The Area
Colorado Springs is located 70 miles south of Denver Colorado. The city and surrounding area sit at 6,000 feet above sea level, near the foothills of Pikes Peak (elevation 14,000 feet). This area was created 55 million years ago when several tectonic plates slid underneath the North American Plate, forming the Rocky Mountains (Colorado Springs, 2024).Today the area, from a geological perspective is called the Front Range Urban corridor due to its location between the western range of the Rocky Mountains. The unique topography of the region have always supported habitation. Humans have lived here since the last ice age approximately 11,700 years ago (Inter Glacial Cycles, 2024) If you are still awake I have put some resources in the Appendix section and some recommendations on training runs in the area that highlight the unique geology of the region.
Logistics
There are two choices when flying into Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs has a municipal airport (COS) that is a viable option with connecting flights for runners residing in the Western US. Several racers I spoke with flew into COS, but they were based in California, Wyoming, and Utah. The other option is Denver airport (DEN), one of the busiest and largest airports in the US. I booked early and got a direct flight at a good rate, but you need to factor the airport into your travel. I booked my flight and car rental well in advance (they typically sell out on cars) and gave plenty of time for TSA by getting a red-eye on Sunday night. Colorado Springs has plenty of hotels, and with the race site about 15 minutes out of town, there are plenty of options.
Altitude
The defining feature of this race is the altitude. At 5,700 feet above sea level, Colorado Springs is almost a mile above sea level and will be an issue to be dealt with for many racers. I spoke with several doctors as well as those who have run the race in prior years, and an individual's reaction to altitude is very personal. But if you are physically fit, hydrated, and take precautions, it can be managed (Acclimating to Higher Altitudes, 2024). I began hydrating five days in advance with Liquid IV, which increased my overall water intake significantly. I eliminated fatty foods and decided to travel a couple of days before the Saturday race. Though I think this helped me acclimate, there is no scientific evidence to support this approach. Most literature says it takes 3 to 5 days and three weeks in some instances. So I basically gathered valuable information and threw it out the window because it didn’t fit into my schedule. Armed with the knowledge that there is a fine line between stupidity and courage, I came up with a strategy. My strategy was to arrive on Wednesday, get a couple of modified training sessions in on Thursday and Friday, and keep ahead of my hydration the entire time. On Thursday, I took a car ride up to Pikes Peak, which sits at 15,000 feet above sea level, and did a brisk walk around the perimeter, and though I felt it, it gave me confidence that 6,000 feet would not be an issue. This is technically not altitude training, but it made 6,000 feet feel pretty mild when I got back to Colorado Springs. On Friday, I went to a State Park, the Garden of the Gods (named for a beer garden by English explorers) near Colorado Springs and did a harder workout. At 4,000 feet, the altitude felt manageable compared to the day before. With these two sessions, I verified that my head wouldn’t explode and cleared myself for takeoff. How’s that for science!
Weather
This race has had a variety of weather in the past; understandable since it is close to a mountain chain. This year it was very hot with temperatures getting the mid 80’s by 9am and staying there most of the day. There was little cloud coverage making it doubly warm; but I do not think this can be expected every year.
Race Venue
This is one of the most unique race venues on the Spartan calendar. The race is held at Fort Carson, an Army garrison that is home to the 4th Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group (Fort Carson, 2024). As a civilian, this is a unique opportunity to race where military personnel train, and getting access to the military installation is an honor. Fort Carson was originally formed as Camp Carson after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942, named after the explorer Kit Carson. The original camp was instrumental in organizing the war effort in training, and over 100,000 soldiers trained at what was then Camp Carson. During the war, over 9,000 prisoners of war were held at the camp, who worked at the camp and performed logging operations in the surrounding area to support the war effort. Until the early 1950s, pack mules were prevalent at Camp Carson and reflected the original name. Originally named after the explorer Kit Carson, the garrison became a fort after the introduction of mechanized vehicles in 1954. I cannot think of many other venues on the Spartan calendar that hold as much historical significance, something I think every Spartan should consider when putting their schedule together.
On race day, we did not go through a main gate but through a checkpoint on Wilderness Road and parked in a big field in front of registration. It was super simple, and Army personnel handling the checkpoint and serving as security at the race site were friendly and accommodating. The festival area was similar to other races in terms of vibe, but the majority of vendors were military-focused. National Guard Colorado, Special Forces, Border Patrol, and several veterans' groups gave the entire race a unique perspective on the value of physical fitness, honor, and effort.
