2019 US National Series Alabama Super | Spartan Race

race number two of the Spartan US national series from here in Alabama has arrived and with it no shortage of high-stakes drama valuable points up for grabs cash and prizes and of course bragging rights that come with claiming your spot on the u.s. national series leaderboard I'm David Makino and I'm joined by Dave Watson to call today's race we're credibly excited to bring you the action but first Mobile Alabama which has a certain something that ignites your passion your curiosity your Wow as the French say and you can feel that French influence and everything from the culture to the history to the food it's the home of the first Mardi Gras of centuries old live oaks and the resting place of the USS Alabama Mobile is home to sports greats musical legends to literally literary giants not to mention a little something we call spine race and with an average annual temperature of 76 degrees and access to Alabama's only seaport and the beautiful Gulf Coast it's your ideal destination a beautiful state Dave and a gorgeous course set up just 20 miles outside of Mobile with varying terrain and quite a bit of mud and Steve Hammond is here to tell us all about it Steve take it away very excited for the second race in u.s. national series this course could be lightning fast it's the fastest course in the series so we are going to see the likes of woodsy and Kempson and a few of the other guides I go out super fast maybe a sub hour course we will see so the course is as I said very very flat very fast but there is some tricky sections in there especially through the swampy marshes not as bad as Jacksonville but definitely will interrupt the pace of some of the athletes and as they go round on the back end of the course is the there's some definitely some hard gauntlets with the rope climb and the bucket brigade and sandbag all been quite tough when the legs are slightly fatigued I'm early on definitely is going to be a little bit of a game changer possibly a game changer with the rolling mud and the dunk wall her quite straight into spear thrower all back to back within the first mile that's going to be very exciting back to you guys I can't wait to see it unfold yeah oh how excited is Steve looker this guy's pumped and I'm equally pumped I've waited weeks for this as VJ tones you just saw he didn't race week one but Ryan Kempson who you see right there he was your winner last week Ryan Atkins took second place and Ryan Kent took third that's Robert Killian the captain right here always focused and he finished very focused that is your men start line are you excited he looks calm he sees he city didn't have enough time to get mentally prepared but he's here well the runners are off and they're going to come out of the gates hot typically you see athletes such as a Robert Killian like to take the field out fast he likes to blow the field up early and so I would expect to see more of the same they're an athlete like Ryan Atkins may sit back a little more be more patient with that run that's right Dave this is the typical sort of start you're gonna get a big bunch you can see Robert Killian setting the pace early Atkins out front but you know really for everybody watching you can't you can't tell much of this early stage you just get a lot of bunching and and basically athletes just have to settle their heart right here and get into a rhythm the key is of course establish a position where you're not blocked out behind slower runners who like to go out fast but you may remain in contact without blowing through too much of your energy early on and that is Robert Killian out in front early but Bracken Crocker also in the mix fun to see him start to get back to his form he's been off his game the last couple years I should say as they hit these hay bales quick and that's Ryan Kendall sit down man moving into first position next to Robert killing you so the terrain take a peek down there you could see it's not just pure flat there's some mud and some muck and some uncomfortable footing so it wears on those calves and those ankles a lot over the course this way and will slow their 10th on that's right David you can see Robert Kelly and they're just sort of tripping and with his left ankle over a stick it's it's gonna be quite uneven you know given the weather in the past couple of months the grounds pretty soft it doesn't look too bad right now but as you say the ankle rolling potential is pretty high it's fast and the athletes that work on those stability strength muscles guys like Ryan Kempson they do very well on terrain like this now Ryan Kent is sitting back there in third position he took third last race in Jacksonville and he has got a chip on his shoulder a guy that never feels like he's counted in the conversation of the best athletes and always seems to end right up there I'll tell you what Dave he's just come back from Paris the star de France race where he took second so quite a different format probably suffering a little bit of jetlag doesn't look too bad right now though no it looks very smooth indeed and it's one of tough things about getting off a plane is your hips and your back can be very tight for a few days afterwards we'll see how that impacts him later in the race you're all healed you're always walking ran holding you back yeah I am now is fresh off a flight from Japan and it took a toll but this flight for France is a long trip to take just a few days before this race but here he is he's running strong early we'll see how he can maintain over the course of this race interesting to see Robert Killian not sitting back like he did in the first race of the season where he ended up finishing seventh he just didn't feel he had it that day but it was just a fitness yes him is what he said and Ryan would write would woods he's just sitting back and probably I in the middle of the pack there he's he's just holding off at the moment there's Kant at the top of the screen there and coming through Ryan camps and he he has to come out and really make a statement today wouldn't you think Dave after after you know did the Jacksonville win he say he's got he's got some things to prove well Kempson it has one of those athletes that he has always had the talent but he was not a traditional runner to begin with struggled with some hip injuries and finally has a couple years of training under his belt and you're now seeing what to do out on the course now he doesn't like to be called the flat course runner but he is one of the best runners in this field when it comes to a course of this nature a little flatter some of these other guys are more mountain guys Kempson thinks he's gonna be one of those mountain guys this year and it's hard to doubt him it the way he's been running thus far but I will say this Ryan Kemp sin Ryan woods and Vijay Jones are probably the three best athletes suited for this particular course some of these other guys have been training a lot in the mountains and the speed is gonna be tough on Robert Killian is looking particularly strong at the start of this race he he said he was exactly where he wanted to be at the end of the Jacksonville race won in the US national series a couple of weeks ago and so far Dave he's looking pretty strong he is and that's Vijay Jones moving into third position on your screen right now Vijay is actually undefeated so far on the season he didn't race in Jacksonville he felt a little under the weather and didn't end up making the trip but he won last week in a race against two-time world champion Hobie call and two-time world champion Cody mote and those are two legends right he managed to handle each of them it was a short fast course but Vijay has the speed let's remember to Dave that if EJ so young right he's got so much of this his you know Spartan OCR career ahead of him brilliant things to come as like as they dive into the barbed wire crawl and now notice that they're actually doing a baby crawl here that tells you there's not a lot of rocks in this terrain it's probably a lot of mud stuff like that where it's soft and gentle on the knees if it was rockier it's really hard to just crawl because of the pain it can cause in your knees and how they can slow you down later there are some guys rolling in the background and for those at home we roll the barbed wire we don't know it only can be faster but it can also leave you dizzy it can wear out some of your stability muscles as well and your hips so riding behind us here Lindsey Webster being introduced I'm excited about the female race - David don't forget about that we'll come to that in a minute yeah Kempson already through the barbed wire and into the helix obstacle this is a new obstacle this year and the plexiglass can prove to be a bit tricky but he is not having much trouble with it he cannot touch the trusses at the top or the bottom of this article the K is just really stretched you see he just makes it look so easy the key is to stretch types of Bell no problem that was obstacle number four of 29 so just under 30 obstacles and just look how smooth he is when he runs so this is a guy with a basketball background he's had to learn how to become an endurance athlete but he certainly has the gift and there's Ryan Atkins four-time World runner-up and next to him is that a grinder whiskey sighting I think that was just like Anna keepass of Ron Atkins era and four-time runner up and also let's not forget the 2018 ultra world champion he is a legend at as far as ultra distances go he's essentially the best in the world unmatched and look at Vijay Jones making a pass potentially right here on the monkey bars oh this is brilliant great close race that is a reverse grip technique by Kempson for those of you if your hands are wet and you need a little bit extra support on the monkey bars that's a great way to get through without slipping off so Kempson and Jones look like they're satisfied to work a little bit together to push tempo and pull away from the field a bit just a just a point to their Davis you talk about the different grips you can see both of them move really fast through the rig so you know it really is up to you if you if you can move swiftly you can you can attack that rig in in various ways that is a sizable 50-yard gap that just developed in that is Brian go whisky and Ryan Atkins right there running for thermal engineer Brian Woods and in fifth and here we have a little recap of the race from last last race I would say in Jacksonville the women's race was a fascinating one as the coal miracle really took the field out fast and hard the men's race was all about this man right here Ryan Kent in his first national series victory his brother greeting him at the finish line and this was a game-changing moment he's over the top of the apron the last the last stop school today you think Ryan woods just claims second over Atkins and then the dagger in the heart initially a DQ later a ten minute penalty for touching the vertical truss and that is a