EVENT REVIEW: Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

They are coming thick and fast now (unlike my blog posts which appear to have died a death at the moment). I promise, again, that I’ll get back to posting more regularly but, in the meantime, here is the review for Challenge #18.

Spartan Sprint Yorkshire was the event, a short one by recent standards but no less difficult for it. So here is Part 4 of Team MUBU’s "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. 

The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

SPARTAN SPRINT YORKSHIRE

5km Obstacle/Mud Run

28^th September 2014

Ripon

Another “Team MUBU” effort with myself (Falloff Boy), Rick (Birchy Balls) and Nat (Lara Croft) partaking in this one. Rick had a time to beat so he left us behind after a few km but Nat and I stayed together and finished with a decent time. This was Nat’s first “proper muddy” race and she loved it.

General Event Organisation

Relatively easy to sign up but the way the website works isn’t as intuitive as some of the other races. Checking in and printing off your event pass worked well though and generally everything was smooth and simple. The races actually ran 30mins behind schedule which suited us as we were late – but I imagine it was annoying for some.

6 – Above Average

Event Facilities

A couple of small stores selling trainers and merchandise but nothing compared to Rat Race events or the like. Food and drink was available and plenty of toilets for use. I have it on good authority that the spectator route wasn’t buggy-friendly so if that is important to you then beware. The “event village” itself was small but you had a great view of the finish line and the atmosphere was great. Plenty of parking available near to the start line.

7 – Good

Registration

Well organised and marshalled. Seemed to run very smoothly and everything you needed for the race was provided and explained. There were a couple of sizeable queues for those who hadn’t pre-filled in the waiver but they seemed to move quickly.

7 - Good

Location

We had a bit of trouble finding it but that could be down to the fact I didn’t check where It was before leaving. Once we knew where it was it was dead easy. Not far from the A1 and with decent access in and out this was pretty well placed.

7 - Good

On Course Facilities

Only one water station but at only 5km this race didn’t really need more. There were plenty of marshals where needed and the course was marked out very well. No distance markers but, again, didn’t really matter with the short distance of the event.

6 – Above Average

Warm-Up

Not so much a warm up but a rallying call! Could have done with a bit more stretching and stuff but, to be fair, you shouldn’t be relying on someone else to do that for you. Great build up though and we were pumped by the time we crossed the line.

7 - Good

Variety of obstacles

Best variety of obstacles I’ve seen so far. There were at least four things that haven’t been encountered before and a really good mix of upper and lower body challenges. Managed to pack a lot into 5km.

8 - Very Good

Obstacle/Run mix

Plenty of obstacles so no really long running sections. The hills early doors killed me but they weren’t too long in all reality. Being a short race there was always likely to be no really long sections but they managed to get a few places where the quicker amongst you could stretch your legs.

7 - Good 

Terrain

Pretty good use of the available resources. The forest sections were tight and a good challenge while they managed to put the “big” obstacles in places where plenty of folks could watch if they wanted to. Enough open space to make sure the field didn’t get too bunched most of the time.

7 –Good

Post-Race

A cracking medal and a very nice (non-Tech)  finisher’s T-Shirt. Throw in a free beer, free ice-cream, water, energy bar and some energy sweets and you have a very decent post-race pack indeed. There was a post-race “hosing down” available if you fancied it and a good photo opportunity in front of the Spartan board.

8 – Very Good

Difficulty

Short and sharp this one. I struggled with the hills (as always) and they really sapped my strength for the later obstacles. Some of the obstacles are really tough and the punishment of 30 burpees for failing is brutal. Except it wasn’t policed that well and I’ll be honest and admit I skipped out on my penalty a few times!! If you complete all the obstacles though, you have done very, very well indeed.

Course: 6 out of 10

Obstacles 8 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

This was a lot of fun and we made a decent day of it with a now-traditional trip for a burger on the way home. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the race (mainly down to the company!) and the post-race banter and chat really is what makes these for me. If you’ve got a good bunch of racers and spectators, these things are the MOST fun you can have.

Overall Score

70% - Some might argue Spartan Sprint is pricey considering the distance but you get a well put together event with a few things you don’t get elsewhere. However you can pick up a good early bird if you plan well enough and it then becomes very good value. Already got our eyes on another Spartan Sprint next year and we hope to graduate up to the Spartan Super and Spartan Beast at some point!

A reminder that the scoring goes like this:

90+%           Sell organs and/or children to do this event every single time

80+%           A very good event indeed, try to do this every year

70+%           Will definitely do this again if the timing/cost is right

60+%           Very enjoyable but would probably won’t do again unless cost/time work out and there is nothing else on the calendar

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

70%             Tough Mudder North West

70%             Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

65%             Total Warrior Lake District

60%             Stockton River Rat Race

Next one up is Reaper on 18^th October. This is a 10km event that we have stupidly signed up for twice, once in the afternoon and once in the evening with head torches on. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking?!

