Reflections on the 2023 Dallas Beast

I travelled to Dallas just in time to celebrate my birthday on Friday and then prepare for the race on Saturday, This was my first race in the Age Group heat, after spending the previous 4.5 years in Open heat. That meant an 8 AM start, and an even earlier 4 AM commute from Prosper, TX to the venue in Granbury.

The weather later in the day would be sunny and warm, but when I arrived at about 6:15 AM, it was still cold and dark, The Ultra runners were getting underway, and the Elite heats of the Beast were on deck. I had some organizing to do on my post-race gear before checking in and visiting bag check. I wanted my hands to be empty for this race, so I put the day's pills in my right-side pocket and kept the left-side pocket empty. In my mind's eye I envisioned the small plastic pill box sliding right out of the pocket, so to provide enough friction to prevent and help them stay put, I dropped them into a sock, wrapped that up into a ball, and pushed it to the bottom of that right-side pocket. Worked like a charm. I also wanted to run without a backpack or cane. I was traveling light, but I had no food with me, That proved to be a mistake, as I ran out of gas around mile 10 to mile 11.

The start was a mixed bag. When I arrived at the venue and parked I used the facilities, then again after dropping off my bag at gear check. At 7:45 the group ahead of us got started, and then my group began filling the start corral. There was some barbed wire to get under and a low wall to jump over, but nothing difficult. However, while standing there I found myself looking around for a port-a-potty. There were none, but I really needed to take care of it, so I trotted off to a likely spot nearby. When I headed back I was surprised to see that the corral was empty and the whole group gone. Bummer! I ran back to the corral, crossed the start line, and began my race. I caught up to a small number of fellow slow-pokes, but most of them I never saw again.

The obstacles

key

• CWD - Completed with difficulty
• FAPL - failed attempt; took a penalty loop
• FAB - failed attempt; burpees
• NAPL - no attempt made; took a penalty loop
• NP - no problem; successfully completed the obstacle

Hay Wall - NP

Bender - NP

Stairway to Sparta - NAPL

While approaching this obstacle, I thought about the likelihood of successfully completing it on the first try (many obstacles provide for a single attempt; if you fall off or otherwise fail, a penalty loop is required). I saw myself facing a choice--either wear myself out trying to do the obstacle and then take the penalty loop, or just go straight to the penalty loop. On this and several other low-probability obstacles, I elected the to do the latter.

7' Wall - NP

Twister - NAPL

The Box - NAPL

Olympus - NAPL

Hurdles - NP

Monkey Bars - NAPL

Rope Climb - NAPL

A-Frame Cargo - NP

Multi-Rig - NAPL

Hercules Hoist - NP

I used to be able to do this with difficulty (or help), but then for several races in a row I failed on every attempt. This time the obstacle was early in the lineup, and as I was still fresh, I completed it with little difficulty. Made me happy.

Bucket Carry - NP

I've been practicing this with a home-made bucket. It was hard, but I did it. I need to put more weight in my practice bucket.

Z Wall - FAPL

I can do this one more often than not, but this time I fell off.

Inverted Wall - NP

Ape Hangar - NAPL

Plate Drag - NP

Tyrolean Traverse - FAPL

I made decent progress maybe 75% of the distance, but by then my muscles were wiped out and could no longer do what I asked them to do, so I fell off. Next time I need to move faster, and it might help to lie on top of the rope instead of hanging beneath it.

Armer - NP

Sandbag Carry - CWD

This was by far the most difficult obstacle of the day--at least for me, and of those obstacles that I completed or attempted. The sandbag weighs 69lb, and it "squirms" when you grab it, making it difficult to pick up. Some guys just tossed it onto their shoulders and started walking, but I could barely lift the thing. What's more, I could not walk far while holding the sandbag before dropping it, so I had a large number of restarts (I'd guess at least 10) before finishing. Topping it all off, the trail did not just go up and down a little; the climb was way steeper than any I had seen before in a sandbag carry. Needless to say, if it was difficult to carry the sandbag on level ground, it was far more difficult to carry it uphill.

Helix - FAPL

I can often do this and did not expect any trouble, but the third section was inverted. I did not expect that, but I took a quick look and saw a place to put my foot and continue. I was able to get some good handholds and reach my leg across, but then some cramps hit my leg and groin, and I fell.

Atlas Carry - FAB

I can usually do this, but this time I was so drained by the time I got there that when I tried to roll the ball up my thigh, I could not even get it off the ground. This obstacle had no penalty loop, so I was told to do burpees. Normally, one set of 30 burpees is doable, but after all I had been through it took me a looooong time to finish them.

Barbed Wire Crawl - NP

I have settled on a low-bear crawl technique for this obstacle, as opposed to the more common roll. This time, however, the wire was lower than usual, forcing me to go wider with my hands and feet and making it more difficult. About halfway through, my legs and groin cramped up, halting my progress for several minutes while I worked on them. When I was able to start moving again, I rolled the rest of the way.

Rolling Mud - NP

Dunk Wall - NP

Spear Throw - FAPL

I hit the bullseye, but not hard enough to stick.

Slip Wall - NP

Vertical Cargo. NP

Those penalty loops are 200 m each, and I did 12 of them, adding 2400 m to my total distance. That 2.4 km is a mile and a half, for a total of 14.6 miles instead of the nominal 13.1 miles for a Spartan Beast.