drama for getting there hi oh and this was quite a finish as well as Rose Wetzel edges Rebecca Hammond for third position Wetzel with a clean race fresh off a having her first child this is a huge comeback moment for her but so inspirational it's amazing it's it's one of those things that is very special to Spartan is all the the people and all the stories and here we have a lot again he's just he just finds a way to always be in contention he's just got such a strong mind you know an eight mile run for him is sort of like you know your workout my warmup sort of stuff but you know he is obviously pushing pretty hard as he's running probably what would you say Dave like a 520 I would say is it these these men are probably averaging at least five 20 mile pace right now over questionable terrain in between obstacles and it's early it's gonna they're gonna have to maintain that and there's Brian woods behind him well I would say a slightly quicker flat crevice and a good climber in his own right we'll have a nice push between the two of them look at this what does the guy who's got to be out for blood today I mean he he had such a heartbreaking moment last week he's the defending Series champion and he really feels like he needs a little vindication today don't forget he tore up he's lifts his left thigh really badly on the barbed wire crawl when he came through he came through like a rocket and he tore it up like nothing else now you can see Atkins is making up a little bit of ground now that little cheeky passer from woods that's all mental that's all game playing right there's to my statement to Atkins yes and he said I know I can pass you at any point in time but Atkins is one of the best obstacle Earths in the race so if anybody can make up time and pass people that maybe can cover the ground a little faster it's Acton's and I'd like to add one more thing about him and that is that Ryan Adkins is never seem to have the leg speed that some of these other top top top guys having yet he was always there because I there's nobody that can redline themselves to the point that Atkins cans it seems like he can just run at redline all day he's an unbelievable athlete and it all comes with a lot of heart onto the her cost her quest here and different techniques will be put on the ground yeah and don't forget the hands wet to everything wet just from the dunk wall just there so you know that just makes things a little bit more difficult when it comes to grabbing the rope and getting that weight right up to the top you've got to remember everybody watching at home that you're not allowed to drop the weight it must be brought down in a controlled fashion look at these two guys did you see how fast Adkins went through that obstacle catching up to kept sit but then how fast Kempson blew by it's the different strengths these different varieties of athletes it's very impressive now it's difference in strength there's a difference in size in these two Adkins is not a big man but keptin is is it's quite slight quite lean he's got obstacle strength you see that hand white now yeah he's wiping his hands on the trees smart move Woods and Atkins coming up to the spear throw neck-and-neck this is the race maker or breaker this is gonna be a devastating thing because if you're in the race if you're in the lead the pressures on you to hit this spear throw and if by chance you miss it it's 30 burpees that's a hit boom Kempson he's in and out and of what Christ footage this is look at this this is Ryan Adkins he's lost a world championship because of a sphere but he nails or today rhyme dark it is in this mix as well I stuck a whiskey in there so one two right now it appears we have kept sin followed by Ryan Atkins just open wide terrain an opportunity to open up and really go and this is your women's start line coming over the wall you'll see a few faces that you recognize immediately face standing a Lindsey Webster oh yeah brilliant what talent there is at that start line dive Alissa Holly stretching out you see Heather goal make off there to the side and the Comerica on the right she won the race last week in Jacksonville two weeks ago I should say face standing right next to her in the blue and Rose Wetzel next to her as they line up there at the little waist I relaxed dive oh wait watch how fast she comes out of the gate she comes out like a Ken in every single race she wants to assert her will up on appeal Rose Wetzel is the story of the day this woman is one of the fiercest competitors with ice water in her veins as you'll ever see I mean she's the first person in the history of the sport to be in her prime then have a baby in that prime and then had the ability in the guts and a determination to come back and be at the very top of Spartan Universe I feel like I put a lot of pressure myself last year I'm trying to like don'twe the legging come back I feel like I have the pressure on was like putting me in their listserv white people to see well and people who don't know roses getting to support she was a dominant performer she was one of the top two women in the sport and then had a child break the center that so the question is whether she could get back to that top spine women's race is off and going oh look at this fade out in front running towards the left that is Pharaoh's Wetzel right now she's running with purpose and determination now I feel like I've I just proven them all my hard work is paying off and then I'm back and I'm I'm just ready to mix it up and have a great year Rose whoa can you smell faster it's a sprint and here's Rose Rose Wetzel I want to make every race count and being inspiration to especially moms out there you can do both it's really hard you have to work so much harder than you ever thought but then when all does come together it's amazing because I feel like I have the best of both worlds I think it's safe to say that Rose Wetzel is back to form and those of us who've been known Rose for years could not be more proud of her and the emotion that she elicited that day it's just relief a monkey off her back after being so just such a struggle to get to that point take so much died so much effort Dave I've not known Rose Wetzel for years and I'm so proud of her she is an absolute machine and looking in top form here's Nicole miracle flying over the the hey Bay wall as if we look at the athletes that are moving through this course Lindsey Webster sit there in third position I believe that's Lea and washed me right behind her in fourth and as these athletes push through it's again the same question will train look at least down the trees bushes things ankle-biters anything that could be constant fall that's right it's a constant concentration game as well as the you know the game of just trying to keep up with the leaders here at this very very fast pace look at these awesome shots we're getting out here to on the course we have to mention that our calm rated comp camera operators rather out there running the same pace as these top athletes we've got here David's not that's interrupt but this is Vijay Jones in first position at the twister and can you imagine doing it more effortlessly than that yeah it looks like he's got a bit of a sizable lead right there Dave so you know there's there's a little chop and change going on at the back now that's the whole miracle sitting in front looking completely comfortable dropping in same tent she likes to come out fast but she's proven that she can sustain it that she'll be looking to really stamp her name on that podium again Dave after you know the emotion and the high of Jacksonville a lot of Tears a lot of celebration she's had a you know not a lot of time to come down from that race and over here at twister you can see that's why the whiskey still hanging in with Ryan Kent we have to listen I mean it's comfortable yeah yeah yeah they look fine and and Kent looks fine given the fact that he was just as I say racing in Europe a week ago you know you wouldn't really tell however you know that that was a short race and you never really know everything that's going on inside the body it of course isn't the race that that does the damage on a trip like that it's the journey itself the flight out it's the flight back if the jet lag its but but you see no with signs of ill effects there this I've got to say is I mean go whisky is having a great day he's had a few podium situations that he's put himself in in national series events in previous years but to be consistently up here with the top guys he's he's been a step behind a few of them and he's proving that he's ready to take that leap this year as well yeah everybody that race in Jacksonville was well it sort of had a little course preview here and of course that's most of these athletes in the sense that the terrain is fairly similar it's flat it's fast you know a little quick feet needed so the first two races of this series you know really quite similar and the type of terrain that there their honor now I believe that sitting in second position in the women's race is Tia Reagan I didn't get a great look at her so I was hard to tell but I believe based on that technique and that physique that that's her and she's a 1547 5k so she can move I'm talking one of the best pure runners in the field and Nicole has something to say about who's one of the best there but look at that slop that is Alabama swamp for you right there that we are running through now it's been a deal this is why you come to Alabama there wouldn't be Alabama without the swamp and you can see this is now where your your rhythm gets disrupted your heart rate starts to absolutely skyrocket heavy feet as you slog through this and you've got to carry those wet shoes for the rest of the race that's gonna impact pace and it's gonna make the race a bit more anaerobic than just aerobic as you can see your top three women right now Nicole miracle TIA Regan we're gonna go with that and Lindsey Webster of course one two three in the boom-boom-boom and we won't look at before right now is Rebecca Hammond haven't spotted her yet in the women's field she has been an absolute beast over the last few races starting with North American Championships last year and moving through second their second at Worlds third to the fourth last week but that was despite failing multiple obstacles she will be a factor Tia Regan to her four obstacles last week and still managed to top ten finish so look for her to be very dangerous if she can clean that up just gonna say that if you're not familiar with the Rebecca Hammond story jump online a Spartan doctor check it out I mean you know she really came from nowhere a half way through the 2018 season to make some brilliant achievements at the highest level and now obviously signed as a Spartan pro athlete it is an incredible accomplishment and of course the cold miracle comes out first this is helix this can be a difficult obstacle for some especially because the men hit it first they put a little mud on and then it's a little