Our very own Spartan, Justin - manager of our Leeds store – tells us about the latest leg of his Spartan Sprint adventure… As some of you may remember, I took on my first Spartan Race in September last year. Well and truly bitten by the Spartan bug, I decided one Race wasn’t enough! After that first race, the buzz of adrenaline I felt just fuelled my passion. And so I decided to go for my Spartan Trifecta Medal, which means taking on ALL THREE Spartan Races - Sprint 5km, Super 13km and Beast 20km - in one year. I recently took on my first for this year, this time at Allianz Park Stadium in London. This was the Sprint 5K with 15+ obstacles. First Stadium Sprint ever in the UK Spartan Race have held many stadium sprints all across Europe and America but this was the first one held in the UK, so I was even more geared up for it. It was a totally different type of run to the Yorkshire Spartan Sprint last year and so my training beforehand had to be different too. Firstly, I knew there would be stairs (lots of stairs) involved due to the location, so I used the Schwinn 470i elliptical trainer a lot on the highest incline setting to replicate stair climbs. I also knew this run would include many more man-made obstacles than the usual muddy craters etc. that you get in most other Spartan runs. I increased my upper body strength training to make this "easier". Powerbags, kettlebells, battle ropes, slam balls and the Body Solid Compact Cable Crossover machine, to name but a few, were my main training partners leading up to the event! [caption id="attachment_764" align="alignnone" width="580"]Raze 50ft battle rope training Me training with the 50ft RAZE Battle Rope[/caption] Race Day On race day itself, the sun was shining, the crowds were supportive, the Spartans were loud and the organisation was top notch (as usual). The course started and finished inside Allianz Park but went outside for the most part across fields, through woodland and they even found a couple of hills for us to run up and down. The obstacles were great too, with everything from the usual suspects of the rope climb, spear toss and 7ft wall to newer ones like the traverse wall and all those stadium steps - the first half of which were done whilst carrying a 25kg sandbag! The only thing missing was the fire jump at the finish line but I'd guess that was because of the stadium location. [caption id="attachment_766" align="alignnone" width="580"]Spartan Sprint 7ft wall Me taking on the 7ft wall[/caption] Overall, I think the course was slightly tougher than the Yorkshire Sprint last September, mainly due to the heat on the day, the longer running phases and the stadium steps in the last 1km, which was my favourite. It included a 7ft wall, the steps, a lateral wall climb, the spear toss, over and under through walls, a cargo net and the sprint finish. There were crowds (including my wife Alaina and daughter Amelia) and music blasting too. The steps were definitely the toughest obstacle, especially when carrying the 25kg sandbag! [caption id="attachment_767" align="alignnone" width="580"]Spartan Race Justin It's such a great sense of achievement to cross that finish line![/caption] The fact that I started training sooner for this race definitely helped A LOT!  Using the Schwinn 470i elliptical on the STAIRS programme setting was a genius move for obvious reasons and the upper strength training I did paid off on the walls and carries. [caption id="attachment_771" align="alignnone" width="580"]Schwinn 470i elliptical The STAIRS programme on the Schwinn 470i really prepared me for the Stadium Steps![/caption] A family Affair Like last time, my daughter Amelia also took on the Junior race again and - again - was the first girl in her age group, so her mum and I were both super proud! Not that that was her high point of the day. Just before I crossed the finish, she met one of her favourite pop stars, Aston Merrygold, formerly of JLS, and got several photos with him and he also signed her shirt too. It also shows that even celebs need to challenge themselves too and take on Spartan Runs just like the rest of us! I totally recommend making the Spartan Race a family affair. It’s a great way to get active, do something totally different and it's tremendously fun with the family. [caption id="attachment_765" align="alignnone" width="580"]Aston Merrygold Spartan Race My daughter Amelia with fellow Spartan Aston Merrygold from JLS.[/caption] Overall, I've enjoyed everything from the training to crossing the finish line again and now I am focussing on upping the training yet again as my next Spartan Race is on Saturday 4 July in Manchester at Heaton Park. The Super is 13km and 20+ obstacles so obviously I need to increase the miles I'm running too, along with more circuit training on top. Is the Spartan Race for you? Absolutely! I couldn’t recommend the Spartan Race more. Whether you’re incredibly fit, or a total newbie to exercise, it doesn’t matter. The Spartan Race is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to test yourself. Plus, the camaraderie involved is great. You can compete with friends, so all your training beforehand isn’t done alone and you have that support on the day, both from your mates and the other Spartans. And think of all the great pictures, memories and sense of achievement. Starting with the 5K, you don’t have to be a total fitness freak to get through the course. This is a doable race and YOUR race to enjoy and take from it what you want. The best thing about the Spartan Race is that it’s all about teamwork. Get together with some great team mates and there’s no doubt you can finish. Read part 2 of my Spartan Journey. Get 20% off the Spartan Race I have also become involved with Spartan Race UK's Street Team too by joining them at their Workout Tour events in Stockport and Leeds. As a result, I have my very own exclusive 20% discount for any UK Spartan race in 2015, so if you want to sign up, show up and SPARTAN UP, you can do so for less. Simply go to Spartan Race UK and enter the code LGN72 when prompted at the checkout.