In the commotion of the goodbye of the Spartan Gladiator a race review and trip review was almost lost. But there was much more to this trip to Sin City than just a goodbye to the gladiators filled with more fun and good times. The Las Vegas Super would be my second Spartan Race of the year and second piece of the trifecta puzzle medal. I arrived into town after a quick six-hour drive to Camp Rhino. No Camp Rhino is not some animal amusement park but instead a 10,000+ sq ft training facility in Las Vegas for the CrossFitter, Boot Camper, and Obstacle Racer.

In all seriousness Camp Rhino is amazing. It is owned by Julie Johnston who ten years ago started her company with some boot camps outside and have grown and expanded her offerings over the years. It is seriously all you could as for as an OCR enthusiast. Hanging out there wants you to make yourself a better athlete and person. But back to the trip. I was lucky enough to be hosted by Julie for the weekend and after I arrived I spent much of the afternoon hanging out at the gym, meeting people, and relaxing before the race the next day.

Race Day

Before going into the details of the race, I think most know flat, fast courses are not what I excel at. I went into the race this year knowing I would be in for a challenge. With a venue change the race was now held in what is called The Gravel Pit, just outside of the city next to the speedway. We arrived early and the best way to describe the surroundings is to think of the moon, dry, dusty, rocky, sandy terrain made for a unique experience.

As I approached the starting line the women’s field was stacked. I looked around and know it was going to be a tough day. Vegas seemed to draw the best in the field, much like the competition for the recent Atlas Race in Temecula, California. Quickly we were off and running. Most of the terrain consisted of rocky sandy pseudo trail. We climbed up and over some gravel hills made from piles of gravel and sand. Most of the obstacles were your standard fare for Spartan and included no surprises. The course topped out somewhere between 9 – 9.5 miles.

Running the race I felt it in my healing lungs after a cold/flu had me on the couch for a few days. I pushed with what I could and did the best I could do for the day. The race went fairly smoothly and finished again burpee free. Always a sign of a good race. Most of the rest of the day was hanging out, seeing people, and talking to old and new friends. Late in the afternoon we were hit with what can best be described as Burning Man desert winds, kicking up large amounts of dust making almost whiteout conditions for the festival area and out of course. To the people who raced in the afternoon, You are Warriors! The winds were so strong they caused the festival area to take down walls as they were on the verge of blowing over. The whole scene had a Burning Man/Mad Max feel to it.

We left the race in the late afternoon. Sunday morning we headed back to Camp Rhino where Julie and I got a post-race recovery WOD in. It was a great trip overall, even though the race result was nothing to write home about, the trip was a success. Once again showing it’s not always the result that matters at the end of the day but instead the experience as a whole.