8 reasons to be excited and scared by the UAE’s first Spartan Race

People jumping over fire at a Spartan Race, the first UAE edition of which is at the Jebel Ali Racecourse on February 20. Courtesy Reebok

The Spartan Race was launched in 2004 in the peaceful American state of Vermont, and by last year had grown to 130 events in 15 countries. Organisers are expecting more than 5,000 people at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday morning to tackle the UAE’s first edition of the popular obstacle race. Here’s what they can expect.

It will be difficult

The Spartan Sprint will play out over five kilometres (as opposed to the 13km Spartan Super or the 19km Spartan Beast) marked with 15 obstacles. The popularity of Spartan races is indicative of the increasingly demanding ­“fitness generation”, or “fit-gen”, who are a bit bored of standard races, explains Anthony Martland, the fitness manager for ­event sponsors Reebok Mena. “Doing an obstacle race is going back to human roots, to prehistoric and human movement,” he says.

Any nerves seem perfectly justified

Over the weekend, visitors to Dubai Fountain were mesmerised by a promotional video that has been looping on a giant screen. The participants were often smiling, but they were also grim-faced as they flipped tyres, inched along metal bars on their bellies and, well, jumped over fire.

Failing will be harder than succeeding

Those who can’t complete a challenge – three-metre rope climb, anyone? – must complete 30 burpees before moving on. Joe DeSena, the 45-year-old Queens, New York native and Spartan Race co-founder, can do 300, so no whining.

You will fail at some point

“The number-one obstacle that has a 90-95 per cent failure rate is the spear throw,” says Rayyan Agha, the race’s managing director, “and that’s why we have the biggest burpee area on the spear throw.”

There will be people there to help

Those who fail at a challenge and can’t finish their 30 burpees can ask someone else to complete them, although unless DeSena is on hand, it’s hard to imagine anyone saying yes. Otherwise, the atmosphere is famously collegial, meaning get over yourself and grab onto that outstretched hand, already. How else are you going to get over the slippery wall? “It taught me a lot about how you must have people, friends to kind of help you throughout the course,” says Agha.

You will get very, very dirty

The slippery wall is just the ­beginning. How about crawling under barbed wire through mud for 100 metres? The Dubai Fountain video shows participants emerge soaking wet from large, muddy pool. Common sense suggests this is not the day for new trainers.

It’s going to take all day

Waves of runners will be released in two categories – elite and open – every 15 minutes, from 7am to 4pm. While the fastest completion time is around 40 minutes, the average is 90, although Agha once took two hours hammering it out in the pouring rain on a course in Barcelona.

“It will really put you in the moment,” he says, “because you simply don’t see what’s happening next”.

It’s not about being the fittest or the fastest

Organisers are explicit about one thing: the Spartan Sprint is for all fitness levels. Martland, who just finished the challenging Wadi Bih Run relay, is feeling perfectly prepared. But he’s also hearing from people saying: “I’m so scared, I’m not fit, I’ve never run a 5K in my life!” Chances are, you fall somewhere in between.

“Your limits will be tested, that’s the whole point, you kind of emerge as the phoenix,” explains Agha. “The tag is: ‘You’ll know at the finish line.’”

• Dubai’s first Spartan Sprint, starts at 7am on February 20 and runs all day at the Jebel Ali Racecourse track, behind Tecom, next to Al Barsha. Entry is Dh350 until February 18, then rises to Dh400 and then Dh500 on race day. For more ­information or to sign up, go to www.spartanrace.ae.