event, you will need to make sure that you are increasing the amount of electrolytes you are consuming. These are just as essential as the carbohydrates that you are eating.
Final thing pre-race, and for me literally is, make sure you use the toilet as close to the start line as you can. Going on course isn’t ideal so trying to prevent that will help. For me, nerves, excitement and pre-race coffee, after all the oats, usually causes this.
What To Have Out On Course With You
When you are out on course, you want items that are easy to eat and/or drink whilst you’re on the move. Whatever is that you have taken with you, you should have practiced with it already, as mentioned before.
The rule of thumb that I use when I am racing an ultra is to consume in the region of 200-300 calories every hour. This Ensures that you are Keeping up the number of calories in your system to keep you moving forward. Without this, you are going to very quickly run into a calorie deficit and have too low glucose levels, making life hard for yourself.
With this information, it is worthwhile you roughly knowing how long you’re going to be out on course for each lap so that you know how much you need to carry. Of course it is sensible to then have a few extra sources of calories with you just in case.
A worked example of this for myself:
- For one lap, I’m expecting to be on the course for up to 3 hours.
- That equates to 600-900 calories needed before I get back to transition point
- This translates into 6-9 bars and gels of roughly 100 calories each.
The other key point for this is making sure you eat little and often. Give yourself a milestone to trigger you eating something. This could be time based, distance based or obstacle based. With some watches, you can set alarms for yourself. Whatever works for you, staying on top of this will again make things easier for you.
Food isn’t the only thing that you need to ensure that you are replenishing as you are running around, there’s the electrolytes. Now most of your electrolytes should be consumed prior to the race and if you can, during your transition point. These are going to be the most effective times for you to take on electrolytes in higher amounts (without overdoing it and upsetting your stomach). However, with a long time period between you starting and getting to the transition point, it is advisable to have electrolytes on you as well. Make sure that your nutrition and hydration plan incorporates a decent amount of electrolytes, which come in all shapes and sizes designed for sports.
Managing Nutrition In Transition
The only thing that I would add that stands out from the other advice that has been given in this blog, is that I would ensure that you are eating little and often during the transition period. This will make life a lot more pleasant when you get back up and running on the other side. If you suddenly chug a sugary electrolyte mix or eat a large portion of food quickly, you’re likely to upset your stomach and make the initial period out of the transition point very unpleasant.
The key of little and often holds true for the whole of the race. This is when on course and in the transition point. Managing your stomach is going to really help you have a smoother ride, whilst keeping you energised the whole time.
Nutrition Post Race
This one may be an obvious for you but actually, could be easily overlooked. When you’ve pushed yourself for so long, sometimes you may not be as hungry as you would expect, making you reluctant to eating.
The first thing is making sure you rehydrate! Even if you were on schedule the whole way of the course with your hydration plan, you’re likely going to be in a deficit. It’s this dehydration may also be affecting your hunger, so that’s the first thing to do.
This isn’t just water, make sure you have your salts in there too.
Then get eating! Your body has been in a calorie deficit for most if not all of the race. Get those calories back in your body to firstly replenish what’s missing, and secondly, start the process of repair. This will make the soreness of the next day a lot less.
Closing Remarks
As I said at the beginning, this blog was going to be a long one, but hopefully from all of the information that I have put across to you, you are feeling able to take on one of these races. If you have a Spartan ultra coming up in the near future, I hope that you thoroughly enjoy the experience, embrace the challenge and wish you all the best with it. They are certainly an unforgettable experience!
For those of you that haven’t got a Spartan ultra lined up yet, there are a variety available on the Spartan calendar across all regions. If this blog has inspired you to take one on, be sure to go and check out the Spartan Race website, find a race that suits you, and make sure to use code SRUKBA-REECE-CC at check out for 20% off your entry fee.
Finally, That Wraps up this blog. If Spartan content is what you were looking for then Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Here you will find visual forms of Spartan content and be the 1st to hear about when the next Spartan race blog is released.
AROO!