slicker on the shoes slicker on the hands so this is this tangle wrench in things well that's awesome that was Tegan falling off right there I think it's okay she did she's gotta do burpees so that is gonna show how about a little cushion there for the comb she knows time to hit the gas time to go now let me just say well yes she puts the guest pedal right down but the point is this anybody that thinks the Hilux is easy think again t is a great athlete she just came off and that's where just got hammered right there you can see her with Alyssa Holly right in front of her now him and is an experienced runner she knows that she can be patient she's already out of helix the two of them are working side by side I don't think Hammonds the type of athlete that panics she knows that she can drop some tempo on the course and gradually pick athletes off look at that pass right there she's got a lot of stamina very very calm sort of athlete you'd have to be being an athlete and a Harvard medical student at the same time Dave it's impressive when you look at some of these athletes who managed to have entire careers education outside opportunities outside of just racing and some of them are so dedicated to just the race that Lindsey Webster right there that's all she does is race and all she does is win full time yeah full time Spartan Pro and then we we cut back to this man of course camps and just warming the hands up it's pretty cold out there just over 50 degrees Davis actually perfect for running but you know they say 76 degrees in Alabama but a year-round but that's not in the mornings in the mornings when we start early it can be crisp out there when you're wet and you got that 50 degree temperature your fingers it can be tough to keep the circulation in there and that is a trick yeah another trick is of course stick your hands in your armpits superstars not while you're running shortly yeah surely why you're running yeah just be actually coming into an obstacle can be very tired okay so choose whether or not you want to take that tip same again of it I'll go without so now you can see the Terrenas transition now into this crushed grass and again that's gonna change things footing again a little stumbly but they have a chance to really roll to really fly here as webster this is the terrain that she wants she wants to find a rhythm she's a rhythm based runner yeah well that's better wind pretty soon when she hits that swampy stuff but right now this is where you got to lay down lay down an attack and use this fairly wide open fast terrain to set a position in a pace you could see how athletes like Nicole miracle Ryan Kempson they've taken advantage of these first couple races of flatter courses to just rack up some points that they're not afraid to go out and just blow the fields up early with high tempos and knowing full well that some of these pure mountain guys are gonna end man women are going to need to really have perfect races in the second half of this year in order to keep up with them in the points series so miracle right here out in front big lead and trying to extend it right now now of course just had to sum word that that Woods did indeed mr. spear throw so that's confirmed so that's a massive massive blow it's Ryan woods it's devastating it's it's it's the second week in a row that something has come in and crippled his race when he is one of the dominant athletes in this sport and it's been very tough obstacles have hurt him in the past but the spear throw can be just a heartbreaker and that is Ryan Atkins somehow just hanging on the heels of Ryan Kempson and he's always it's always that it's actually crusty he looks like he's dying but he's - he's just hanging on the heels of camps and miracle comes through the dark wall he would disagree with you he would argue that he never feels like he's dying in that no I yeah he doesn't feel like he's dying but the point is like he this the different running style and expression on his face would make you think he possibly he's uh you know he's red line and a little bit but no these two ladies are gonna be going sorry Atkins is a champ these two women are gonna be going toe-to-toe all year long it appears because miracle took first place in Jacksonville Webster is the defending champion of the series end of the world and Webster has managed to claw her way right back into a dogfight with Nicole miracle bright footage Dave I want to ask you a question so woodsy has missed the spear throw for everybody watching as they come to the her coast here game over or not when you're Ryan woods I would say not a game over quite yet just because you know he can prove to be able to run ninety seconds faster than the field over the course of the race and there's a lot of miles left for him to run he might have five ish miles left one more to put down some tempo and cover some ground but it's questionable and he may need a few favors from some of the other athletes out there in the field at this point but for him even a podium spot even maybe a sneaking in a third would be very helpful point wise the star-studded lineup I'm just about to say that the the her coy stare the female race as miracle takes off you can see they use their bodies as a lever on me on the fencing around the her voice it's a fairly common move now at this level now these obstacle gauntlets that they've thrown down here and they had the rolling mud get your hands all wet and it just fatigues you a little bit coming out of that heading into the slip wall to her course and I was fear now your hands your grip your bicep your shoulders are a little bit fatigued just from having to manipulate with your hands so much and now you have to lower your heart rate and throw the spear so it's these little twists as Rebecca Hammond shows up in the race and she is not far behind miss Spears was good about it miracles gonna now she's she's being very strong lately in Lindsay winter there yeah looks like we got a hit out of Nicole miracle and we got a hit out of Lindsay Webster and that is a sigh of relief for her I can tell you that as Rebecca Henry needs this hit on hammond your top three women are in and out of the spear throw and that is great news because that means folks at home we're gonna have a hell of a race tell you what would Z's gonna have to make a few phone calls during the next week and get a couple of tips Watson just kidding you are bad okay so as you can see right now is about a 25 yard gap from the coal miracle back to Lindsay Webster and what we really want to see is the two of them Duke it out America with the pure speed Webster with that rhythm Rome but they both can throw down such grave tempo and don't count out Rebecca Hammond who just is lurking back there in that third position Nicole miracles running style religious reminds me of her personality relaxed Robert Killian you know he is obviously just just an absolute champion at this sport and he said to me in Jacksonville that he is ready great and feeling good about about this whole series he said he was exactly where he wanted to be at the end of the the Jacksonville race and right now it looks like he's he's looking pretty comfortable he looks as he always looks perfect form in the legs a bit muscley in the upper body but that's just how he always runs and the thing is he's you don't realize how fast he's moving with that stride he is the ultimate tactician and he has said that he felt Jacksonville was simply a fitness test for him no I'm not certain if that's true or if he's just saying that as that's pace standing doing burpees on the spear throw it's a sad thing but I think it's possible that that's all tactics for Robert Killian is watch how fast right works through Allen look at it right here huh no problem I mean that honestly if you guys get a chance watching at home you get a chance to get on that obstacle and I highly suggest if you haven't done it you've got to sign up and try it it's hard and to get to move that speed after running at this pace across the obstacle I'll tell you what it is not easy at all so Vijay is probably out there in front where we're hoping for an aside of him is that's Raya Koval right there Raya one of the better mountain runners and ultra runners in this field but the pure flat has not proven to be her friend in recent years she's looking great looking strong super sunspot and kid on that an absolute spot in for our smooth smooth great runner and yet the gap that she's settled been behind is significant so what we want to see at array of copal is to remain in contact when you're a racer it's extremely difficult to pull yourself back into a race once you've lost contact you need those faster runners at the front as motivation to pull you through to help you set your pace and there's an extra level of motivation that comes with being attached to that field almost like a Seabiscuit type thing where you can look them in the eye you can see but when you get separated their goal for the women up front their goal is to put as much distance between themselves and rheya as possible because they don't want to give her any hope yeah absolutely and you got to remember too that you know unlike you know some try it forms of trail running pacing is not allowed in this sport so these athletes basically have to use each other to keep track of the the front running pace and exactly why as you say Dave it's important to remain in contact once you lose that contact it's very very difficult to get it back and of course this is twister we saw Vijay come through here so smooth now Nicole miracle with only I would say a seven second lead over Lindsey Webster a miracle with her rock climbing background should pull a few seconds here as well that could be incredibly helpful over the course of the race and I don't see Rebecca Hammond it looks like I've created a little gap she's pulling up right now probably 30 seconds back at least and still has to complete twister if anyone has a question where the rock climbing helps you with spot and I think that's the answer right there with Nicole miracle she crushed him quick she crushed that obstacle we were questioning Atkins his leg speed before but there he is run kept seeing exactly and it looks pretty fast to me I mean he can move now he hasn't been doing he's pure run training he was doing a lot of walk by fat fat tire mountain bike training he always keeps those hands up keeps them dry keeps him warm but somehow he is always in this mix if he starts to put his speed work down and start training that he's going to be able to just dominate the field again he's always there check out yeah check out Ryan Atkins his Instagram and and I'm on Facebook it's you know any spare time they'll go and disappear into the north into the wild of Canada and just go fat barking for a week at minus 30 that's gonna say I'm time from racing yeah backcountry skiing ice climbing it doesn't matter he does it it's he lives and I think that's something very important for those of you home training that want