This hashtag has been floating around Instagram and Facebook over the last few months, as hundreds of athletes documented their journey to the Spartan World Championship. Today is the end of that road, as most people are here.
Yesterday was all driving. I find it difficult to sit for such long stretches of time, but it was also the most scenic drive of my life – the coastal drive between SF and LA does not compare. Desert, and then Sierra Nevada for hundreds of kilometers, only to finish with the glassy surface of Lake Tahoe wrapped in greenery.
As I got out to take this photo at one of the lookouts, the temperature was a rude awakening.
That’s what happens when you leave San Diego in a skirt and flipflops, and then not stop for a while. GAH!
As I wake up this morning in Truckee, CA – small town about fifteen minutes away from Squaw Valley and the start line, it’s 3C.
“Let’s do the World Championship in California!”, they said. “It will be fun!”, they said.
At this point, Vermont seems toasty. And I can’t help but feel a tiny bit cheated. Sigh…
I am curious as to whether we will go into the water. I do not actually think it’s very likely (and not just because that thought creates terror in my heart) – Spartan Race seems to be pulling back on the water obstacles lately. Managing thousands of people in the water is a logistical nightmare – anxiety, life jacket, cold water, muscle spasms. And with Lake Tahoe being alpine lake? I am skeptical.
We’ll see soon enough.
Meanwhile, check out this page from Obstacle Racing Media where some coverage of the event will take place. Use #SpartanWC15, #RoadToTahoe and #TahoeBeast hashtags for photos and tweets.
Matt Novakovich shared the Vegas Odds on #SpartanWorldChampionships as seen on ESPN, and it looks like Cody Moat is a favorite! [No odds on female athletes?].
Cody Moat 52 % Ryan Atkins 27 % Robert Killian 26% Jonathan Albon 21% Brakken Kraker 16% Bear Novakovich 15% James Appleton 15% Ryan Kent 14% Hunter McIntyre 11% Chad Trammell 4% Isaiah Vidal 4% Glenn Racz 3%
Tomorrow we run, climb, carry heavy shit (and possibly freeze our tails off). Today is all about bibs, packets, dinners, friends and hugs. And I get to wear a sweater through it all.
Hugs, SOLO