SpartanOCRRegionalChampionships

Spartan London West – Sprint Race
Sunday 8th May 2022

The weekend of the 7/8th May 2022 saw the start of the UK Age Group National Series – a four race series with three results counting towards the standings. The first weekend of racing in Henley-on-Thames included a double header, with a series race on both days.

Opting to just do the Sunday Sprint race, I knew I had to get off to the best start possible in the series to make-it-count. The Sprint race is a 5k (or so it’s labelled) route with 20 obstacles to navigate, using the best of the terrain available to make it a tough but fast paced run.

Following a long hiatus from racing due to the pandemic, I went into the race knowing it would challenge the obstacle skills along with the running pace: combining the two, to get the best result, was key!

Warming-up in the only way I know how – the 'Vorsprung 10/10', needed to be on-point. Completing the physical obstacles would use valuable upper-body strength, therefore ensuring a full body warm-up was vital - the 'Vorsprung 10/10' is ideal for this!

I had a plan going into the race, and that was simple: run my own race. Don’t get drawn into other peoples' races; concentrate on my race; complete the obstacles and remember all I had been taught about running through Vorsprung.

So in theory, a 5k race with 20 obstacles equates to 20 x 250m sprints! In reality, it is nothing like this. Obstacles are randomly spaced, some clustered others with long running sections in-between. But, Vorsprung is more than simply 'run coaching'. It is about enhancing the communications between body-and-brain. Meaning, we emphasis breaking-tasks-down into short manageable and achievable tasks. Focusing-on the immediate job at hand. Knowing this, I treated every section between obstacles as a ‘run’. Not one run from start to finish, but several shorter runs. No more plodding, thinking I have another 3k to go, but shorter runs from one to the next.

The race started well, keeping a good pace over the first 2k and associated obstacles. The field then started to spread-out and the racing started. Picking-off racers one-by-one on the runs between obstacles, meant I was climbing through the field and I ended up in an awesome battle for 2nd and 3rd in age group.

Coming into the penultimate obstacle, we were neck-and-neck both entering the 'Z Wall' at the same time. I was quicker and finished a few seconds ahead. With 700 metres left, including one hill climb and one obstacle I knew this was make or break. This is when Vorsprung really came to the fore, and I knew that it was all about form. Similar to a speed session, it’s the form that keeps the pace in the last reps! Keep a good pace and form up-the-hill, which I did. Checking behind me at the top, 3rd place had faded, he was struggling to keep the pace up-the-hill! All I had to do was complete the final obstacle and 2nd place was mine. I did: and very nearly caught 1st, ending only 2 seconds behind!

V - Rhys OCR Regional Champs (1)

© Spartan May 2022.

So, all the training was worth it. The old ‘plodding’ Rhys had been replaced with a newer, more in-tune, Rhys. Vosprung has enabled this. But, it is very early days in my Vorsprung journey and I am far from embedding all the knowledge and coaching – this will take years to become part of me. The difference it has made already is phenomenal. The future is very bright - the future is Vorsprung!

Text © Rhys Jeremiah May 2022.