to become better at this sport part of it is that you need to live this life of adventure racing endurance racing it's a total lifestyle I want to ask you a question Dave was we look at ray accountable you talked about Killians upper body being quite muscular do you think that like someone here like Kempson do you think that's a more ideal physique for the sport or do you think it doesn't matter I would say both of them are similar lean lean muscular it's more I refer to Robert Killians almost shoppi arm swing that's this muscley arm swing that he puts in but with perfect leg stride and you can see there ryan Kempson with the besides his head bobbing around a little bit right now which happens when he's fatigued he has almost picture perfect form long slide great extension relaxed arm swing and he's just checking his tempo he knows exactly what he wants to hit as he says 515 to 520 that is his goal a little little sticky the tongue attitude to to Steve Hamm and this is who's our camera operator I absolutely love this and the underdog from from Vermont and they're actually having a bit of a conversation with each other as well as he says he sits this blistering pace along the side of the road look at him looking back at Atkins here Dave he's looking back he just wants to know where he is but he seems to be very comfortable enjoying himself tremendously and for Kempson one it's just a victory to be able to be in this race right now and be healthy and be training and be racing and every day he gets to just yeah you know go out yeah run in woods like this and and enjoy himself which he couldn't do when he was hospitalized dealing with this major hip problem that he was having and I think for those who have been injured to look at a guy like this and see he's been to hell and back and you can get mad he's no touch - so so - Dave coach camp says as a trainer yeah as a trainer he taught himself you know how to how to be more biomechanically efficient with his running I was talking to him about it a few weeks ago it's a pretty impressive story you know to be able to to coach yourself and and you know get yourself to this level it's a testament to what good coaching could do and you could find him on Instagram at coach Kempson just might as well throw that plug in he's earned it yeah he is approaching stay right Estrada yeah stairway to Sparta so you can see these athletes they don't need the water stops they skip the water they go straight in you know they might grab one here there but it's all about saving those few seconds it's valuable seconds will get water at the finish line so as he comes over this wall we're trying to get a sense of exactly how long he's got maybe ten seconds it depends on how quick Atkins can make the descent here yeah that's about 10 seconds Atkins has got a little bit of work to do you know Kempson on the on the side of the road there was just clipping along and there she is again Nicole and Eric adult Americans yes just slicing through the men's field and the men started about 15 minutes ahead yeah she's yeah this is this is um this is great sportsmanship by those are those men they obviously you know they're wearing their red headband oh they're still racing and just because they're not up front that doesn't mean that they don't they don't care they've trained for this and they're out but you can see they step aside to let the other women's leader through oh this is a big gap all the way back to ray oval and obviously not the day that she managed she is minutes at this point behind we have to assume she must have failed an obstacle maybe the spear I will get an update from that shortly I'm sure but these backwards technique on twists are the key is to continue looking back looking back is gonna help your body extend and reach back just never stop those hands from Hoonah yeah it's a really really different technique to someone like for example John Alban I would say actually in the in the 2018 ultra World Championship I watched John Elvin go through the twister over and over and over and over through 24 hours and you know he goes forwards and grabs every second handle and and swings forwards that way so you're completely different techniques both effective so again you can see the jump over this terrain it's a little bit dicey yeah rare Coble yeah moving after tiring work it's it takes a lot of the hips and the calves the muscles around the ankles and it just in general fatigues you a lot and it's why you've got to get out and train on this kind of terrain you can't just race on it you need to put some time in in the woods this is awesome footage NP and and I just heard her say well done to that that male racer that she passed she's got enough time to have a comment you know to say something and enough sort of mental fortitude to do it what an awesome sportsman and athlete that she is right now what we can only assume is Vijay Jones may be still out in first position if not Ryan Kempson and Ryan Atkins in that mix as well a tough break for Ryan woods for those of you just joining us he missed the spear when he was right in position Ryan Kent and Brian De whiskey as well as Robert Killian all in that mix for podium spots as well a deep deep field it's it's gonna be a bore a dogfight all the way to the finish is red Koval now just hitting the swamp but it's just so nasty here oh this is tough you can see after just kind of log hopping for a while go straight in ash in deep water this is where you got to keep the momentum going high knees keep moving you no loss of time here is a very real threat people ask why Saraland Alabama why is this the place to run this national series event swamps like that or a perfect example of why is Robert Killian just hit me stairway to Sparta he's got his work cut out for him he is way behind Ryan Atkins Ryan Jensen right now she's making her way slowly but steadily through you got to watch out for those those I snaggers yeah you're also gonna watch me but falling over as well that's okay she's she's using the terrain and and she's keeping a pace fairly steady despite the challenge there he is the smooth champion of Jacksonville two weeks ago Ryan Kempson looking really good as he comes along he's gonna like that name Dave by the smooth champion but look out through that form is but as he runs don't be surprised if Ryan Atkins is 12 seconds behind him and all that takes is just a momentary lapse a struggle on something like let's say the tire that that could slow him down just enough for Ryan Atkins to pass him we saw that Atkins almost passed Ryan woods on that obstacle in Jacksonville just because it took woods an extra 20 seconds to get that tire over and back over a second time it's a seconds count on the obstacles and to that point you saw him just late the seven-foot wall just say a Dave it didn't even look like he was it was barely breaking stride yet he was making his way over a seven-foot wall there's two things to be said about doing obstacles quickly one is the time that's saved two is can you do them efficiently because the efficiency to come in and out of obstacles it's what's going to save your energy to get back up to speed and run quickly through the rest of the course it doesn't matter if you're the fastest person through an obstacle if you wasted all your energy blowing through it so finding that sweet spot to be efficient as well as critical yeah well Sidda it's a cascading effect isn't it you know if you blow all your energy on the obstacle then of course you're running suffers and then you're redlining when you're running and then you get to the next obstacle and it's a downward spiral yes and that of course the cold miracle front look at smooth beautiful ride no and you've not one with spiral here no well you've got to wonder where's Lindsey Webster how far back is she and once we get aside to them do you see any signs of fatigue out of either of them yet because I haven't not at all on this amazing athlete Nicole miracle I watched a race over two days in Sparta it's just the stamina is nuts well she's putting down a pace that would that would make me shudder to be completely honest with you it's it's something special and a few years ago when she came on the scene she was doing these fast starts and then failing obstacles and it was what was costing her now you see she's one of the most obstacle proficient females in the sport she ran a clean race in Jacksonville but even if she had even if she had failed an obstacle she created a 7-minute cushion between herself in the next racer that is unbelievable kill him plenty used to this too from his from his ranger training you know just you know ducking and weaving through the woods and the scrub and a lot of military experience on this man Robert Killian is four for four on World Championship events making the podium he's been at least top three in the world the last four years including the world championship in 2015 and he is looking to get back to the top says it's his year he said there was actually a funny rhythm to where it was Hobie call and then Jonathan Alban and then Cody Miller and then himself and then it went in that order again so he is looking for his year to be this year to win the world championships once again no issue there no issue there on the fender Nicole miracle still just over the bender back in straight back into a rhythm what a great water crossing that you get it see it from both sides by the way yes as we come through the return out of that water crossing for the second time this is Robert 8:00 coming up the hill there what do you reckon get to us a little bit of fatigue starting to set in the kicking of the legs right there that's Rebecca Hammond and she does not look fatigued at all I'm waiting for that moment where Rebecca Hammond starts to drop the hammer and really come back into this race I like that I like that I think she might to as she said plenty of grit training put it that way in both their athletic career and as a as a student as I mentioned earlier at Harvard Medical School sometimes she has to forego training just to deal with the workload as a student at Harvard that's bender so a progressive as she comes over bender barely works gets really important everybody watching who's new to Spartan or if you haven't tried it yet get your leg up quickly it's all about getting your leg on there and then you're okay do you buy your arms oh yeah you could fatigue it now the evolution of this athlete right here Alyssa Holley has been incredible she is running like step for step with Rebecca Hammond who is a world-class runner in her own right and yet Holly was just an athlete who like to do CrossFit and pick up heavy things and has completely transformed herself into a runner over the last few years she's dropped a ton so ran she bounced in the miles she puts into work she is a fan favorite for those who don't know her the Christian warrior check her out yeah I'm such a fan of Alyssa holy and jump on a Spartan comm and check out maybe the spot in social media feeds check out eats with Alisa Halle and watch her cruising around Iceland and eating some various crazy stuff she's an awesome person to hang out with now this is Ryan Kent again making moves back into that podium position we saw him before battling with Brian Gay whiskey it's gonna be an interesting finish that we have coming up this way because these athletes are now about 45 minutes into the race or 40 minutes into the race this is getting serious right yeah it's down to the business end of the race and now's the time to if you're gonna pick up the speed now is the time so I think miracles doing exactly that she looks like she's picked up the pace just a little clip wouldn't you say Dave just a little bit and the women are about halfway into this race the men are probably two-thirds of the way at this point because of that 15 minute earlier start and yeah this is I mean this is the what matters we're athletes the fatigue that's setting in you either have it or you don't and you're either gonna go or you're not and and this race could get blown open by minutes over this next few sections it's pretty interesting to watch Nicole miracle here yeah she's about halfway through the course but already you know picking up the pace trying to get as much buffer as she can she knows that it's not over yet Dave because Lindsey Webster is such an experienced athlete of course the 2018 Women's Champion you know one slip one mistake by Nicole miracle you know figuratively and you know you know in reality could cost her the rice now Webster and her husband Ryan Atkins both trained together they trained Somali and they raced similarly in that they don't panic early they sit back they let the race come to them they run very strong second half races and you've seen Lindsey Webster tracked down her competition in the second half of races frequently particularly if they have a big long downhill because she's such a strong technical descender but even on a flatter course like this she's got a shot but Nicole miracles got to slow down for her to have a chance of that and the clothes will be yeah this will be a you know something to perhaps slow it down a little bit as they go to the Olympics there the women now this is uh this is Robert Killian on on the box if footballs use the doesn't use the robe and as I mentioned to you a couple weeks ago in Jacksonville that that seems the intuitive quickest way to do it the Rope can be a hindrance in some ways on that obstacle just because it uses up a little bit of Tom and Crites distance away from the wall died for and you're looking for the most efficient line over and through an obstacle that would be to jump up and get your upper body up and over and most obstacles if you can get your elbows over and then get your chest over you stand the best chance of getting through it very quickly yep as you can see the men on the return that was Ryan woods blowing by in the opposite direction I definitely recognized him Nicole miracle is looking to catch some of the big boys today rotting with Robert Killian again and his strive like this quite extreme isn't a day you uh yeah when we were tracking with him on the side of the road there it was really evident to me just how long his stride length is his was to Holly he and Ryan Atkinson Atkins opens up a much bigger scribed than you realize it and so it doesn't look like he has to save either of those guys have the same turnover as some of these other runners but it's because their strides are just so long it's the key to fast running anybody watching he's looking to be faster stride length and turnover that is how you set world records and of course don't forget foot two ground power as well so if you're generating a lot of force off of the ground with each step that's huge as well but on a course like this where some sections are very soggy that can take away a lot of that foot to ground power talk about that just for a second as we watched um was the Holi coming through the Olympus they had foot two grand pout just give us a bit more insight into that it's the concept of when my foot hits the ground I'm driving off the ground with my foot the ground is now redirecting energy back into me as much force as I put in these Newton's laws they come back out and this is VJ Jones and it's propelling me forward so the stronger I am the harder I'm hitting the ground and propelling off the ground further I'm launching myself for that there'd be strikes remember you're fully airborne on every stride at V J Jones the young kid 20 years old carrying this bucket at a dead run yeah pretty yeah it's pretty interesting isn't it he's kind of semi jogging along with me yeah with the bucket there and that the way he's holding it he's turned the bucket on its side of course the bucket has a cap on it so its contents you know unlikely to spill out let's say but you know he's turned the bucket on its side one hand on each hand and jogging his way through that bucket is typically about 80 pounds for the men 55 ish I would say for the women what do you think Dave yeah it's yes about right and you know in years past used to have to fill your own bucket there was a fill line and then if you tripped and fell and spilled your bucket and it wasn't there at the fill line when you reach the end of the bucket carrier you had to do the bucket again it was the cruelest punishment in sport but what we've found is standardization requires the bucket must be capped pre-measured everyone gets the same and I think it's a good chain but it's the same white yeah that's right you know it is this sport really evolves globally competitively you know you're seeing these innovations come into the sport it's a constant thing it's exciting to watch actually you know of course for this race the the changes to the a frame cargo rule where the the vertical trust specifically listed now in the rulebook because not being able to be touched and grabbed to use to get over the obstacle after the dramatic disqualification of Ryan Woods and Jacksonville so we are looking to get a little bit of update very shortly from Steve Hammond I hear he's going to be out there and of course giving us a little detail and that's Robert Killian right now taken care of that bucket Carrie and Nicole miracle drop in the tempo out there in first place in the women's race we saw Vijay Jones leaving the men Ryan Kemp's and Ryan Atkins Robert Killian in the mix as well and that's Tyler vir Minh that's who Ryan Kent was chasing before Tyler vir man who took the six position last month but who I haven't seen this is fifth place finisher from Jacksonville Kirk to win if you spotted Kirk yet so that's Steve Hammond you saw out there keeping an eye on the bucket carry and a big lead for Vijay Jones can that bucket carry yeah huge lead is especially that the pace he was taking it it was hard to even tell that he was that far in front because he was such a big lead but Ryan Atkins third position just tracking and stalking Ryan Kempson right now in case you're wondering the black buckets for the male athletes the red buckets for the female athletes and as these runners screws into the rope climb right now it's going to become about of obstacle efficiency at this point can a couple seconds here or there keep Ryan Atkins in this race so he can steal that second position because Ryan Kempson looks dead set on holding on to it just two grabs on the rope there for Ryan Atkins you know he makes it look so easy it makes it look effortless those are comfortless there's a couple tricks in the rope climb one is that you can do an S or a j-hook to use your legs to help you climb that rope the other is as simple as this jump as high as you can before you start climbing just cover a bunch of there's only two poles yeah that's right that J hook really does use up time yes it's safe if you're if you're not kind of used to climbing rope but the way Ryan Atkins do is definitely the quickest no no problem there over the inverted wall I mean that is fast for anyone standards this is Rebecca Hammond looking quick looking smooth but I'm waiting for her attack still do we know where Rebecca Hammond is in relation to Nicole miracle as anyone can be able to run her down because she just keeps moving past the men's field like they're not even there and that it's an impressive shot in her yeah she's making a statement I mean both both of these races so far this year I mean she's really gonna hit her stride I think in 2019 Nicole miracle look out for her on the on the world chance podium for sure I'm making an early call so we have a lot of the top men right now in that bucket Carey and right now stairway to Sparta Nicole miracle in first position Lindsey Webster in second and of course Rebecca Hammond sitting in third position it's been a free woman race the entire day and like the question is would Tia Regan have been in this mix had she not yeah here's an interesting juxtaposition on that obstacle you can see Nicole miracle was a you know the leading female athlete here at a Spartan Pro the guy on the left they're not sure of his name good to have you on camera mate but you know you can see they both went through the obstacle relatively the same time stairway to Sparta really you can't you can't do it you know much quicker than a cold did it there and watch Ryan Adkins just shaved a few more seconds off and now as he does his last Burpee he's probably only four seconds behind Brian Kempson so that gap of 12 seconds shrunk to a trunk before now Kemp 'sons gonna have to put down the pedal to the metal if he has a chance to win this thing what to take this thing yeah Vijay Jones seems to be so far out in front we don't even get a see him in this battle Vijay Jones as we saw him just clipping through just a little while back with that with a bucket Kerry seems to have a sizable lead just in case you're wondering that was the Atlas carry you carry the Atlas ball across to the flags to do five Burke we should pick up the ball and you go back so it's really sort of a real full-body obstacle and and it's a it can really get the heart rate going it's a rhythm breaker as well you know you're running smooth and then all of a sudden you got to do a bunch of burpees this Nicolle miracle is coming over the seven or eight foot wall that's a seven yeah and here's Rebecca Hammond now hitting stairway to Sparta so sitting in third position and just hitting this obstacle I would say the gap seem to be somewhere in that 90 second three minutes yeah two minute range yeah two minutes yeah yeah I'm on the I might be overextending myself a little bit there I'd say yeah two minutes it's good a ticket on the challenge it could take a failure out of something in and we saw last week or two weeks ago in Jacksonville Rose Wetzel edged Hammond out by just inches because she had a clean race and Rebecca Hammond failed obstacles if Hammond runs cool she has a chance to pull Merkel back if there's anywhere that Merkel can fail I don't see it happening we've already passed the sphere