Top obstacle racers converged on Big Bear, California over the weekend for the third stop of the 2018 Spartan U.S. National Series. The two day even tested the athletes' strength and endurance with over $15,000 on the line in cash and prizes. The top honors went to Ryan Atkins and Rea Kolbl. Atkins bested the rest of the elite men's field by nearly three minutes and Kolbl bested Faye Stenning by nearly a minute to capture the win.
MEN’S ELITE WOMEN’S ELITE
1. Ryan Atkins 02:13:49 1. Rea Kolbl 02:37:16
2. Angel Quintero 02:16:30 2. Faye Stenning 02:38:04
3. Ryan Woods 02:19:19 3. Lindsay Webster 02:39:30
4. Robert Killian 02:23:07 4. Alyssa Hawley 02:48:41
5. Ian Hosek 02:25:45 5. Nicole Mericle 03:01:15

Big Bear Lake, Calif. – Top endurance athletes in the obstacle racing world tackled the gritty Southern California course for the Spartan SoCal U.S. National Series race weekend, May 18-20. The event featured a range of competitive heats and saw athletes battle for more than $15,000 in cash and prizes as well as the right to compete in the 2018 Spartan North American Championship on August 25 in West Virginia and the 2018 World Championship in North Lake Tahoe on September 29.

The race weekend included some of the nation’s top athletes, as well as weekend warriors and new racers, taking on Spartan’s signature events, including the “Beast' and “Sprint”, and Kids Races. The course featured miles of technical terrain, steep elevation and signature Spartan obstacles designed to push competitors to their limits.

Ryan Atkins of Caledon, ON captured the men’s elite title with a time of 02:13:49, while Rea Kolbl of Palo Alto, CA earned the top prize on the women’s side with a 02:37:16 course pace. Joining Atkins on the men’s podium were Angel Quintero in second and Ryan Woods in third. Faye Stenning and Lindsay Webster rounded out the women’s top three, earning second and third respectively. Finishing at the top of the field in these qualifiers, Atkins and Kolbl earned the right to compete in the 2018 Spartan North American Championship and World Championship.

The U.S. National Series leads to the 2018 Spartan World Championship, the pinnacle event of the obstacle racing season featuring a field of elite athletes from more than 50 countries around the world battling it out over a 12+ mile (20+ kilometer) “Beast” race. To qualify for the world championship heat, competitors must finish top 10 in a Spartan National Series event or a Regional Championship anywhere in the world during the 2018 qualifying season.

After Big Bear Lake, the series continues in new championship venues in Chicago, IL on June 23; and the finale in Eden, UT on July 28.

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Spartan

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