OCEAN CITY — The inaugural Spartan obstacle race held in the downtown area last weekend was a huge success with thousands competing in the event.
For the first time, Spartan, a Boston-based company that produces high-intensity obstacle course races all over the country and the world, brought its sprint-style competition to Ocean City last weekend. While the final number of participants is not known, over 3,300 racers pre-registered for the event.
The Spartan obstacle course event included a festival village at the Inlet parking lot with tents featuring food, music and vendors. The race itself took place largely on the Boardwalk, beach and side streets in the downtown area with all manner of obstacles to overcome.
Thousands of racers competed in the event, which included obstacles such as cargo nets, walls to traverse, rope climbs, monkey bars, water hazards, atlas carries, spear throws, sandbag carries and many others. Spartan produces similar events all over the country with different courses and varying degrees of difficulty, including the sprint format, which was in place last weekend in Ocean City.
Ocean City Tourism Director Donna Abbott, who coordinated the event with Spartan officials, said she spent much of last Saturday at the event and called it an unqualified success.
“The Spartan race was fantastic,” she said. “I spent most of the day at their village in the Inlet lot speaking with participants. Everyone I spoke with had a great time and provided us with positive feedback on their Ocean City experience. It also appeared that folks who were on the Boardwalk enjoyed watching the competition at the various obstacles along the way.”
It is uncertain just how many participants came for the day or how many made it a weekend-long event. A shuttle was provided from the Park-and-Ride in West Ocean City to the race venue downtown and the lot was full by mid-morning. However, Abbott said many participants she spoke with came with friends and family and made a weekend out of it.
“There was certainly a large component of day-trippers using the shuttle set up at the Park-and-Ride in West Ocean City, but I also spoke with participants who made it a weekend trip,” she said. “We also had a number of people asking for dining options while here in Ocean City. Overall, I would say this first-time event was a success and we are already in talks about the event returning next year.”
