That was the subject line of the long-awaited email I received this afternoon.
Talk about cliffhangers… It’s funny how no matter how confident I was in what the email would say, I still got a little knot in my stomach, while the letter was loading on my phone’s screen.
“Spartans,
Congratulations! As one of the first-ever competitors in the 2012 Spartan Ultra Beast, you have been automatically accepted to compete again this year. While some of you were able to finish, there are quite a few of you that will be looking for redemption in September. Whether you were one of the members of the Lost Tribe, or you missed a time cutoff, trust us when we say that we’ve heard each of you loud and clear over the past 9 months!
First, some important details: In order to ensure we can deliver the best event possible, we have decided to move the Ultra Beast to Sunday, September 22, 2013.
Why Sunday, you ask? There are a number of valid reasons, but really it is pretty simple.
Our 2013 Point Series ends with the Vermont Beast event on Saturday, September 21st. Hundreds of racers will descend upon Killington looking to stake their claim as one of the best obstacle racers in the world. We’re looking for an epic battle for the Championship on Saturday, and we don’t want to short-change competitors by making them choose between racing for points in the Championship Beast Event, or running the Ultra Beast.
It is with that thought in mind, that we decided our only choice was to move the Ultra Beast to Sunday so that the best of the best could compete head-to-head in the Beast on Saturday morning to decide who the champion will be.
Or maybe we just want to see who is tough enough to run the Beast on Saturday AND the Ultra Beast on Sunday. You wanted a challenge, and now you have it.
By moving the Ultra Beast to Sunday, it will be considered the first event of the 2014 Points Series, so all competitors will be starting from a level playing field. All UB finishers will receive Beast points, as the Ultra Beast will NOT be heavily weighted.
The Ultra Beast WILL count as part of your 2013 Trifecta, simply because “Sprint, Super, Ultra Beast” has a damn good ring to it.
With that said, we’ve made you wait long enough. It’s now time to get registered for the 2013 Spartan Ultra Beast in Killington, Vermont.
CLICK HERE to fill out a short survey and begin your registration process. You have 72 hours to submit your survey and claim your spot before we open registration to our second round of accepted athletes.
We look forward to seeing you in September!
Aroo!! -The Spartan Race Team”
And now it begins…
The hottest topic of discussion on the forums right now is whether people are running 3 laps of the Vermont Beast (regular Beast on Saturday, and Ultra Beast on Sunday), or 4 laps (2 laps of regular Beast on Saturday, and Ultra Beast on Sunday).
Ironically, I remember the exact same conversations happening just over a year ago. And people weren’t so tough, once the race actually started. That lake kicked the bravado to the curb.
Respect the mountain, people. Respect the mountain.
And remember:
“If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options. You can climb it and cross to the other side. You can go around it. You can dig under it. You can fly over it. You can blow it up. You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there. You can turn around and go back the way you came. Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.”
[Vera Nazarian, “The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration”]
Signing off, SOLO