Imagine enduring 13 miles of mud and uphill terrain while encountering obstacles along the way like a 6 foot wall or crawling through barbed wire. That was the reality for Levellands’ very own Katie Ervin while she took on the SPARTAN course.
SPARTAN races consist of a 5k run with 20 obstacles, a 10k run with 25 obstacles and a Beast that’s a 21k run with 30 obstacles. The obstacles do not count toward the miles, it’s all about physical and mental stability while trying to finish one of these races. The races require a combination of cardiovascular fitness, strength and mobility.
Ervin has completed three races this year, with two being the Beast on Oct. 18 and the 5k on Oct. 19. She traveled to Granbury with her son to officially complete her trifecta.
“Oh my god, the hills. Just as you thought you were getting to the top of a hill, you would go sideways and then go up another hill,” said Ervin.
What was astounding to Ervin was that there was not one single obstacle that was the same to conquer. In total she did 50 different obstacles without fail. Obstacles will range from a six and seven foot wall, inverted walls, climbing a cargo net, the A frame, sandbag pool, carrying a bucket of rocks, monkey bars and rings.
“This year’s new one was adding a cargo net on the ground which was on a great big rock and you had to crawl under this cargo net,” said Ervin.
Back in 2020, SPARTAN races really took off, getting people off the couch, back out into the world and staying active. Ervin’s son heard about these races and immediately took interest. She watched her son do these races and she had this thought, “what if I could do this?”
“I asked my son what you would think if mom was to do this with you, and he said come along we can die together,” said Ervin. “Then I wanted my trifecta, so in March we went down to Cat Spring and did the 10k, which was a lot of fun.”
The locations for these races are on farmer’s ranches where there’s a lot of acreage. At least 24,000 people will participate in these races and the ages range from 6 years old to 80 years old. Ervin was determined to complete her trifecta which includes doing the 5k, the 10k, and the 21k in one year.
“Some people will do all three races in one weekend. No thank you. It’s way too much,” said Ervin.
People will train for months for these races and Ervin is no different. With lots of cardio training and using weights, she is always ready to take on these difficult challenges.
“Everyone trains differently, they do a lot of box jumps and burpees,” said Ervin.
The obstacles are there to prove one’s endurance and to challenge oneself. If a person can’t complete a challenge, they can take a penalty. The only obstacle that one has to do penalty burpees is the spear throw.
“You have to throw a spear all the way into the hailable and if you miss you have to do 30 burpees,” said Ervin.
Mentally these races can take a toll on your mind and body. Ervin always has a sturdy mindset going into the challenges and refuses to back down.
“I keep telling myself you can do it and keep on going,” said Ervin. “Everyone there is so positive and willing to help out. These races get addictive because the people are so positive, they’re so ecstatic.”
Ervin doesn’t plan on stopping these races anytime soon and already has one set for August 2026 on her birthday.
“I plan on doing these until I’m 70, they are just so much fun and they keep me in shape,” said Ervin. “I’m excited for this one because it's in Hawaii and I’ve always wanted to go.”
These races are made for anyone. According to Ervin, she has seen blind, deaf and even someone as old as 88 do them. Ervin encourages people to get out and push themselves no matter how difficult they may seem.
“Everyone gets a medal if they finish and bragging rights,” said Ervin. “You don’t have to be a professional or a gym rat, just go out and try. That’s the important thing, is to go and try.”