Till next time,

DT  

EVENT REVIEW: Tough Mudder North West

Saturday saw yet another Challenge conquered. The Cholmondley Estate was the site for Tough Mudder Northwest. We managed to rustle up a team of 8 of us to take this one on, representing Friends of Serenity and organised through my work at Simon Carves Engineering.

So here it is, part 3 of Tom and Rick's "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

TOUGH MUDDER NORTHWEST

11-12 mile Obstacle/Mud Run

13^th September 2014

Cholmondley, Cheshire

A slightly chilly early morning (partially due to the 5:30am alarm call) gave way to a lovely mid-morning and early afternoon as we trudged around the 11-12 miles of the Tough Mudder course. Cracking team of 8 of us attacked this and it was generally agreed it was tough but a lot of fun and definitely something that will be done again - by some!

General Event Organisation

I didn't actually organise most of this but the bits I dealt with were simple and easy to navigate. Ticket and waiver provided electronically and the set-up on the day was slick and exactly what you'd expect from an established operator like TM.

7 - Good

Event Facilities

A single small shop selling branded gear and a few eateries dotted around the event village. Parking was easy to get in and out at the times we were there and TM provided plenty for spectators to do - including a couple of marked spectator routes as well as a kid's mini-mudder. There was a rinse station for afterwards and a big bar for the after party. It loses a mark for charging £3 for the bag drop but other than that it was up there with the best so far.

7 – Good

Registration

Seemed standard for these events. Slick and efficient provided you remembered your ID and waiver. If you didn't then you could still race, it just took a bit longer to go through the process. Those non-first-timers had a separate registration desk and all seemed to run like clockwork there too.

7 - Good

Location

Pretty easy to find in the Cheshire countryside. The estate was well used with plenty of spectator access for all (including push chairs in some places). That meant you never felt lonely on the run and people could see plenty of action. 

8 - Very Good

On Course Facilities

Lots of water stations and a couple of feed stations giving out protein bars and the like. Plenty of medics and marshalls dotted around the course and the major obstacles were controlled well, There was a bit of queuing as a result but it was better than a free-for-all and thankfully none of the queues were too long. Distance markers every mile helped too.

7 - Good

Warm-Up

A good long warm-up beforehand, the only criticism of which being the slight lack of space to do it in. The briefing and build up was well done and I felt completely energised and ready to go by the time we crossed the line.  

7 - Good

Variety of obstacles

Excellent variety of obstacles on the course. Plenty of mud, water, man-made and natural barriers were provided and the order of them meant you were never bored or stuck with a run of two or three of the same type in a row.

8 - Very Good

Obstacle/Run mix

Generally pretty well spaced with most of the longer running sections early doors to stretch the field and try to minimise the queues. The back end through the forest had a couple of slightly boring longer sections but it wasn't too bad overall.

7 - Good 

Terrain

Good use of the limited elevation changes and the lakes/streams on the estate. The spectator routes were well thought out to allow people to watch large chunks of the course (and popular obstacles) and it was varied enough to not feel too "samey" for the majority of the route. There were a couple of quite narrow paths in the forest section which people kept barging past us on but generally it was OK.

7 –Good

Post-Race

No medal unfortunately but you do get a Tough Mudder headband. It doesn't sound like much but these headbands are a badge of honour as you accumulate different coloured ones as you do more and more events. A pretty decent tech T-shirt was provided too as well as a welcome glass of alcoholic ginger beer and a bar to top the nutrients up.

7 - Good

Difficulty

This was energy sapping in places but nothing like Total Warrior or Mighty Deerstalker. We had a quite a few enforced rests due to the minor queues so it was actually not that difficult a course in my opinion. We didn't do it super-quick though so that may be why it felt easier.

Course: 7 out of 10

Obstacles 7 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

I had a great day. Mainly helped by having a cracking bunch of guys with me and also some spectators to spur me on to the finish (where I had a brilliant homemade banner waiting for me). Tough Mudder was amongst the most fun races I've done and the variety of obstacles kept it fresh throughout.

Overall Score

70% - The only real thing against Tough Mudder is the price. I'd definitely do another one if the timing was right but I wouldn't break the bank nor shift a family holiday for it, if you know what I mean, The experience was fun but for the £90+ entrance fee you can do 2 or 3 smaller ones and so the value for money lets it down ever so slightly, unless you can grab an early bird price.

