2015 Spartan Race World Championship – Lake Tahoe

Spartan Race 2015 World Championship Race Recap

Spartan Race World Championship Race Recap

Prize Purse & SRWC Championship Results

Men’s Elite Beast Championship
1st place: Robert Killian 2:25:56 – $15,000 + Custom-made Spartan Rig, $12,000 value
2nd place: Ryan Atkins 2:27:00 – $10,000
3rd place: Cody Moat 2:27:59 – $5,000
4th place: Jon Albon 2:31:39 – $4,000
5th place: Chad Trammell 2:35:02 – $3,000

Women’s Elite Beast Championship
1st place: Zuzana Kocumova 2:53:03 – $15,000 + Custom-made Spartan Rig, $12,000 value
2nd place: Lindsay Webster 2:58:02 – $10,000
3rd place: Rachel Paquette 2:58:59 – $5,000
4th place: Amelia Boone 2:59:20 – $4,000
5th place: Rose Wetzel 3:06:26 – $3,000

Course Map

Pre-Race Favorites

A few weeks back, a few “industry insiders” hopped on a Google Hangout to discuss who we thought would be the top 5 for Men & Women. Jake Shillue, Steffen Cook, Keith Allen, Tony Matesi and I (Brett) had the great pleasure of butting heads for about an hour picking our top 5 guys and gals who would dominate the 2015 Spartan Race World Championship in Lake Tahoe. All in all, we had a general consensus of who we expected to be on the podium, although each of us had a different order. Since we all agreed not to share each other's exact order, I'll give the top 5 we picked in no particular order:
Men

• Ryan Atkins – 2014 SRWC runner-up, reigning 2-time World's Toughest Mudder Champion, currently unBFeated at BattleFrog events in 2015. This Canadian has something to prove, and Tahoe may be the perfect place.
• Jonathan Albon – the current Spartan Race – and – OCR World Champion from England has been using his “off-time” to get married and also go toe-to-toe with some of the best Sky Racers in the world. With his recent training, and Sky Running wins, could he make it back-to-back SRWC victories?
• Cody Moat – Strong, fast, agile, and “Mr. Consistent” when it comes to podium finishes at Spartan Race events. Cody is the full package, is this the year he breaks through for the top spot?
• Hunter McIntyre – biceps win races, but can they win championships? Hunter was absent from the Spartan Race scene a big part of 2015, opening a new gym in Miami and traveling all over the planet filming an adventure reality show. Did his globe-trotting allow for enough for The Sherrif (and his biceps) to finish the season as top dog?
• Brakken Kraker – coming off the his best season ever, Brakken made a trip south of the border to Spartan Race Mexico just a week earlier and came home with 2nd place – and a very bad stomach bug. Since last year's “melt-down” on excessively hilly courses, his 2015 training has been on-peak, and he as ready as ever to show the his intestinal fortitude… if his gut will let him.
• The Rest of the Best – Each one of these guys is a contender for any spot 1-10, and probably deserve a complete write-up like the (5) above, but I'm either too stupid or lazy to do it. So, in no particular order, the rest of our picks for the top 10 male SRWC finishers:
  Robert Killian, James Appelton, Marco Bedard, Ryan Kent, Matt Novakovich, Isaiah Vidal, Chad Trammell, Glen Racz

