Some of our colleagues are Spartans. Wait, what?

Our Spartan colleagues definitely were, at their latest Spartan Race Super competition, held in Brasov this Saturday.

Some of our colleagues are Spartans. Wait, what?

A story of commitment and teamwork. In mud

What are we good at? Overcoming obstacles, learning through effort to perform effortlessly, being committed to dreams, reaching goals?

It’s not about the what, it’s about the who’s up for it.

Our Spartan colleagues definitely were, at their latest Spartan Race Super competition, held in Brasov this Saturday. About twenty of our colleagues, part of Accesa’s Sports Hobby Club, had the opportunity to challenge themselves at one of the most popular international obstacles races, on a rainy day, a tricky terrain, with some hardcore obstacles and… well, apparently hundreds of burpees. The end results? Our team finished 5th out of 20 teams, which is truly impressive. Congratulations, Spartans!

What is this?

The Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. The series include the Spartan Sprint, the Spartan Super, the Spartan Beast, and the Spartan Ultra. Frequently used obstacles include: a fire jump, climbing under barbed wire, wall climbing, mud crawling, spear throw, rope climb, monkey bars, Slippery Wall and many more. You can easily paint a picture of how difficult it can get.

What’s more is that failure to fully complete any obstacles results in a 30-burpee penalty that runners need to complete before continuing their race. How crazy is that? One of our colleagues, Alice, had to do 240 burpees throughout the entire 14-kilometer competition. She did them all. And finished the race.

”Near the end, my muscles were completely numb, and even if I could normally do the obstacles, my body only wanted more and more burpees, so I simply fell off (laughing). It was incredibly hard, and I suffered tremendously, but I loved it nevertheless: the views, the mountains, all the fun with my colleagues.” (Alice)

A Spartan Race participant can obtain a Trifecta medal after completing a Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super and a Spartan Beast in one calendar year. Which is what some of our colleagues have also set in mind. Cristi is an established long-distance runner, but this time he wanted to try something different:

”12 degrees, rain, my t-shirt resisted (laughing). It was an amazing experience, a whole new idea of challenging myself, I had so much fun, even while I was falling off the ropes, soaking wet, just a couple of meters before the finish line. But it’s worth it: having this Trifecta medal in mind, as a purpose throughout the year, being committed to it, giving your best in difficult conditions, it’s a life learning experience that I totally recommend.”

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A different kind of team building

For Camelia, every Spartan contest is a special kind of team building where a bunch of kind, ambitious, funny, sports-driven people learn new things, have a mutual purpose and motivate each other.

„The feeling after each race is priceless: that moment when we all share our personal experiences and everything hurts yet everyone is happy to have achieved more than expected. There’s a strong family vibe that’s really important for all of us, I’m sure.

Also, during the race, I love that the whole challenge makes me achieve much more than i thought possible, gives me confidence to challenge myself even further and strive to overcome my own limits. Now, at Brasov, where a lot of foreign participants said the race is harder than usual because of the 1000+ altitude level, I finished 12th out of 80 women. That’s really satisfying for me.”

What makes us feel alive?

Andreea sees the entire Spartan Race experience as a perfect mix of everything that makes her feel "alive": challenge, fun, hard work, passion, perseverance, community.

“I like the challenge of a new trail and the thrill of an unexpected obstacle waiting around the corner. I also like the feeling of accomplishment and happiness that comes after an exhausting race. However, the most difficult part of the Spartan competition isn't even the race itself, it's the month leading up to it. Training requires time, dedication and strong will and I’m sure we couldn’t do it without Calin, we thank him for this!

Throughout this journey having the colleagues close, which at the end become/are friends is a bliss. We encourage each other and we take care of each other. Beautiful and crazy people having lot of fun!”

The „give it your best” mentor and personal trainer Călin

According to our in-house personal trainer, Călin, the Spartan Race is about teamwork and commitment, but at the same time it’s about fighting with your limits, outgrowing yourself, challenging your weaknesses and being disciplined through perseverance. Accesa’s Spartan Team began preparing for this year’s three competitions in January, went to the Spartan Race Sprint Maggiora in Milan, the Spartan Race Super in Poiana Brasov and are getting ready for the final race in Hungary, this October.

As coordinator of our Spartans, he’s proud of all their achievements and is looking forward to completing the Trifecta Medal together, in October. Best of luck!

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” —Steve Prefontaine