The Spartan Ultra World Championship took place in Åre, Sweden, on Saturday, featuring some of the best OCR athletes on the planet. The competitors pushed their bodies to the limit in a 24-hour endurance race. Elite competitors had to complete the five-mile loop as many times as possible in the 24-hour window, while non-elite racers had a mandatory six laps that had to be done in the same time to successfully complete the race.
Our very own chief content officer, Zack Zeigler, was one of those who successfully finished the six laps in the allotted time, and we’ll have plenty of coverage from his journey coming soon. In the meantime, here are some photos from the action over in Sweden this weekend.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
The Spartan Ultra World Championship
The best of the best ready themselves for a challenge that will test both mind and body.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Firing up the Troops
A Spartan warrior was on hand to fuel the fire of the fearsome men and women who turned up at the starting line.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Ready for the Challenge
This competitor certainly seemed pumped up to start proceedings as he channeled his inner, ah, monster before the race started.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Calm Before the Storm
For others, it was about last-minute preparation as they honed in on the challenge at hand.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Spear Throw
A competitor works through the spear-throwing section of the competition.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Happiness Is…
For some, a nice cup of tea and a good read means all is right in life. For others, maybe like this competior, happiness can be found in the grind.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Night Falls
In the background, beauitful Sweden. In the foreground, the course that competitors must conquer.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Sled Pull
This is a pretty cool view of the task this competitor faces on the sled pull.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
The Grind
Sooner or later— in the dark, battling frigid temperatures—it comes down to how much you want it.
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Courtesy Spartan Race
Dark Climbs
They say the darkest hour is before the dawn, and these competitors exhibited incredible mental fortitude to keep pushing on.
Ryan Atkins, the defending champion, kept his title in some style by completing 16 laps (that’s 80 miles!). Congratulations to him, and to all who took part.
Muscle & Fitness chief content officer Zack Zeigler powered through the course, completing 30 miles 150 obstacles in 24 hours. What’s more, he achieved a greater goal: completing a Spartan Trifecta and a Spartan Ultra just a week apart.
