20 DECEMBER 2, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Thousands compete in Spartan Stadion 5K race at Citi Field
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
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 off ers six diff erent races
with varying degrees of diffi culty.
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 fi rst
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 fi rst, 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 fi nish the race in less than six
hours.
The Stadion Race was Jason Jeff rey’s
third Spartan Race. The Brooklynite,
who works out six days a week, 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.'”
Jeff rey 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
A racer, carrying another racer on his back, emerges from “the gauntlet” before crossing the fi nish line of the
Citi Field Spartan Stadion 5K obstacle race. Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
energized and positive crowd in the
stadium aft er 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.”
Elite racer Miranda Kielpinski,
who placed fi rst, 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 fi tness 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 fi rst in the
men’s elite runner, also used the 2020
pandemic-related hiatus to focus on
his fi tness 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 fi tness.
2021 has been a good opportunity to
kind of test that fi tness at a bunch of
races. And so I had a pretty good year.”
The athlete, who participated in
his fi rst 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 fi nishing a
Spartan Race for bragging rights and
the unique collectible swag, including
a special medal and shirt, can
head over to spartan.com.
Racers tested their athletic abilities by carrying medicine balls weighing
between 75 and 100 pounds during the race.
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