but anything is possible what do we have out there still beat her well there's a dig well yeah yeah I mean yeah you've got the beater I mean I think that what I was going to say before was the challenge for Hamid is she's got a she's got a hope that miracle fails an obstacle now she's not really going to hit anything to throw until she hits obstacle 23 to beat oh wow and again the proficiency of Ryan Atkins to get through these obstacles quickly he just continues to shave seconds and it might have been just one or two more seconds there but he's lurking he's hunting and Ryan Adkins is the prey I'm sorry right behind capsid is the prey running for his life right now yeah there's uh it wasn't by design that there were so many Ryan's in this sport but if you train if you're tracking with us that's Ryan Kempson and Ryan Atkins on your screen right now two ridiculously talented athletes temps in the upstart Atkins now a member of the old guard he's been in it four-time world champion runner up ultra world champion and just arrived let's make no mistake Hammond just took that wall beautifully didn't she it make no mistake though that that Ryan Atkins when you say old guard this guy's by no means in any twilight of his career he is in his prime not even 30 yet I believe and just seems to be better every single year that's the thing about him his his consistency and we talked about this some guys had a races and B races every race for Ryan Atkins is in a race if he finishes in fourth fourth place that's a bad race for Ryan Atkins he is always there he somehow manages to find a spot in the podium and consistency is a tough thing to have in a sport this difficult but the training is this tough and where the field is this deep on a consistent basis consistency really is the mark of a champion athlete you know versus a sort of you know a bit of a shooting star so to speak and consent consistency week in and week out and consistency is key when you talk about a u.s. national series because of course there's five races in the series and every race counts for points there are no races to drop this year you need to complete all five races you need to score well in all five races and it's all the more reason why Ryan woods should be in a little bit of a panic right now with his Miss spear after that ten minute penalty he had last week that dropped him all the way back to 12th position yeah the big question here if if you're wondering is you know how does that affect Vijay so he's out the front right now he missed Jacksonville race one does that mean you know he doesn't stand a chance to be on the podium at the end of this series I'd say no especially if he's if he takes this one and it depends on what happens with Kempson but you know if he if he were to be able to win the next the next few races in this series he absolutely stands a chance to be on the podium it's you know if an athlete would have missed two of this series I'd say then it starts to get a little bit dire take us through the points differentials that we have four different podium positions yeah the first five positions have a an unevenly distributed points system so that the top athlete gets 300 points and then down to the first five places it's an unevenly distributed system we can check it out on Spartan comm then after five places each position below that there's a one-point differential and the reason for that is so that an athlete that does more races but finishes much lower doesn't finish higher than an athlete that did less races but finished much higher so the same these are highly confusing but you could be if you could be you can understand that you can check it out on Spartan comm to see the distribution and these are significantly adjusted points so we're talking like 300 to 264 like they're they're crazy jumps and points and it does allow for some really exciting stakes in these races we just about hit the our mark in this race at this point for the men and about 45 minutes for the women Nicole miracle is flying and out in front with wings on her feet and no Elson site yeah I feel tired just watching the car she makes it look so easy not oh no I feel tired not because she day she she makes me look look not because she's not smooth it's just a speed that is Ryan Kempson leading Ryan Atkins by just a few seconds as they head into beter now this because one person could impact the other person they're taking separate lanes because they don't want to disrupt each other Kempson is very good actions but Atkins look at that case just note the pass now you've got a battle of your hands for second position as Kempson now has the urgency to run with some serious speed as this is the sandbag carry ladies and gents Vijay Jones way out in front and does he look tired at all to you not he looks absolutely calm there's the there's the sandbag on the back and he'll take it away it's close this is not as big a gap as we thought was this looks like it might only be a few seconds these two have been pushing each other side by side now for this whole race and they have managed to claw Vijay Jones back and that means not just something for a special finish today but it means that this entire season is gonna be a special race between these guys maybe Ryan woods when he gets that spear back in action and a few others we have a very competitive men's field this year oh look at that Kenzi strong in those knees he said just adjusting that sandbag he's a strong athlete he's setting the pace he's showing Kempson hey you want this you got to come and get it and that's Rebecca Hammond the deep water crossing back that might be the last water crossing at the race there is some deep mud crossings for the women's race to still happen who saw that in the men's race those muddy fogs but what we have here is an opportunity maybe for Hammond to pull herself back into that top 2 position we don't know where Webster lies out on this course yeah I think I think Hammond really hasn't put the hammer down as you were saying earlier I think she's just kept a pretty steady so if she doesn't you know there's there's not much chance like we said it would take a file on the beater I think from miracle to cause any strife and Ryan Adkins just always so strong on the obstacles it's just slowly but surely pulling seconds away from Ryan Kempson who's merely just trying to limit the damage he's the smallest athlete in the field he's incredibly strong for his size but an obstacle like this which is a weighted carry is gonna take the biggest toll on some of the smaller guys and Ryan Atkins is one of the best heavy carriers in the race so as he moves with this sixty pound bag at a pretty solid run he seems to be maintaining and just slowly eking out some seconds this this is a gap this is gonna be 15 seconds probably at least now Kempson also has to make sure that he not only doesn't lose time but that he doesn't waste a ton of his energy so he has the speeds of run Adkins back down towards the finish yeah you can see the difference there Kempson you know clearly straining a little bit more under the weight of that bag and Atkins yeah very very very very fluid not not a big deal for him so fluid and now the other thing that people don't realize is the fatigue that your body experiences in muscles like in your lower back from carrying this bag as he now is up to speed and he wants to push for the first 20 30 seconds here his heart rates been lowered a bit and he has this opportunity to maybe be able to separate right now while temps is still carrying the bag as Vijay does the technique lowering onto his fingers so he doesn't have to get his fingers back under that tire again very smart tech yes oh the finger point I love it he is laying it down I tell you what look at the way that he's raised so far this season first-first purse but he as he said he wasn't able to race to Jacksonville but he's got a whole bunch of races just finished purse he beat Hobie call and Cody mote just a couple of weeks ago he's in fine form well I'm waiting for Ryan Adkins hit the tire and he has just now this is a forty three second gap to where Vijay was now Ryan's gonna get through this obstacle as fast as anybody in this race is he also does the same technique lowering onto his fingers very smart sharp and in and out but he's almost getting behind Vijay Jones right now I come by to say and Ryan the Empson is gonna struggle with this one a little bit more than Atkins Dale that's the that's the thing right so Atkins is just obviously is a great runner but when you get him onto those carries he is in a world of his own he's ultimately I'd say the strongest athlete in this sport when it comes to two carries certainly in this field right now it could be argued a few others Ryan woods has gotten very good at the carries lately and in some races has where that splits at Hunter McIntyre for his own right was probably the best heavy carrier in the sport but we are closing in on that finish line right here and Ryan Atkins is on the multi rig and the multi rig is typically a sign your finish line is coming up so as he works his way so you could see that that really quality swing and this is Vijay Jones and if addict stamp as he comes over the fire and crosses the line tap and the timer Vijay Jones is your US national series race two champ out of Alabama Ryan at pointa we have a series on our hands yes sir new hotness heels Brian Atkins about to claim his second second-place finish of the season and just as many races up and over he's gonna make sure he doesn't get anywhere near that vertical truss and as he rolls over the top there is no Ryan kept sin to stop him today Ryan Atkins just somehow managing to just stick around back it was a great calm yeah he got pass on did stick around and there he goes second place Ryan's old Aveda second place Ron Atkins it was all debate aware he he made that come back to little pop over the fire Jungmann Brian Atkins water champion and what you see now is behind it still not on the a-frame is Kempson and that probably has to do with that tire flip take it a little bit longer but here he comes up and over he lost a little bit of time on that sandbag carry but I think it's safe to say Ryan captain is going to be around all year long this could have been he is looking very good at a point standings dive he's looking very strong from the points but Adkins won't be far behind him well BJ hooking did he just run and stay down anything about a 30-second gap between the two of them now this push for fourth place this is Ryan KITT and Robert Killian and getting up this thing quickly and nimbly it's gonna be a roll over the top and a sprint finish whose want to take the risk that was an incredible tumble by Robert Killian one of the bestest mounts I have ever seen out of an athlete as he steals fourth position who would have seen that coming Ryan Kent gonna have to settle for fish oh what a finish between Robert Killian and Ryan can't Killians dis man off the eye frame was not he basically just yeah it