'You're never at a point where you're comfortable and some of the obstacles were just brutal, but once you cross the finish line you feel this tremendous amount of accomplishment.'Īll four signed up to compete at next year's Spartan race within minutes of finishing this one and seven of Team 8-Ball's 11 competitors are already on board for next year.

'That was one of the aspects of this event that made it unique, I think,' said Coleman, who competed alongside his brother Paul Coleman. Robb Owens, Dan Coleman and Phipps, agreed that at times during the race, they were completely miserable, but none ever felt they couldn't continue.

'You're covered in mud, the rope is as slick as can be and if you fail the obstacle the penalty is 30 burpees.' 'From there, you had to pull yourself up some 20 feet,' he said. Shaun Phipps, 1 SOPS, described one obstacle where racers exited muddy water by reaching for a soap covered rope. 'We learned quite a bit from this year's race and have a much better idea of how to train for it.' 'We were happy with our results, but next year our goal is to finish in the top 10,' Manor said. Team 8-Ball, made up of Airmen from the 1st and 7th Space Operations Squadrons as well as a few other Schriever members, finished the competition 32nd out of 266 teams. If that weren't enough, they did most of it either sopping wet or covered in mud. They climbed cargo nets, carried 70-pound ruck sacks, flipped tractor tires and dragged concrete blocks up a hill. The obstacles were the hardest part.'Ĭompetitors ran a 5-mile course on various terrain and encountered numerous obstacles designed to test their strength and endurance. 'Instead, it ended up being the other way around. 'Going into the race I thought the obstacles would give us a chance to take a breather between the running stages,' Manor said. As it turned out, Manor, his Team 8-Ball teammates and all the other Colorado Spartan Military Race competitors were met with three low crawl obstacles within the first 2 miles of the event May 5 at Fort Carson, Colo.

'You've got to be kidding,' Manor thought as he ducked under the hanging barbed wire for stage two of the low-crawl obstacle. He quickly climbed over a stack of hay bales, dropped to the ground and looked up only to discover the exact same obstacle laying in front of him. After crawling with a rubber M-16 rifle through mud and freezing cold water for more than 100 meters, the 1st Space Operations Squadron commander was relieved and thankful to finally be done with the obstacle.

Mike Manor struggled to catch his breath as he exited the trench.

Fort carson spartan race course map