Women

• Rose Wetzel-Sinnet – Wonder Woman is poised and ready to dominate this course. She relocated from the Pacific northwest to train in Colorado; will the altitude acclimation and peak training help Rose overcome her razor-grass injuries from BattleFrog only two weeks ago?
• Amelia Boone – “Amanda” may be everyone's favorite for a top spot, and the reigning World's Toughest Mudder champion clearly has something to prove to the OCR world after last year's injury kept her on the sidelines for all the post-season glory. Is Amelia the best in the world? There's some stiff competition standing between the Queen of Pain and the #1 spot on the SRWC podium.
• Lindsay Webster – the sometimes overlooked (but not for much longer) half of the Canadian power couple, Ryan Atkins' fiancee has been dominating the BattleFrog Series in 2015 and looking to make a statement in Tahoe. Is she ready? Well, just check out her Tahoe-Crushing Workout for yourself.
• Claude “Clo” Godbout – speaking of Canadian power couples, Clo and Marco Bedard are Canadian Olympian biathletes that make up an incredible duo themselves. Marco may be sidelined (99% sure, we're still awaiting final answer) but Clo is the reigning Spartan World Champion and ready to give this Tahoe Beast course a beat-down!
• Corinna Coffin – power and consistency are Corinna's hallmarks, and her 2nd place finish in 2014 Spartan Race World Championships showcased her abilities at longer courses. This BattleFrog athlete is versatile enough to dominate both long and short distance courses, and her training in Virginia may be key to helping her in the Sierra Nevadas.
• The Rest of the Best – a list as stacked as the men's, any one of these ladies deserve to be in the conversation and could absolutely end their day tomorrow as the new Spartan Race World Champion:
  Cassidy Watton, April Dee, Alex “Chikorita” Roudayna, Tiffany Novakovich, Kate Cramer

Top 5 Predictions From Tahoe

We reached out to a bunch of athletes and insiders, and while some are a little too busy with their pre-race prep, here are some of the insights we received so far and we'll be fielding updates all day:
Brakken Kraker:
Guys: “I'm not giving out the exact order, but here's the 4 of the top 5 that I feel are a lock: Cody Moat, Ryan Atkins, Jon Albon, Robert Killian. There are about eight other guys who can possibly snag that open 5th spot.”
Gals: “Similar with the women, I can give you 10, but here's 5: Amelia, Rose, Lindsey, Claude, and Becca. Becca Clifford is a new name you'll be hearing more from, and she's also from my hometown!”

Tim Sinnet

Men: “I'm sure I'm forgetting some, it's a stacked field. Cody and Ryan are my top picks. Brakken (if healthy), Isaiah, and Ryan Kent will be in the mix. If Jon can overcome altitude, he will be standing on the podium. Unfortunately, John Yatsko will be here watching with his foot in a boot due to Achilles issues.”
Women: “I have a horse in this race, so obviously I'm picking Rose, Amelia, Lindsay, Claude…in no order. Becca, Chikorita, and Corinna could be in that mix, too.”

KK Stewart
(Brett's note: I had KK in my original top 5, she chose not to race SRWC this year.)
Ladies first: “Amelia, Lindsey, Clou, Corinna, April”
Gentlemen: Cody, Albon, Atkins, Hunter, Brakken”

Margaret Schlachter
“Instead of picking top 5 overall, I'm breaking up the European standouts from the North Americans:”
Top European Men:
Jon Albon (UK) won Euro Champs and has dominated the Toughest series in Scandinavia
James Appleton (UK), 4th place in Euro Champs, 10th last year at World Champs
Michal Rajniak (Slovakia), 2nd place in Euro Champs, 1st place Austria Beast, multiple podiums this year
Peter Ziska (Slovakia), 3rd euro champs, more victories in Europe in last 2 years than any other racer

Top European Women
Zuzana Kocumova, (Czech Rep) won the Euro Champs
Tereza Janeckova, (Czech Rep) 2nd place Euro Champs, multiple podiums this year, 5th last year at World Champs
Lenka Vejdelkova (Czech Rep) 3rd place Euro Champs, strong mountain runner.

Top North American Men:
“No big surprises here, I see Ryan, Hunter, Bear, Cody, and Albon doing very well.”

Top North American Women:
“Same holds true for the women, looks like it'll be very familiar names in Amelia, Rose, Corinna, Lindsay, and Claude filling the top 5.”

Pre-Race Articles

• Spartan Race World Championship Preview
• Race Weekend Schedule

Tony Matesi
Female Top 5: “Here are my top 5 women – and I'll even put them in order: Amelia, Claude, Corinna, Lindsay, & Rose.”

Male Top 5: “I've got the men lined up like this: Cody Moat, Jon Albon, Ryan Atkins, Bear Novakovich, and Isaiah Vidal.”