was like throwing himself off a cliff but VJ Jones is the story of the day the young kid who missed the first race of the season comes in and dominates the second race of the season you never even saw me so far out in front was that surprise for you you know I was not planning on leading it out that was not part of my game plan I was talked it over with my coach I said all right we're gonna sit in second and we're gonna see if we can hang we're just gonna basically go till I blow and I was doing that I was behind Kempson just sitting there I was feeling good and then after about a mile in you know we got to the her choice at the same time and I've finished it like five or ten seconds before he did and I was losing the lead and so I waited a little bit after the speeder waiting for him to catch up but I kind of pulled a little more of a lead when we went through the woods I was surprisingly good at the technical running and then um yeah I ended up in the lead and it wasn't where I planned to be but I ran with it I said you know what then we're just going to try to pull away and see what we can do and it came together I mean honestly I was not expecting like I felt confident but I honestly had no idea what's gonna stack up against these guys haven't raced any of them I just double wins in SoCal double wins in Arizona double wins in in Vegas just recently beaten the mighty Hopi call and Cody Cody mo you must be on cloud line taking first place what is going for your minders now you know I thought it was just a matter of time I've been consistent I've been putting in training and you know based on stats and stuff I was talking with Robert Coble yesterday and his ranking system everything I was not supposed to be able to win today based on how I've been performing I was not at that level but I guess I proved that system I've got news to you you are at that level today's winner Vijay Jones absolutely magnificent we gonna see more of him this season for sure incredible mate well done they are back of the women's race and Vijay Jones a huge congrats to him I think he surprised a lot of people he turned a lot of heads and it's not too dissimilar from what Ryan Kempson did last week we may be seeing a changing of the guard I tell you what how calm was Vijay and he like I said he barely looks like he's running a race it's almost like he grew up in this sport and and he's he's living it as he's growing in this Ford you're seeing the tactics the the smart training and and of course the respect that he has for the other athletes in the field and for someone of his age it's incredible I mean he's so young it's it's almost scary to think of what is to come for Vijay Jones you know it makes you wonder what is his background how did he manage to get to this level so fast his the same background he's too young his this Santis unbelievable and it's like he's too young to know that he's supposed to be scared of some of these guys now when we hit the mountains things may change as that's Lindsay Webster finishing up her bucket carry we finally got another sight of her and again just like Atkins like you never realize how fast she's going a coal miracle coming up to the inverted wall you'll see that this really doesn't pose much of a problem for these athletes they generally slap their hand over the top just taking a little bit more gingerly actually than I would have thought I was waiting for a little little display there but um yeah she's not trying she's she's not risking anything put it that way Dave no I don't think she needs to take any risks right now she's aware of her lead if she just finished that sandbag carry excuse me that bucket carry she's well aware of where the other women are on the course they either were on that bucket with her and she got a good sense of the gap or they weren't on the bucket with her in which case she knows she's very safe especially given the carry the race that she had in Jacksonville she knows that she's that much faster than these women on this terrain was the whole eight with the fairly standard bucket carry technique I'd say now crossing the arms over in front you can grab your wrists just helps with the fatigue as opposed to Vijay's technique where you know he grabbed either end and just started running now this technique is uh it preserves your hands but it's not quite as fast if you're looking to run and make up time you're gonna take that bucket on its side because you can move a little quicker it's smoother not just for overall posture but it's also smoother for its round on the hips instead of that edge on your hips so it's a little more comfortable to run with but it does take tax the fingers and you can hear miracles stride just clipping away yeah issues at the Atlas carry near OCS you carry that out with stone cross to the flags five burpees and make your way back as quickly as she can no she's taking no risks here she does good burpees she's doing hands over head full extension and Rebecca Hammonds making her move trying to make a comeback here perhaps these athletes don't risk a thing I mean you know when it comes to Burpee technique when you're out there on the course it just pays to practice these things you're gonna do them at some point and it it's not it's not something you want to get wrong the penalties are severe this is the rope climb for Rebecca Hammond and she's got a ways to go if she's gonna make up any ground and she is running out of time to do it there's only so much real estate left to this course as we saw PJ Jones once he got through that bucket there was no stop at him it's gonna take a particular Lane effort for Rebecca Hammond if she wants to get back in this race but we now have seen our first gap here this is Lindsay Webster I'll get you a time check momentarily she's got five more burpees to do and that will be the time gap that she has back to Nicole miracle from where I started my clock we're probably looking in the 55 second range that time gap yeah so they're currently Lindsay Webster right now currently 21 obstacles in now we were talking before about the opportunity for Rebecca Hammond here on screen to catch Nicole miracle it's coming up in two obstacles it's the beta and if if she's gonna catch Nicole probably I would say require a failure on the beater from Nicole miracle it's unlikely it's possible of course but it is unlikely but I would say that is what's promising for Lindsey Webster she did not feel she had her legs yet coming into the season that just like last year she's a little behind her goal training and yet somehow she's not seven minutes behind the cold miracle this week she's a minute behind her and and that that's promising as we move towards the mountains but she's going to be a little more dominant yeah we have to remember that you know lots of different terrain in this series the first two races of course you know very flat similar to each other but as you say Dave you know then heading to Washington and then Big Bear finishing off in Utah the elevation becomes significantly increased very different courses and there's Alissa Holley of course somehow managing to always be in the mix she's giving chaste not too far behind her back to him and maybe less than a minute the gap between her and Haman as she comes over the top and but to your point this is important no one is out of this yet because those who typically win on the on these flatter courses are not the same people that necessarily win on these mountainous courses you're gonna see a Robert Killian on the men's race start to move up a little more Ryan Woods will start to move up a little more and at the same time as you can see Rebecca Hammond finally getting to this carry what you'll find is that the fields will mix up a bit rheya Coble Lindsay Webster gonna become a little bit more dominant in the mountains this woman right here Rebecca Hammond has said she's not a great sustained climber and yet she took second at World Championships in Tahoe when a sister of course so I would disagree with her on that yeah not a great sustained climber yeah well maybe in her mind yeah maybe an insight into things to come that's what I love about this yeah she's three minutes back right now that I mean that tells you just how impressively Nicole miracle has been running these last two races right yeah I was just gonna say that's what I love about this season's courses you know for the u.s. national series that variety and the fact that it does you know different races do appeal to different skill sets your mountain runner or the flat so the you know it does give an opportunity for some really good competition this year Seattle will have some hills but is essentially a flat course as well although typically a wet course it slows them down a bit there'll be some some deep water it could be some mud it's very unlikely that Seattle is gonna be a dry course given you know the climate that we have out there Ryan there okay sometimes yeah and so you might see a bit of what you're seeing right here that that deep of water that thick mud but Lindsey Webster with that same technique is Ryan Atkins hands talk about talk about that Dave what why why of Ryan and Lindsey webs are holding the hands up like that what are they trying to do that well not only are you trying to keep your hands out of the water but you're trying to keep your hands from getting splashed on because if your hands get splashed on there's a little bit of muddy dirty residue on there your hands to become slick before you go into those final obstacle gauntlets and the last thing you need is to fail on obstacle right at the end it's the absolute worst place to fail an obstacle you have no real estate left in this course to run anybody back and make up for your mistakes so instead go in with dry hands now don't have those problems thank you yeah brilliant observation and Ray a cold war obviously slipped over earlier on in that swampy marsh land and her hands well I'm truly covered in mud she's had a bit of time though to to clean them off as we come up to the Z wall in the Z wall as you could see there is a cut out Inlet right there that used to be a solid board when this was just a traverse wall but now that they've made this Azim they've taken the center out we've seen athletes disqualified for stepping on that interior rail you are not allowed to step on that rail and not touch the top or that rail you can only touch the blocks themselves but she makes clean and quick work of it as now we hit the sandbag carry yet helped to get a little bit more leverage on Annie - there did you see that just crossing the plane through the middle of the cut out there on the Z wall yes just allowed er to get a toe into the foot hold a little bit better so that's absolutely fine totally not say that's yeah that's a benefit of that cut out and now with the sandbag carry women's weights are what good question I don't have it in front of me somewhere in the realm of about 40 pounds and as they go into I was gonna say the realm of Dave but I wanted