Have done quite a few OCR's now but this was my first Spartan event. This is not a cheap event.

We went for the Beast option which is estimated 12-14 miles, according to everyone's watches it came in at 11 miles. This was slightly disappointing and the message we got on the course was it was nearer 15 miles!

Parking was a bit tricky in a muddy field, number of cars getting stuck and needing assistance. Registration was slow and some people missed their allotted times but one positive was the event village was all close together so that made logistics pretty easy.

Start pen was quite crowded but as soon as we started the runners thinned out quite quickly. My biggest issue with this event was the first big obstacle was a single tunnel crawl but it was far too early into the event. There was a queue to get through which we stood in for best part of 15 minutes!

Once we started running properly I loved the course and the event, there were some brilliant obstacles and some bloody tough ones too. Lots of water stations on the route and plenty of good marshalls supervising. Plenty of mud and bruises which are a good sign of a decent event.

Absolutely superb medal and finishers t-shirt and some good refreshments in the event village.

The event is chip timed which adds the competitive element which some OCR's don't do, this I liked and makes me want to return next year