Thousands head to Citi Field for the Spartan Stadion 5K race
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
More than 5,000 participants
challenged their athletic
abilities during the Citi
Field Spartan Stadion 5K obstacle
race on Saturday, Nov.
20.
The home of the New York
Mets was turned into a rigorous
racecourse with 20 obstacles
testing the athletes’
strength, endurance and
speed. The race, which drew
runners of all ages, started at
7 a.m. with waves of 15 racers
released every minute.
Testing the runners’ endurance,
the trail led them
through the stadium’s interior
and exterior, up and down
staircases. The obstacles
— including a stadium stair
run with sandbags, weighted
burpees and rope climb —
challenged the participants’
muscle strength.
Before reaching the finish
line where racers received
the coveted Stadion’s race
unique and collectible yellow
medal, they had to make it
through “the gauntlet,” a jungle
of swinging, heavy bags.
Founded in 2010 by endurance
athlete Joe de Sena,
Spartan Race quickly gained
a massive following of pro
and amateur athletes alike
and now hosts more than 250
events across the globe.
Spartan offers six different
races with varying degrees
of difficulty. The 5K,
20-obstacle Stadion is fast
and intense — perfect for beginners
and experts alike.
The most challenging one,
the Spartan Ultra, is, according
to their website, a “truly
unique and brutal challenge,”
merging the sport of obstacle
course racing along with 50K
courses and 60 obstacles.
Friends Dominique, Dan,
Meghann, Erin and Lucy —
all Ithaca College students —
participated for the first time.
Erin came up with the idea to
run the Spartan Race.
“I wanted to run a Spartan
Race, and I didn’t want to do
it alone,” Erin said. “At first,
they said no, but I convinced
them to run today.”
The group prepared for the
race by following the Spartan
Race training plan and built
their endurance with 5K
runs.
When asked if they had a
time goal in mind, they joked
that they wanted to finish the
race in less than six hours.
The Stadion Race was Jason
Jeffrey’s third Spartan
Race. The Brooklynite, who
works out six days a week,
The athletes had to carry medicine balls weighing between 75 and
100 pounds during the race.
ran two outdoor races in New
Jersey and upstate New York.
His goal is to run the Spartan
Super and Ultra races.
“All my friends used to do
it, and they were like ‘man,
you have to do one.’ And I
was like, ‘this is amazing.'”
Jeffrey said. “So, I want to
do more. And I’m looking forward
to that.”
Tyler Spencer, the race director
for Spartan Race, was
elated to see the energized
and positive crowd in the
stadium after the COVID-19
pandemic halted all competitions.
“The Spartan Race is ripping
people off the couch and
getting them out in this wonderful
environment,” Spencer
said. “And getting to see
people back at races has been
fantastic for us. It’s just been
a blast.”
TIMESLEDGER | Q 10 NS.COM | DEC. 3 - DEC. 9, 2021
Elite racer Miranda Kielpinski,
who placed first, said
it felt great to be back.
“I mean, winning is awesome,
obviously,” Kielpinski
said. “But I like the competitiveness
and the community
and the event and the vibes
and good energy. It feels
great.”
Kielpinski’s training
schedule consists of running,
cycling, rock climbing
and circuit training. She
said that the pandemic actually
upped her fitness level.
“I just kept the motivation
going,” the surfer from Cape
Cod, Massachusetts, said. “I
feel like a lot of these girls
are very motivated. We have
that in common to just keep
hoping that there’s a light at
the end of the tunnel.”
Isaac Lacey, who placed
first in the men’s elite runner,
also used the 2020 pandemic
related hiatus to focus
on his fitness and improve
his running skills.
The New Hampshire native
has been calling Brooklyn
home for the past 11
years, and winning his last
race of the season in New
York City was the “cherry on
top” of a successful 2021 race
season.
“I knew that running
was something that was lacking
to be competitive with
these other top elites,” Lacey
said. “So yeah, I was able to
just really put in a solid year
of dedication to improving
my running and fitness. 2021
has been a good opportunity
to kind of test that fitness at a
bunch of races. And so I had
a pretty good year.”
The athlete, who participated
in his first Spartan
Race at Citi Field in 2018,
shared that in 2022 he wants
to participate in the Spartan
Ultra Race.
“It’s a great sport,” Lacey
said, emphasizing the camaraderie
among the athletes.
“Ultimately, it’s a really
great community. It’s always
awesome to come out, and see
a lot of friends and familiar
faces I raced with.”
Anyone who wants to
make a New Year’s resolution
for 2022 and test their
athletic abilities by finishing
a Spartan Race for bragging
rights and the unique collectible
swag, including a special
medal and shirt, can head
over to spartan.com.
Racers test their athletic abilities jumping over walls as part of the Citi Field Spartan Stadion 5K obstacle
race. Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
Participants tested their athletic abilities with weighted burpees.
/NS.COM
/spartan.com