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

70%                Tough Mudder North West

65%                Total Warrior Lake District

60%                Stockton River Rat Race

Next one up is Spartan Sprint (6km) on 28th September. 30 burpees everytime you can't do an obstacle, this could be absolutely horrendous as I'm not exactly a profilic "burpee-r".

Till next time,

DT 

REVIEW: Magician's Guild (Black Magician #1) by Trudi Canavan

I’ll confess to having a soft spot for stories involving magic and magicians. There is something about it which has always given me that sense of wonder and, for want of a better word, magic. Trudi Canavan’s Black Magic Trilogy has been on my radar for a while now and I finally got around to the first book, Magician’s Guild.

*MINOR SPOILER ALERT*

Magician’s Guild tells the story of Sonea, a young girl born in the slums who is found to have latent magical powers. She has been brought up to hate the Magician’s Guild and everything they stand for but she may need their help to avoid destroying herself and the world around her.

Once safely in the confines of the Guild she beings to learn that maybe not everything she has heard about them is true, but who should she trust and what dark secrets are being kept within the Guild?

Canavan’s world is not one we have never seen before. But all the good fantasy books share these common elements, they are essential to the genre and the type of story they try to tell. The really good ones put their own distinctive stamp on it and Canavan succeeds here.

The first half of the book is set in the city whilst Sonea is on the run but once she is caught/rescued (depending on your point of view) the scene switches to the Guild and noticeably changes in pace. The second half is much more about Sonea learning about her powers and the Guild itself.

The world at large is hinted at but it is no more than a brief glimpse. More is to come I’m sure but for now the focus is firmly on Sonea and the difficult decisions she will have to make.

There are elements of the Aes Sedai (from Wheel of Time) about the Guild but there is much more emphasis towards this being more like a University, which is where I expect the second book to go with Sonea and her development.

Canavan’s characters are interesting and have depth; particularly the kind Rothen and his apprentice Dannyl, the scheming, underhand Fergun and the plucky resourceful sidekick Ceyni. Again none of these characters are particularly new or unique but they are well-written and they fit well together in the narrative. You want to follow their story further, even those you don’t like very much.

For a book about Magicians there is not so much magic as one might expect. Canavan does a great job of not overloading the reader with a whole magic system, preferring to bring it in piece by piece as and when required. We learn as Sonea learns and I like this as an approach, rather than a bombardment of information early on which you struggle to follow as you progress through the story.

Overall this book has all the elements which a good fantasy novel needs. It feels epic, but the little touches are nice. The characters are interesting and engaging and the plot doesn’t feel overly recycled though elements of it clearly are.

This is a typical first book in a series for me, the main character suffers an upheaval that they must come to terms with before realising that life has changed irrevocably and a whole new one is stretching out ahead of them.

I’ll definitely be back for more.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

Till next time,
DT

REVIEW: Siege of Night (Gatekeeper #2) by Jeff Gunzel

I'm been very busy the last few weeks with one thing and another so I'm way behind with my posts. Thanks to those still reading, I promise to be a bit more prolific going forward. After all, there is no point calling this thing the Daily Stream if I don't provide something on a daily(ish) basis!

So without further ado I'm back into the book reviews. Book #2 of Jeff Gunzel's Gatekeeper series, Siege of Night.

*SPOILER FREE*

I've been bouncing around quite a few series this year and sometimes it takes a while to remember where you are and who is who in these series. Particularly as fantasy writers seem to have this conspiracy which causes them to use very similar names for their characters! Once you have more than about 2 or 3 epic series on the go (as I like to) you struggle to work out whether you are coming or going.

The Gatekeeper series is quite refreshing on a number of levels. Firstly, the books aren't actually that long and so there isn't really the time or the scope to inject vast swathes of characters into the story. Those characters that are added don't really have the development of, say, a Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire - but I don't think the story suffers from it. Those characters we met in the first story are all present and correct, with a few extra ones thrown in. There is nothing particularly different about them that hasn't been seen before but that isn't really a problem.

In many aspects, these are books are kind of "light" versions of the heavier fantasy tomes. They concentrate on the action pieces and are less interested in the slow-burning build up. Sometimes that is a nice change, not everything can be a 1000 page epic spanning months or years in which very little actually happens. Gunzel keeps the story ticking along nicely and provides just enough diversion to keep the pace varied when it needs it.

The plot itself, again, isn't earth shattering. But it is good enough to hold your attention and keep the pages turning. There is more here too, you can feel it, The series has put down its roots and is starting to stretch the branches a bit, trying a few things that the confidence of a successful book behind you can bring.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. I read it in about 3 hours on the train so it's not exactly War and Peace. It fills a very nice hole in my reading portfolio and I am looking forward to the next couple in the series. At the princely sum of £1ish per book on the Kindle, it really is a no-brainer.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

Till next time.
DT