Hears Different Drummer

Friday, May 11, 2018

Montana Beast Spartan race 2018 results

Back to where it all began. Montana is where I did my first Spartan race.

You can read about that experience HERE. That day was an especially epic day for me, not only because it was my first Spartan event but that it was also Mother's day. I did it with my daughter and granddaughter (3 generations), and my son in law who so graciously guided my way throughout the course. A fond memory that I will cherish.

The Montana weekend starts on Saturday with a Beast and has a Sprint on Sunday.

I had done 3 Sprint level events there previously and decided that it was time to step it up and do the Beast level.

We had reserved our usual camping spot.

That night we prepared and set aside our clothing, shoes, hydaration packs, with Nuun (water) and our fuel (snacks) to last us a full day on the trail.

In the morning we loaded up and drove to the shuttle bus parking lot, and arrived at the venue with lots of time before our start time.

I took this picture on Sunday before my husband's Sprint race. Hence, the bluer sky, if you enlarge the photo you'll see that the sign tells the cutoff time information.

Ready for my Beast day.

The course was everything I'd hoped it would be. It was filled with the usual obstacles, and the added twist of elevation that we don't get at our home events.

We got a few official photos of our day.

My first Montana Beast, completed!

After event treat meal!

This is food we rarely eat anymore, but boy does it hit the spot after a long endurance event.

I was so thankful that my husband had put together such a great training plan leading up to this event. I got a little tired in the middle of the course. I usually get a queasy stomach when I hike etc. at higher elevations, and it was beginning to affect me at the halfway point. I brought some Ginger chews along just for this occasion. I ate a few and after a short time began to feel much better, I was able to finish the course feeling pretty strong. I really need to say thank you to my husband, he is my training partner, guide on the course and the one who gives me a boost (emotionally and physically) all day whether it's help with physical obstacles or just my mind talking to me. I do a much better job of managing whether or not I get cramps now in these events. I know how much to drink and eat along the course. I take Salt sticks throughout the day. I didn't have any cramps during the event or after, which is huge for me. We bring mustard and pickle juice and take it here and there along the course to ward off any cramps. We shared mustard on some of the long ups with others that were suffering. They even had some medical staff at the top of one of the hills with mustard bottles, encouraging people to take a squeeze from them. I've never seen that on a course. It was nice to see more progress on my spear throw. I threw it far enough & straight enough for it to hit the hay bale, but not quite hard enough. It fell out. Still a happy dance moment though!

Here's the relive video of the route:

https://youtu.be/tVS59eDR_RI

Here's a photo I found online that shows what people were feeling as we tackled some of the long "ups". As I said earlier, we had trained well for this event. I really enjoyed the uphills and the whole course. Of course the views were fantastic.

Here's the real view of our ups and downs -

Garmin stats:

total miles - 13.37

total ascent - 3461 feet

Day 2

My husband did the Sprint. If you look at the course map above, you'll see the Sprint course. It's marked in red and red dots on the obstacle list.

Shuttle bus day 2, looking towards the mountain range near Glacier National park.

Ready for his day.

Since I was there as a spectator on Sunday, I was able to take a few pictures of him as he neared the finish area. So here are some of the official photos mixed with a few I took.