  | It was no ordinary Friday night in Palm Beaches, Florida. After months of speculation, anticipation, and — for some of the greatest in the sport of obstacle course racing — dialed-in training, the first invite-only 3K race of the 2023 North American Elite Series, hosted by Palm Beach County Sports Commission, unfolded after two rounds of what Race Course Manager Steve Hammond called "brutal" 1K qualifier loops and a few incredibly impressive times were added to the series' leaderboard. We dished out our most merciless pre-race Armageddon start line yet, offered a brand-new, optional extension of pain to the end of the weekend's Sprint (which most exhausted Spartans accepted without hesitation), and even took a trip to Georgia for a full weekend of Tough Mudder suffering.
What did the Elites think of the long-awaited 3K format, and who came out of the race with a leg up in the series? Plus, would you "Go the Extra Mile" if we offered it to you ... and are you willing to prove it? | |  | Palm Beaches, Florida
Friday's invite-only Elite field fought through two qualifying rounds of a 1K course — or just over 0.6 miles — where the top 66% of racers in round one proceeded to the second wave, and only the fastest half of racers in round two moved on to toe the line of the final 3K event, consisting of three insanely fast, vigorous laps of the same 1K loop. There were just 11 daunting obstacles riddled throughout the course — each hand-picked to demand a diverse, meticulous skill set from every athlete — from carries to mud, water, crawls, and an intensified Multi-Rig. At the end of the night, Veejay Jones scored an official first-place win for the men in just under 22 minutes, and Nicole Mericle earned gold with the top female finishing time of 26 minutes and 2 seconds.
The dust didn't have much time to settle, though. The next morning, thousands of Spartans conquered the single-day Sprint with an optional — but well-received — twist: a harsh, post-finish line Sandbag Carry called "Go the Extra Mile," which earned brave takers some extra collateral. Want to try it? We're surprising racers with this new event at races across the country, so commit now. | |  | Palm Beaches, Florida
"I ran a good race, and I'm stoked I can say that," Veejay Jones, first-place winner of the first-ever 3K North American Elite Series race, said. "The first 3K event of the year was quite the experience. The new qualifying format added a new aspect to racing that most of us hadn't felt since track days. Putting up a solid time that would qualify, yet still staying conservative for finals was a fun game to play.
"It feels good to actually put a race together after everything my body has been through. I know I have a long ways to go, but this was a glimpse of hope... You'll catch me at the championships for sure."
To read Veejay's full recap, click here, then check out the rest of the results from this groundbreaking, blood-pumping weekend that the top racers of OCR will remember for years to come. Plus, don't miss your chance to sign up for the Big Bear Spartan Trifecta Weekend, where the second North American Elite Series race will go down next month. | |  | Fairburn, Georgia
It was rather cool for a Southern Saturday in Fairburn, Georgia, with whipping winds adding a bite to the electric, early-morning air as hundreds of hungry Mudders suited up and lingered — equally excitedly and furiously — at the start line, prepared to crush the competition and the lazier, weaker former version of themselves. This weekend's 5K, 10K, and 15K courses, in accordance with this season's protocol to make every single race tougher and more unconquerable than the last, offered the most ruthless obstacle modifications to date.
The savagery was out in full force. We crafted a barbaric match made in Hell by weaving Devil's Beard over Mud Mile, applying the pressure and forcing racers deeper into the frigid, shoe-sucking muck over and over. Plus, we dug Tipping Point out of the archives for the first time in a few years, an obstacle that was designed specifically with fear as a motive.
"When your weight passes the tipping point, the tube will tip downwards onto a slippery slope, sending you headfirst into a pool of water. The challenge in this obstacle is the fear of not knowing when the tube will tip," Tipping Point creator Peter Duncan shared.
Check out the rest of the weekend's insanely painful obstacles here. | |  | Fairburn, Georgia
Racer Rodney McCaffrey, who lives right in Fairburn, said he has been pleasantly (yet painfully) shocked at the degree of increasing difficulty he's faced out on the 2023 Tough Mudder courses as the season gets deeper into the nitty gritty. But despite the progressively arduous obstacle modifications, racer Cindy Louis from Atlanta had no fear tackling this weekend's course all by herself.
"I came to do this challenge alone and I was amazed at how much teamwork there was on course," she said. "I felt like everyone was there to finish together and leave no one behind." | |  | | | | what's ON DECK AT SPARTAN | | | | From forested trails in Fayetteville, steep mountains in Big Bear, to conquering Glacier National Park in Montana, Trifecta Weekends are going off nationwide. Unlock a Sprint, Super, and Beast with the Trifecta Pass, and get ready to conquer Spartan's ultimate annual challenge today. | | | | | LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE? | | | |
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