I completed a Spartan Race obstacle course event in Bozeman, Montana, on June 2, part of the 2024 Montana Spartan Trifecta Weekend. It was an incredible day to hang out with my brother Lt. Aaron Zamzow, host of FireRescue1’s Better Every Shift podcast, and watch teams compete and complete the various obstacles.
Event Details:
- Location: Bozeman, Montana
- Distance: 5K
- Weather conditions: Sunny and warm, although it was extremely muddy from some significant rain the night before, but that didn’t take away from the amount of fun we had.
- Number of obstacles: There were monkey bars, Olympic rings, several climbing obstacles – and LOTS OF MUD! In total, I believe there were 17 obstacles instead of the normal 20 due to the mud.
Toughest obstacle
- Name: The Z Wall – an obstacle that resembles indoor rock-climbing in that there are hand and foot holds, but you climb sideways, navigating around corners.
- What made it so tough: No surprise – the mud. By the time we got to the Z wall, our shoes, hands, arms, basically out entire body was covered in mud, which made it extremely difficult to hold on to anything.
- Surrender: I didn’t even attempt the rope climb, as it was just a complete slick of mud by the time we got there, and there was no way to hold on to it.
- What helped me push through: The sheer determination and support from my teammate made it possible to get through most of the obstacles. It was a common theme throughout the race to see people encouraging each other to push through the mud and obstacles to finish.
Best moment
- During one of the last obstacles we encounter, there was a participant in front of us who was a little hesitant about the obstacle. We encouraged them to give it a go and ensured them that we had confidence in them to be able to do it. Aaron even offered to go first and show them a few pointers – and it was even funnier when he landed on his butt in the mud.
Top takeaways
- This is a great teambuilding event. It would be a great way for fire companies or shifts to build some camaraderie.
- The support from all of the participants is amazing. From start to finish, people were supporting and encouraging people. While it is a race, you could tell that everyone was there to have fun and wanted to support and encourage other participants as much as possible.
Editor’s note: Register for Tough Mudder’s Hometown Heroes 5K Appreciation Run, taking place Oct. 26 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (Granbury, Texas). In collaboration with Lexipol Media Group, publishers of FireRescue1 and the Better Every Shift podcast, this special event celebrates the dedication and service of our nation’s first responders. First responders and their immediate family members are invited to race at no charge. Register here.