The Races
This race has always been a Trifecta weekend, but this year they added an Ultra and an expanded Kids Race. Due to the logistics of the military installation, Ultra racers could not pick up their bibs at the race venue; a registration tent was set up off-base. On Saturday and Sunday, the race directions sent us to the Wilderness Road entrance, and entry was straightforward. We did not have to show ID or be subject to search; parking was in a large field in front of registration. The race was very well attended, with over 10,000 racers over 2 days, including 700 Kid Racers. It did not disrupt things too much, but a thunderstorm came in later Saturday, and the festival area closed for one hour. Ultra racers were not given additional time to finish, but I did not hear any issues with friends who ran the Ultra. I ran into several OCR King subscribers on the Beast course. I want to acknowledge them and thank them personally for being friendly.
The Beast course was situated in the middle of a topographical bowl, with hills to the north and south of the starting and finish line. The majority of the race was spent going up and down the hills with long gradual climbs and descents on connecting trails. Though the climbs were no more than 600 feet, there were a total of 9 at incremental elevation, some with a 35% incline. This all added up to about 2000 feet for the Beast and 4500 for the Ultra. The biggest factors, however, were the altitude and the heat. Racers coming from sea level will be tested; there is no way around altitude change. The heat also can be managed. There is absolutely no tree cover on this course, so sun spray, head covering, sunglasses, and some neck protection are recommended. I decided to run with a water belt and a small pack with two bottles of frozen water. The frozen bottles offered some cooling for the first hour and then were chugged after my water bottle was consumed. I also brought some Liquid IV packs to keep the hydration levels I had established earlier in the week consistent. I spoke with the medical tent supervisor, and although there were no more injuries than usual, some were for cramping and heat-related symptoms. The Ultra course had an additional 2-mile loop that racers ran twice, with an added barbed wire crawl and sandbag carry. There were some impressive Ultra times posted.
Obstacles
I thought obstacles were placed evenly throughout the course. Considering this is a military training ground, accessing the entire course was practical. I may not be much help here since I rarely look at the course map and just deal with the obstacles when they come up. The Dunk Wall came early on the course, and the last obstacle was Hercules Hoist. Overhead obstacles were scattered throughout; it did not feel like a final gauntlet. There was really no water or mud on the course, so the only obstacle that was slick was Slip Wall, which came directly after Dunk Wall. The weekend was dry, and as a result, Spear Throw (4th last obstacle) and Rope Climb (6th to last obstacle) were dry.
Future Military Tie-In
This race was part of the Honor Series, and each of the race distances awarded an Honors medal similar to last year. I met with Chad Conley, a former Green Beret who has been designated as the military liaison for Spartan. It is his intention to expand the Honor Series to 10 venues next season and is going to actively solicit feedback from Spartan Racers, initially through the Discord Server. I am going to stay in touch with Chad and will pass along more info as it comes along. This is a great opportunity for Spartan to not only leverage their branding but to bring more people into the community through all its brands.
Summary
One of the best things about endurance races is that there are literally races everywhere in the United States all year round. The Spartan calendar reflects this, and I try to mix a variety of venues, parts of the country, and degrees of difficulty when I put my schedule together. My goal is to compete and have fun by adding in a little bit of “what could possibly go wrong” as much as I can. I highly recommend the Colorado Springs race; it's a fantastic event and possible summer Ultra. You can bring along a friend and have fun visiting the Rockies. OK, you could get heat stroke or altitude sickness, but in return for taking some risk, you get to run in a unique part of the country and compete on a military base that has incredible historical significance. What could go wrong?
References
Acclimating to Higher Altitudes (2024) http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html
Colorado Springs (2024) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs,_Colorado
Fort Carson (2024) https://home.army.mil/carson/units-tenants/us-army-garrison-fort-carson
Garden of the Gods (2024) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Gods
Inter Glacial Cycles (2024) https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/1 Glacial-Interglacial Cycles-Final-OCT 2021.pdf
Pikes Peak (2024) https://www.pikes-peak.com/
Appendix - Training Runs Suggestions
Pikes Peak is a 1.5-hour ride from downtown Colorado Springs to the summit. At the front gate, there are several options for payment, including by the carload ($50) or by the time you will spend. The trip up the mountain goes through 156 turns, which is sometimes daunting but overall impressive. One of the first stops is a clear lake where there are hiking trails at 8,000 feet above sea level. At the top, there is an observatory with food and rough trails that ring the observatory (Pikes Peak, 2024).
The Garden of the Gods is a free city park that houses 5 major sandstone outcroppings with a dozen smaller ones. It is a 15-minute ride from downtown Colorado Springs. There are a variety of runnable and hikeable trails that weave through the rock formations. At 4,000 feet above sea level, it is going to give you a good idea of how you will respond to the altitude. The park is very busy with tourists, but they did not impact my ability to get a run in, and it’s pretty unforgettable (Garden of the Gods, 2024).
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