Author: Yasmin Alameddine

On Wednesday, April 15, a momentous – albeit unusual – announcement broke the news. It was an announcement unlike anything Cornell has ever seen: it had nothing to do with Slope Day, it didn’t involve Greek life, and it certainly wasn’t about another gripping lecture series. No, this announcement had a different tone. It seemed more intense and on a larger scale than ever before. The Spartan Race was coming to Cornell.

Spartan Logos have appeared around campus, accompanied by slogans like “Spartan Up Cornell!” Mass Facebook invites have flooded Cornellians’ inboxes everywhere. The launch has left people excited and confused. Students are wondering, “What’s a Spartan?”, “Why Cornell?”, and, most importantly, “How do I win?”

As a Spartan Race Cornell student representative, I am happy to share about this exciting race coming to campus.

What’s a Spartan Race?

Spartan Race—voted Outside magazine’s Best Obstacle Race— is the world’s leading obstacle racing company and the first of its kind to feature timing and global rankings. With more than 240 events in 25+ countries planned for 2015, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants, and offers open heats for all fitness levels as well as competitive elite heats.  With 4-plus million engaged social media followers, brand extensions including Spartan Group Training (SGX) and a popular NBC television series, Spartan Race has made obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports—and lifestyles— in the world.   Spartan Race features races at three distances, 3+Mile/20+ Obstacle “Sprint,” 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle “Super” and 13+ Mile/30+ Obstacle “Beast,” culminating each year in the Reebok Spartan World Championship.

Cornell has been selected to start Spartan’s first-ever College Series. The Inaugural Spartan College Classic Race will be coming to our campus this fall on September 5, 2015. The event will cover 1.5+ miles with 15+ obstacles designed by the team at Spartan Race.

 

Why Cornell?

Why Cornell out of the hundreds of other colleges, you ask? Joseph De Sena, entrepreneur, best selling author, and founder of Spartan Races happens to also bleed Big Red. “Helping out the students at Cornell was a no-brainer,” De Sena says “I went to Cornell so it’s particularly gratifying to see the students throw themselves behind our effort.” As a proud alumnus who’s been giving back to the Cornell community for years, De Sena finally wanted to give his alma mater something money could not buy: healthy competition, community, and unity.

Can only varsity athletes participate?

Of course not! The race is open to Cornellians and Ithacans of all ages and athletic abilities. This event is meant for all members of the Cornell community to come together in the name of adventure, philanthropy, and unity.

De Sena quells the obvious hesitations immediately. “Spartan races aren’t just for the most fit athletes. We have people from all walks of life who do the race. We say, ‘You’ll know at the finish.’ Finishing feels great and can be the start of the road towards a more fit life.”

 

 

Where’s all the money going?

Directly back to students at Cornell and the United Way. Since the United Way services hundreds of nonprofits in Tompkins County, selecting them as the philanthropic organization for Cornell’s Spartan Race seemed like a perfect fit.

De Sena explains his ties to Ithaca candidly. “Ithaca’s a part of my heritage, and of course Cornell played a huge role in my success. It’s great to be able to give back to a place that played such a pivotal role in my life.”

 

Will we be competing against each other?

Individuals and campus organizations are encouraged to compete in teams. The goal is to make this one of the most memorable events at Cornell. Not only will your participation benefit Cornell and the Ithaca community, but student organizations that register the most individuals on their team will also be an opportunity to take part in the first ever Spartan Race to be held on a college campus. Of course, as this is an intense race, prizes will also be awarded to top-finishing individuals and teams after the race.

De Sena challenges us all to “Spartan Up” and race. “It’s a great cause [and] the Spartan experience is a one-of-a kind.”

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Cornellians’ most exciting event and I’ll see you all at the finish line.

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Photography Credit: spartan.com, Taylor Holcomb ’15