Local athletes compete in Spartan Trifecta

Spartan races are a series of national and international obstacle races, with distances varying from three miles to half and full marathons. With no real set path outlined, competitors put themselves to the test as they run across rough terrain, up incredible elevations and obstacles that leave them wet, muddy, bruised and bleeding by the time they cross the finish line.

Though one of these races is grueling enough, some go for three in a year, competing at the three events of Sprint, Super and Beast to complete the Spartan Trifecta. Recently, four Thermopolis residents took on and completed that challenge.

A Beast race is 12-14 miles with an average 35 obstacles, a Sprint is four to five miles with an average 22 obstacles and a Super is eight to 10 miles with an average 28 obstacles.

Chelsea Brown did her Sprint at Ft. Carson, Colo. on May 14 and her Beast at Breckenridge, Colo. on Aug. 26. Mark Phipps did his Beast at Big Fork, Mont. on May 6 and the Sprint at Boise, Id. On June 24. They both did their Supers at Eden, Utah on Aug. 5.

Brandon Deromedi did his Super March 18 and his Sprint March 19, both in Las Vegas. Jordan McKittrick did his Sprint at Fort Carson in May and his Super at Eden Aug. 5. They both did their Beast at Breckenridge Aug. 26.

Brown said she got involved with the Spartan races through friends who had done it. She did a team event her first time, in 2015, and fell in love with the Spartan races. Brown also has plenty of background in Jiu Jitsu and was also in a mixed martial arts cage fight.

Deromedi said he heard about the events through Travis Bomengen and Ryan Williams, and made it his goal to compete in them to stay in good health and in good shape for hunting. He competed in a Sprint in 2014 and 2015, and a half-marathon in 2016.

McKittrick said his friend Erin Dyok talked him into doing the event. He ran the Sprint in May with Dyok, and noted he had been training with Deromedi at the beginning of the year and right after he finished his Sprint he wanted to take on the Trifecta.

Phipps said he's been competing in Spartans since 2014, when he was introduced to them by Bomengen and his wife Lisa, who competed in them.

Phipps has always been involved in extreme types of racing, and he competed in 2014 at the extreme race that used to be held outside Meeteetse. He pointed out the Spartan races take a person along un-established routes that go over hills and the worst types of terrain. That means, he said, competitors not only have to be excellent runners, they also need plenty of body strength to get through the obstacles.

Nutrition also plays a factor, both in training and during the races. People can run with packs of energy snack and electrolyte water if they choose. While these can be cumbersome, Phipps noted runners won't last without them. Phipps and Brown said at the Super in Eden, Utah, by the time they reached the first hill three people had already been airlifted off.

"They usually like to get you soaking wet through mud and water," Phipps said, and the number and type of obstacles varies depending on what level a person is competing. There are classes of elite runners, competitive runners and an open class.

"Chelsea and I usually compete in the competitive class," Phipps said. "In the competitive and elite classes they hold you to a different standard. The rules are quite explicit as to what you can and can't do." There is no help from teammates, for instance, and the penalty for not completing or skipping an exercise is 30 burpees. Judges are also on hand to make sure the obstacles are done properly.

Even if the burpees are not done in the prescribed method, Phipps said, you have to start over. Brown said in her last race she ended up doing 210 burpees, and Phipps said he did 120 on his Beast race; that race also saw 4,000 feet of uphill climbs.

Deromedi and McKittrick said the Breckenridge race saw them running from 9,000 to 13,000 feet altitudes, and many of the races incorporate high terrain. Deromedi added the Vegas races were more low lands, but there was plenty of sand.

McKittrick wound up doing 30 burpees on his Sprint and 60 each on his Super and Beast. Deromedi did 60 on his Beast, 90 on his Sprint and 150 on his Super.

The open class is for anyone who just wants to try a Spartan race, and the rules are much more lenient; people can also help each other through obstacles if they choose.

There's not much time to study the course prior to running the race, and they change from year to year, making the Spartan not only a physical trial but a mental one as well. Phipps said a person could make a mental mistake as easily as a physical one and wind up doing burpees. As for the obstacles, Phipps pointed out its plenty muddy so things are already slick. Race organizers seem to favor hills as far as natural obstacles and seem to be a big fan of walls, including simple, inverted and Z walls.

Brown explained a Z wall looks like the letter, and competitors can only use their hands and feet without touching the ground or the top wall. Phipps added even the simple walls follow the terrain, so if they're built on a hill they're going to tilt various ways.

Despite the physical and mental toll of the Spartan, Phipps said they are quite popular, so having four people from Thermopolis earn their Trifecta is a great representation for the town.

As for preparation for the event, Phipps and Brown train multiple days a week. "There's staying in good shape," Phipps said, "but then there's Spartan shape. Training to complete these three races in one year is tough on any level, on any age. It's total dedication. It's so mental because you want to quit, a lot."

Phipps does fitness training at Gottsche for 3-5 days a week, but does much on his own to get used to running hills and mountains. Brown also uses the facility 4-5 days a week, but also ran and hiked hills in the Big Horn Mountains.

McKittrick said he and Deromedi trained together and did the workouts on the Spartan website. He also added some strength training. Deromedi said after having to do 150 burpees he incorporated some CrossFit into his routine as well as some running, working his way up to 13 miles and running on varied terrain such as hills and mountains when he could. McKittrick also changed things up after his Super and added some running and CrossFit to his routine leading up to the Beast.

For others looking to run the Spartan, McKittrick and Deromedi recommend working on overall mileage, upper body strength, grip strength, carrying and pullups. McKittrick said it's not just about how much you can lift, but what you can do and keep going.

Brown said, "This whole experience for me was life-changing. It really was. Everything I learned on the course, and through training and nutrition, I've absolutely been able to transition into life as far as endurance, mental toughness, patience . . . This has actually taught me a lot about life."

Phipps said he planned to do the Trifecta in 2015, but blew out his left shoulder while training and had to have surgery, which further required rehabilitation and strength training to get him ready to take it on in 2017.

Looking ahead, Phipps said he certainly plans to compete in Spartan races next year, but doesn't know if he'll shoot for the Trifecta again. He looks forward to improving his time as he competes in future years. Brown piqued his interest in doing another Trifecta, stating completing two would earn him a very large medal.

Brown wants to do all of the military Spartan races, so the next on she's planning to do is at Fort Knox in July. Her Sprint event this year at Ft. Carson was military. Brown explained the military Spartans have obstacles more in line with the military branch represented.

Of course, there's always the Ultra Beast they could do in Iceland, which includes 50 obstacles and a full marathon distance of more than 26 miles.

McKittrick would like to do another Trifecta, and also get in another race this year. Deromedi said it can be difficult to get to the locations where the races are and find events that coincide with work schedules, but they're also looking at similar events such as the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash.

McKittrick said the beauty of these events is they are what you make them. They might be a "butt kicker," an "eye opener," or a piece of cake. He and Deromedi said it was the biggest euphoric feeling of anything they've ever done.