to give you the exact number and as we go through this carry we're gonna find out exactly what the gap is again because it's been 40 seconds so far we're waiting for Lindsey Webster that hit her Sam thank you this is a tough part of the course to make up any ground you're looking at just like how slow and slogging that was and right now Lindsey Webster is putting on the afterburners if there's time to give chase this is that moment yeah I just pulled up my notes thanks for putting me on the spot Dave so 40 pounds you're looking at for the women right here 60 60 for the men these are heavy these are very very heavy and but what makes it tough too is the way that the sand shifts around in the tubular structure yes so you can see like it really does matter how you pick it up and then you'll see some athletes just take a second to distribute the weight generally if you get the weight into two ends you can throw it across your shoulder like that everybody has their own preference but she looks quite comfortable yeah so so the weight will shift around and it causes it so that it can be hard to drape it over your neck or difficult to to control and how you want it now and that's her husband yeah exactly now that was second place ma'am I'll finish your bra Atkins and on the course absolutely legal is just a spectator zone he's running along with Lindsey Webster giving her a little bit of coaching and advice it's a nice thing to have as she makes her way through the last significant obstacle this course because what we've got left I guess beater beater could be a failure obstacle and this is Rebecca oh sorry Nicole the goal finishing up so we'll get try and get a split it's less than two minute gap between them she's flying she's monastic I mean yeah honestly she she she doesn't look like she's under any stress at all this is a list of Holly we tracking with right now back nothing round David is atrocious it's staring I mean if you're if you're a pure runner if you're a marathoner that's the last thing you want to see out on the course it is just so tough on the joints yeah Nicole Mary is this cod to then look at Cape Cod and you can we can roll an ankle you can you can trip you can roll an ankle and it could end your race very quickly as quickly as it starts but look how quickly she goes by these men's athletes right now what you're seeing out in the cold miracle is a truly world-class athlete yeah absolutely and like I said before these these male athletes that she's passing our elite athletes they're in the elite Heat these guys are not to be sneezed at and yet she is just smoking them you know there is something to be said about the true elite athletes out in this field and the folks who who are just running that heat they lead heat to to basically get their day over with early and there will come a day when it is just the athletes like Nicole miracle right here who are just truly dominant that are gonna line up yeah initial wave of the day yeah look you singing already you know I think the sports made a lot of leaps and bounds in the last two years particularly with the the global series the national series all around the world and the the gated qualifying systems it's harder to get into the World Championship than it ever has been is Alissa Holly no problem on the beater there she's so talented when it comes to to these grip obstacles she really is and this is what the coal miracle make you say it's a West Point shelf yeah West Point shelf attachment there so you got to basically get yourself your body up it's quite high as you can see especially for Nicola miracle she's not particularly tall so you got to leave yourself up onto that platform before you get over the vertical cargo structure did you like her technique Dave of reaching across grabbing the cargo net and dragging herself like a little worm across the ground she's gonna tell you all for that David she's incredible talented and that was ingenuity at its best as Nicole Merkel is getting through the last failure obstacle of the day this is it she rings the bell there's nothing that stands between her and the title today as Elissa Hawley is still looking a clawback Rebecca Hammond and take that podium position she's crushed this rice Alissa yeah she really has but this is the cold miracle making sure that headband is in place as she comes over the vertical cargo net the final obstacle of the day dead center no trust issues over the top and a Holy Saint Aranda rated item no one to be seen around her Melissa Holly is wrapping up her sandbag carry but the story of the day is once again this woman right here Nicole miracle taken her way down the a-frame cargo net claiming her second win in the US national series in 2019 winning and Jacksonville winning once again today in Alabama this is Nicole miracle cruising foot runners start to finish 300 points to me she made it look easy dive it she made it look so easy she came that pice old day long and she is just calm as convey she's not even breathing hard and not far behind I'll say this Lindsey Webster has made herself known to two races to second place finishes she's still lingering you know she is still a force to be reckoned with but no longer the dominance that we've seen out of her where every day it was her against the field yeah look I mean you got to also think about the strategy to David so you know three more races to come after this a lot of elevation of Big Bear we hadn't really mentioned the Big Bear course in any detail yet I mean it's a brutal course right so there's plenty of racing left in the season and of course there's the the North American Championship and the World Championship look at that explosion of a fire jump will you that's it amazing I want a picture with fire it really is and Lindsey Webster is coming off the a-frame nice and fatik jump but she's gonna leap that fire cross over the line in second place for the second race in a row she's got some valuable points in the bank she seems happy and satisfied and she and Nicole embrace for a hug second place with Angie Webster second place for her husband Ryan Adkins for the second week in a row what great sportsmanship at the finish line I do it just says those ladies giving each other a hug absolutely you know vicious competition out there and then once they get across that finish line their comrades of course and that's one of the things when you sweat and you bleed together it brings you closer than almost anything else in the world can and this is Rebecca Hammond you could say she's new to the sport I would say she's already proven herself to be a savvy veteran as she makes this push towards the finish line right now a friend cargo net right now she's yeah look she's proving it all right now she's had a fantastic performance today don't take away anything look we've got to be we've got to be realistic you know she as you say relative newcomer to the sport well be in this position is a huge achievement she's proven herself to be you know a dangerous across the board I believe she just ran a clean race as long as she can get through this tough dicey stretch but she made oh no miss Rebecca there she is it's the sprint home last week she finished in fourth Rose Wetzel edged her out by just seconds but this week running clean she's taken that third position it looks like she still got one or two steps to go in order to get to that top notch of Nicole and Lindsey Webster but she will be there by season's end there's no question you can see how talented is here's a question for you David would you go would you would you forego a number one position on the podium in the US national series to quote unquote save yourself for the North American and world championship or do you go all out I don't think there's any question you go all out for both and Rebecca Hammond is gonna do just that third place today in the US national series from Alabama Rebecca Hammond crossing the line used it on well John Rebecca so you can see your top five leaderboard for the women to call miracle Lindsay Webster Rebecca Hammond Alissa Holly and we have Tia Reagan ending up in fourth position we talked about it nice flat course are you are you getting yourself prepared for the hills in training or if you've been focusing on the past and flats that's where I've been focusing on the fast and flat fan I'm so happy with Hillary so in today like flats obviously not my forte normally but I think I did really well today so I think it paid off well second place that well done it was great to see you out there Nicole wonderful first place and so you're top of the series by a long way and going into the mountain series are you confident I would say I'm less confident so not quite the mountain series but the the more mountainous in the series like the Utah the big bads but we've got the we've got the wet mud fest of Seattle does that excite you at all yeah sure I really like the swamp in Jacksonville more than more than like the the flatter harder course here actually I thought this would be great and it was it was fun but it just I definitely wasn't as fast on it so I think the swamp it but like the muddy train in Seattle will be good and I am excited for the mountainous courses too I just I just have standing next like the best downhill runner in the world here so I get a little more scared for those ones I agree with that well Rebecca amazing third place and once again are you came forth in you came forth in Jacksonville yep so I'm going into I going into Seattle what are you preparing training-wise I'm gonna keep running and doing some upper body stuff that sounds exciting Rebecca it sounds very exciting I moved the same I love to see you back on the podium I good luck for the next races I'm sorry selected for her cuz she's got the grip so when stuff gets muddy like everybody slips well I think you goes the one two three in the series now so it's going to be very exciting moving forward to Seattle and then to the to the mountain events which could be incredible alright great race hey guys back to you guys thanks so much Steve Steve Hammond an amazing race out of the Comerica Lindsay Webster and Rebecca Hammond no relation on the men's side Vijay Jones the story of the day Ryan Atkins and Ryan captain have created quite the competitive series in the men's field Kempson Atkins Kent Killian and two wings on the men's race and of course on the women's side you have Nicole Merkel with a perfect score followed by Webster Hammond Wetzel and Holley to catch the rest of this season of the u.s. national series you can catch us April 13th that's going to be out of Seattle of course for a Spartan Race I'm David Medina and David Watson we'll see you next time [Music] you

Channel: Spartan Race

Views: 161,888

Rating: 4.8161435 out of 5

Keywords: Spartan Race, Spartan, OCR, Obstacle Course Racing, Alabama Super, Spartan Pros, Alabama Spartan, Live Spartan Race, Spartan Elites

Id: dWcTm_ba_gk

Length: 91min 38sec (5498 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 17 2019