7/30/2019 Carol Miller of the Waitrose Chronicle takes on Spartan Race Training

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Chronicle

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Vol. 73 | No. 21 | 21/06/13

Editor takes a leap and signsup to Spartan training3

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7/30/2019 Carol Miller of the Waitrose Chronicle takes on Spartan Race Training

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Obstacle racing is the latest global sportscraze and the international series Spartan

Race is becoming one of the UKs most

popular. Editor Carol Miller took part in a

Spartan training camp

Aroo! Aroo! Spartanready! Our SpartanRace Training Campbeginners group responds to theSpartan call as we each shoulder

our new best riend a log thatmust be at least 10kg.Ive signed up in preparation or

a 5k Spartan Sprint Obstacle Raceon 25 August that Im entering withmy boot camp group, ScorpionTraining in Woking, Surrey.

Spartans oicial UK trainerMichael Cohen assures me thetraining will be challenging andthe site at Pippingord Park nearNutley, Sussex, is meaty. But itsgreat, he adds.

O mixed abilities and gender,we all hope that the our-hoursession will provide us with threekey Spartan skills. Were learning

how to get race ft through naturalmovement techniques involvingbalance, including running, litingand crawling; be race saeby alling, rolling, landing andrecovering and become raceready with kit, nutrition andtraining knowledge.

We reach a glade and thisis where we get up close andpersonal with mulch and bark onthe ground, millions o ants and alog monkey rame above us. Mypalms turn to Brillo pads and Im

covered in bites. We crawl,leap and somersault roma standing position sothat we can all correctly urging each other on

through the pain.

StretchingboundariesThe camaraderie is anenjoyable aspect o thesession and the mostimportant. In SpartanRace, everyone isequal. Whether youre

male or emale, small or large,weak or strong, we work as ateam, Michael explains.

We have to developcomradeship so that the slowest orweakest are not let behind.

We are reunited with our logs topractice climbing and jumping onalmost vertical inclines. We thensee how ar we can toss the logsthrough the woods a respite orour bruised, aching shoulders.

Wading through mud is anotherchallenge, particularly or a ellowbeginner who sinks so deep thathe loses a trainer. Moving into icy,shoulder-deep water helps washo some mud, but its tough going.

We take the fnal hill at a jogand my Scorpion trainer RichardWilliams takes pity on me andcarries my log as well as his.

Is this or everyone? Absolutely,

says Michael. As you saw,everyone came back with amassive smile on their ace.They had stepped out o theirboundaries and stood with theirheads high. Just like you did.

Carol is taking part in SpartanSprint to raise money for theAstro Brain Tumour Fund to helpfund brain tumour research. For

more information, please go tohttp://www.justgiving.com/Carol-Miller2013

Spartan Race fit -almost!

Spartan Race competitionWhy not push your boundaries and win a chance to take part in aSpartan Race challenge? The Waitrose Chronicle is giving away threepairs o tickets or Partners to be given the opportunity to take part inone o seven Spartan Race events around the UK.

Obstacle racing is becoming one o the astest growing sports

crazes worldwide and, in the UK, Spartan Race is staging sevenevents in the ollowing locations: London, Cambridge, York, Edinburghand the Midlands.

For your chance to win a pair o ree entry tickets, send yourname, branch, address and a contact number to Competitions_WaitroseChronicle@waitrose.co.uk or by post to Waitrose Chronicle atWaitrose Head Oice. Mark your entries Spartan Race. The deadlineis Tuesday, 2 July.

Partners can also now log on to PartnerChoice at http://partnerchoice.co.uk/detail/1029-spartan-race to beneft rom a 15%discount on the cost o entering any o the seven Spartan Raceevents this autumn. Or simply log on to www.spartanrace.com to fndout more about the obstacle race series.

Carol rises to the challenge

6 The Chronicle 21 June 2013