Mud, sweat and tears: Thousands sign up for second Spartan Sprint
<p>Emy Minnich rides her bike down California Street with her three Maltese dogs in tow Friday afternoon in Kalispell. “We’ve been training for the Spartan Race,” Minnich said. “They love the rickshaw rides.”</p>
More than 5,000 mighty racers are expected to converge near Bigfork on Saturday, May 10, for the second Montana Spartan Sprint
They will race through mud, leap flames and scale walls as they make their way through an obstacle course designed by Spartan Race founder Joe DeSana. Organized by the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, the extreme race quickly has become a popular event, drawing participants from almost every state and Canadian province.
“Word has gotten around that this is a remarkable race worth traveling for,” Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, said. “Montana’s rugged beauty provides a perfect backdrop for one of the most challenging and scenic races on the Spartan circuit.”
DeSena has designed a course that features 25 obstacles spread over more than four miles of naturally challenging terrain.
Saturday’s race will be held in heats of 200 racers starting at 8 a.m. and continuing until 4 p.m. Throughout the day, youths ages 4 to 13 will compete in the one-mile varsity and half-mile junior varsity races. Spectators and racers also can test their fitness in the festival area, which features the Pull-Up Challenge, Slosh Pipe Challenge, Kaiser Challenge and Traverse Wall Challenge.
Adult competitors can register online through Tuesday, and children’s race registration is open until noon the day of the event on site. Registration, pricing, volunteer opportunities and other information is available online at bit.ly/MTSpartan.
Spectators are welcome at the 2014 Montana Spartan Sprint. Admission is $20 in advance online or $25 at the gate, and food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event. Spectators are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs.
Event parking is located at the corner of Montana 35 and 82 in Bigfork. Cost is $10 per vehicle, cash only. Free shuttles will run all day between the parking and race areas. No parking is available at the race site. Competitors should arrive at event parking a minimum of two hours prior to race time.
The Montana Spartan Sprint is one of three major annual competitive events organized by the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, all with a focus on building the shoulder tourism seasons in the Flathead Valley, Medler said.
The third annual Montana Dragon Boat Festival will take place Sept. 13 -14 on Flathead Lake. The second Montana Pond Hockey Classic is slated for February 2015. These three events help fill area hotels, restaurants and other businesses at a time of year when business has historically been slower than the summer travel season, said Rob Brisendine, group sales manager with the visitor bureau.
“These events offer a great opportunity to introduce our out-of-state and international visitors to Flathead Valley hospitality,” he said.
Last year’s inaugural Flathead Spartan Race drew 4,200 racers and 2,300 spectators. It created $1.1 million of economic activity in the Flathead Valley, according to the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, which compiled spending and performance data on the event.