Ok, not really, but it may feel that way. The Spartan Race series is taking the endurance world over and growing faster than you can crawl through a muddy pit covered by a strings of barbwire 6” above your head. Years ago, race founder Joe DeSena wanted to find a way he could evaluate prospective employees he was hiring during his career on Wall Street. The Spartan Race was born.
After experiencing what Joe called a “pretty crappy childhood,” he wanted to pass on to others what he had learned. Not in the typical lecture teacher style, but in a way that would inspire the individual. The races are designed to push you mentally and physically. The races are transformational; they require much more than your typical 5k or 10k races.
The races are for everyone and Joe says they often attract bodybuilder and fitness types, CrossFitters, trail runners, weekend warriors, ex-military, cops, firefighters, men, women, professionals, students, young, old, individuals and companies in search of team-building events. There is a race in four distances, ranging from the 3-mile “Sprint,” with 15 military-style obstacles, to the 26-mile “Ultra Beast,” with 50-plus obstacles.
In his new book, Spartan Up!, Joe will inspire you just as he has inspired hundreds of thousands through his races. You will learn the concept of “obstacle immunity,” where nothing fazes you, allowing you to accomplish the things in life that you have always dreamed of but have been frozen in fear and have never pursued. With a vast personal experience, Joe uses examples from his own history to teach as well as inspiring tales of individuals who have used Spartan races to change their life for the better.
The whole book is focused on making you a true Spartan by helping you confront fears, dial in your fitness through discipline, understanding your nutrition, how to deal with the change and the unexpected, and how to take control of your future.
The concept that I personally like the most in Spartan Up! is the focus on mental strength. Many of us have the strength to do incredible feats, but do we have the mental strength to complete it. Joe says, “This book is really about the second half of the race, when your mind can quit on you or will you forward.”
Anybody who is looking to take control of some aspect of their life or their gearing up for the “next” great obstacle facing them in life, or they just want a really good read that will inspire them. You have got to pick up Spartan Up! The book releases May 17th, 2014.
