Reebok Spartan Race To Be Held  Valentine’s Day This Year

By Nicole Heubusch

On Saturday, February 14, the Reebok Spartan Race will be held at 8 a.m. at the Raymond James Stadium. This race can be done individually or in teams. Teams must have at least four people and it can be helpful to have people to help you over a wall or through other obstacles.

“Spartan was my first obstacle race. It was also the start of my mud run addiction. In this race, not completing an obstacle comes with a penalty of 30 Burpees. I figured I would be doing a lot of Burpees since I had not been in training before the race. One girl I met at the starting line helped calm my nerves by letting me join her ‘team.’ Coming up to the 8 foot inverted wall, I had no expectation of making it over the top. However, my new friends made sure I succeeded by giving me a boost and refusing to continue the race till I made it over. Bottom line, these races are mostly about team work. Even though I signed up as an individual, there were plenty of friends and team mates to be made on the course,” said Lindsey Williams, a Valrico resident who raced last year.

The race will begin at 8 a.m. and there will be waves of runners being released every 15 minutes across six groups: Elite, Confirmed, Morning, Late Morning, Afternoon, and Late Afternoon. The Elite waves are the competitive start times and contestants are running for cash and/or prizes.

All finishers will receive a medal, a Sprint Finisher T-shirt, free professional photos, bananas at the finish line, free beer and bragging rights.

Cost for the race will be $90 until Wednesday, February 11. The race is three plus miles with 15 obstacles, a mix of muddy and gnarly outdoor obstacles combined with the challenge of the signature Spartan stadium obstacles.

There will also be a Kids Race, starting at 10 a.m. Kids between the ages of 4-13 can participate in the Varsity Spartan, a 1 mile race on Saturday, February 14 at 10 a.m., 12 Noon, and 2 p.m. or on Sunday, February 15 at 10 a.m. and 12 Noon. Also available for kids is the Jr. Varsity race, 0.5 miles, on Saturday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. or Sunday, February 15 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It costs $25 online, and $30 day of. Each child will receive a T-shirt and Finisher’s Medal. For more information, visit www.spartan.com/events/?event_id=363/tampa-sprint-(stadium).