Mill Spring – Spartan Race, a global obstacle course racing series, came to the Asheville area at the Tryon International Equestrian Center on Saturday and Sunday.
Each year, they host multiple events across the state, which brings thousands of people to North Carolina. They also host hundreds of events worldwide throughout the year.
In Asheville, they held Spartan Super and Sprint races. The Super is 10 kilometers with about 25 obstacles, while the Sprint is 5K with about 20 obstacles.
At the Asheville Super, they had 26 obstacles that competitors braved, with temperatures in the low 90s. The course started with a series of walls that runners had to traverse before getting to their version of monkey bars.
After the monkey bars, runners faced the sandbag carry, where you had to carry a 40- or 60-pound sandbag around a hilly loop. After the sandbag carry was one of Spartan’s signature obstacles, the spear throw.
Obstacles 7-13 were only on the Super course and featured various obstacles focusing on grip strength. The Super and Spring courses met back up with the bucket carry, where runners carried a heavy bucket full of gravel around a loop.
After runners’ grip and strength was tested, it was time to get muddy. Three obstacles got runners that way before having them go up a slanted wall.
Before heading down the final stretch, competitors did the atlas carry, where the had to do a down-and-back carrying a heavy round stone. Then they did the “Hercules Hoist,” where they had to raise a heavy sandbank using a pulley system.
Heading down the final stretch back into to the main festival area, runners did a grip strength rig with rings, over and under hurdles, traverse an a-frame cargo net and finally jump over flaming logs to reach the finish line.
After the completing the grueling 10K course, runners received an exclusive finishers medal and T-shirt. On the medal is a piece of the Spartan Trifecta medal.
The Spartan Trifecta is earned when someone runs the Spartan Sprint, Super and Beast courses in the calendar year. The Beast is a 21K, or 13-mile, course featuring 30 obstacles.
Obstacle course racing groups Team Oscar Mike and More Hearts Than Scars did the course Saturday. Team Oscar Mike helps mentally and physically wounded military veterans complete the course. More Hearts Than Scars helps mobility challenged athletes complete the course.
This year, More Hearts Than Scars helped an athlete who was in a wheelchair complete the race. These groups are present at almost every Spartan Race and other obstacle course race throughout the south. Around the United States, there are similar groups helping people complete obstacle course races.
“I would say this is going as well as it could possibly go. This is a total staff favorite. We’ve been here a long time and the guys that run this place are some of the most accommodating partners that we have,” race director Ben Kimple said.
“The festival is one of most professional and well laid out. The infrastructure they have here is amazing. The course is really unique. We love it here. It’s really hot, but it’s good.”
Spartan also offers the Stadion race, which is a Sprint at a professional sports stadium like Fenway Park in Boston or Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. They also have a Spartan Ultra for those looking to truly push themselves. The Ultra is 50K, or 31 miles, with 60 obstacles.
Spartan will return to the Asheville area on Aug. 2-3, 2025. On April 5-6, 2025, Spartan will host the Spring and Super in Concord.
On May 3-4, 2025, Spartan will host a Trifecta weekend, with an Ultra, where competitors can earn their Spartan Trifecta in one weekend in Fayetteville.