The Spartan Death Race took place over the weekend in Pittsfield, Vermont. The birthplace of Spartan. The race kicked off on Thursday just after midnight with 63 athletes attempting to see how far they could go. The event included an overnight hike, a Guinness World Record record was set, and in the end, 12 athletes were granted the coveted skull.
The Death Race kicked-off at 12:01am ET Thursday morning with 63 participants starting a 14-hour hike on the grueling Bloodroot trail. This led the racers back to Riverside Farm in Pittsfield. The rest of the race would take place around Joe De Sena's farm and mountain. Athletes were put to the test physically and mentally to break them down to their core.
During the hike, racers carried rocks and sandbags. After getting back to Pittsfield the racers had a briefing in the Pittsfield church, a fabled spot from the 2011 race. After a briefing from Joe De Sena and race officials, the remaining racers split wood, were put through grueling mental tasks and physical labor around the farm.
Upon reaching the storied farm, where Spartan was founded, participants moved boulders weighing more than 2,000 pounds each before heading to the top of the property’s mountain to clear brush, paving the way to attempt 3,000 burpees, of which 23 racers were able to complete, with 7 racers running out of time at 1,000 and 6 dropping out of the race.
One of the toughest challenges during the race was the 12-hour barbed wire crawl and Guinness World Record attempt. Every obstacle of the DR has both a repetition or distance competitors must meet within a certain time period to be eligible to receive a shared a $100,000 cash purse, paid in all quarters. For the barbed wire crawl, the race organizers set that distance at 26.2 miles, with no one getting even close to that distance the prize purse was voided.
Eric Hutterer from Alliston, Ontario taking home the Guinness World Record for the “farthest distance crawling under barbed wire for 12 hours,” having reached 7.541-Miles, more than 31 laps. Runner-up Amy Palmiero-Winters, a below the knee amputee from Meadville, PA reached 7.217.
The remaining competitors can finish the race, but will not be eligible for the purse. In the end, 12 racers finished the Death Race this year with their last task, putting together their finisher skull.
2018 Finishers
This year 12 racers finished the 2018 Spartan Death Race. They were able to outlast and endure everything that Joe De Sena and the rest of the team had to throw at them. Finishers listed below.
Back: Euan Campbell, Rachel Lotz, Ronald Tortola, Alex Devine, Eric Hutterer, Ryan Robeson, Chris Rice
Front: Amy Palmiero-Winters, Richard Gyslain, Athena Ojeda, Yvette Ahern, Matthew Moortgat
Congratulations to all the racers this year for attempting one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet and setting a new Guinness World Record in the process.