* From: michael downey
* Event Details
Ok we have enough spartan detailed reviews so i am going to do mine a bit different and focus on the hits or misses
parking, this was as easy as it comes in the OCR world with it being cheep and onsite . unlike fenway this stadium has enough parking to accommodate 40.000 disappointed mets fans and by getting there early we were parked about 50 feet from the registration area.
this was my first race as a season pass holder signing up for extra laps and this had to be one of the easiest process ( minus the P.I.T.A. blue shirt trying to convince me to sign up for laps later in the day) $14.00 and WE got to pick our wave time. the picking your own wave time is a HUGE plus when your trying to multi lap so you can make sure your able to get right back out there on a schedule that works for you. this is something i wish all races that do multi laps did, most of the #racelocal events allowed multi lappers to just jump right in and some dident. so those that dident time to change that and make life easier for the multi lappers.
schwag – we got a special stadium medal with the park logo on the back side where itabs go and the front was the look of the 2014 medals with a high nickle finish for big shine
* Race Details
course – lots of hits and misses here. if you have done a stadium you know how there starts are different. surprisingly the first few AM waves were either going off to fast or not everyone showed because we jumped in about 15 mins early and took off within a min or two after entering the penn.
typical stadium even up and down and all over the seating sections to get your miles in. the typical obsacles, walls, slamball heavy ankle banded jumprope
first fail of the day was the ab wheel ” obstacle” i think the hardest part of this obstacle is getting it to operate properly and stay open more than 2 hrs. to whoever the R.D was for this event and future stadium events STOP USING THIS DUMB IDEA it never works out and is just a waste. there are so many better obstacles in the arsenal to use and if there are no other choices just make it a run section.
i would rather see them use the reverse incline wall or the slippery wall at stadium events if they need to fill a section with a obstacle or two
next this was the first time i know of they had rain in the middle of a stadium event and this showed a potential problem, most ballparks are poured polished concrete and once wet can become very slick. since these races bring you in and out of areas that sometimes dont have the same traffic flow on game day there not designed to be walkable once wet and there were a few points of the park where it was very slick and really had to watch your footing and it appears that spartan has no real contingency plan for if this happens. they did make a smart call and have the monkey bars shut down from about 11am and on ( not sure if they ever re opened but i doubt it) due to the rain .
also WTF was with there being no traverse wall at this race, i dont think i have ever seen a race without this obstacle .
overall it was a fun race but with poor obstacle choices in some areas and absolutely no new obstacles spartan is getting real stale real fast. time to step up and really be innovative
* Rating
Average
———
* From: Joe Thayer
* Event Details
This was my 1st Citi Field experience and I must say it was a smooth and well organized event compared to other Spartan races. We had quite a few loyal Spahtens and we all recruited more people towards the groups. From the morning we got to the race to leaving the stadium, parking was easy to find and easy to depart. The cost was ($12.00), from what I saw of the vendor which was not that much, it was ok. Spartan Race Corp changed it up a little made the race packet a combination race bib envelope; which thru me off because I had thrown the envelopes away thinking it was trash! I am thinking that they went away from the bibs because of the safety pin issue. I am not a fan of safety pin anyway because I got the bib shorts, but regardless I like having the bibs for prosperity to add to my “I love me wall”.
The bag check and this was the first time I ever used it and it was easy to navigate and well organized, and from what I’ve seen in the past can be a problematic and exhausting part of a race weekend.
* Race Details
So the Course was labeled as a 4 mile and 21 obstacles Stadium race, which is unlike any other Spartan race. The stadium series are great races because we forgo much of the long distance running to the obvious CrossFit (on Steroids) race. If you want to perfect your bear crawls, and wall climb techniques these races are for you! The Hercules hoist, spear throw and atlas carry and monkey bars are my highlights and strength of the race. This race was not difficult if you already doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and if you want start preparing for this type of race (Spartan Stadium series) I suggest tackling the stair climbers, elliptical machine on a high or maximum incline, boxes jumps at least 25 to 35 at a time. Burpees (at least of 30 at a time) on a routine basis at least 60 days prior for a beginner. The overall difficulty is 6 out of 10 for the novice or new member to the New England Spahtens, you have been a member for a while or at least 1 race season or mo
re than 3 Spartan races. If you’re a seasoned races, I recommend multiple laps. The same day or multiple lap tent was very polite and extremely easy to work with. I recommend if you haven’t done so or are debating on buying the season pass. If you can’t afford to buy the season pass- Please volunteer! These races can’t be successful without the hard work of the volunteers. Keep training and work hard! See you at your next race…
* Rating
Excellent
