The Spartan Death Race requires a strong mindset and body.
Cliff Moitt’s Spartan journey started with a TV show in the 80s called ”The Battle of the Network Stars,” and the stars were going through these obstacles. When he saw that he realized that the body is meant to do something different, something epic. At the time he was running 5 and 10K races. When the movie “300” came out, he was impressed by the Spartan culture and toughness. One day he was checking Facebook and a friend asked him if he had seen the Spartan race so he clicked and he couldn’t believe it. He says it was like a steroid version of the “Battle of the Network Stars.” So he signed up and entered the race. He noticed at the top was something called the Death Race and he thought he could do it so he did a search and realized it was something special. You couldn’t just sign up.
This was in 2014 and he was doing ruck events, carrying a heavy backpack in competition with other runners. He had some injuries in his ankles that sidelined him for a few years. But the Spartan Death Race was on his bucket list. Then the race was postponed a few years in 2020. Now, he is turning 50 and he is entered and will run it the week this episode is released.
First he had to ask his wife’s permission because she is a fundamental part of his team. She asked him why he wanted to do it but she supported him even though she was worried because the name of the race had the word ”death” in it. When he started training he realized that his age was starting to show, it was hard to move as well as before, he had to take more breaks, he had to stretch and do yoga and many other things so he decided he had to play smart and understand what his body needs versus what his body wants.
Cliff says that running is a sport that could be done alone because they do it alone, although you can train in a team and have a team when you go out to race you do it alone and sometimes it’s hard to invite people into your world. He loves running because he is responsible for everything he does and there is no one to blame so it is always a learning experience for him.
He tells us that the Spartan race is interesting because it has levels. He likes the idea of adventure racing, but the challenge with these races is that they are very expensive. He says that what Spratan wanted with this one is to create an event similar to adventure racing that could get someone off the couch and get them moving. He says it’s not about who comes in first or second or third or fourth or fifth, it’s about finishing.
The levels of Spartan events are the Sprint which is 3 to 5 miles. the Super which is 8 to 10 miles, the Beast which can be 13 to 15 miles and it depends on the course because it’s different all over the world. Then you have the Utra which is over 26 so it can be 26 to 20 miles. Then you have the Hurricane Series which is based on hours so you have a 4 hour or a 12 hour or a 24 hour and then the Death Race which is completely different.
This race is going to put you in an awkward position so you’re only left with the option of learning about yourself. Cliff says that’s what it comes down to In the Death Race you can get the email the day before that tells you the time it starts and when you get there. They only give you a range of starting times in advance. The first challenge is a puzzle. If you can’t solve the puzzle, you are finished before you even start.
One year there was a challeng where they had a 700 pound tire that had to walk 26 miles through the woods. Another year where they had to go through the mountains barefoot. Another year where they had to cut wood for hours. And there was a portable toilet they had to carry through the woods for miles. The challenges vary every year.
The race lasts about 72 hours so you need 3 days of food with you. He always carries a sleeping bag, extra clothes, his 3 days of food, life jacket in case they do something in the water and this year they told him to bring a power tool. With this instruction they told him to choose wisely.
Cliff’s physical training plan is immense. He has been a fitness trainer for almost 30 years so he writes a program based on what people can’t think of. He confessed that he doesn’t lift weights because that doesn’t mimic what he is going to do in the Spartan races. The first thing for him is running. And for him burpees are the best exercise because it combines various movements and exercises, He does push-ups and focuses on understanding why he does what he does and what his body needs to do to perform on that particular run. so his training consists of running a lot, walking a lot with a heavy backpack, and a lot of calisthenics. Sometimes he wakes up at night to train and tries to get uncomfortable himself so his body remembers that he has been there before.
For the mental part Cliff says that there are things that a person must first understand about themselves in order to understand how to run their race. In the beginning he would run with music or listen to a podcast or something and just go down the road and have fun but now he doesn’t do that. Now he listens to his feet, or he goes along counting with the alphabet and numbers like ”A1, B2, C3, D4” and if he makes a mistake he starts over.
Bridge Questions:
Cliff’s running essentials are shoes and a water bladder.
The strangest thing he has seen when running is a kind of bear and when it got closer it looked like a giant turtle and it was some kind of strange animal that he still doesn’t know what it was.
His phrase or philosophy of life: Inner peace.
Connect with Cliff:
