Picking up from yesterday –
Once the gates of silence opened, and communication started flowing, I got a lot less angry with Spartan. (In fact, I’m not angry in the least now. I’m pretty super happy.)
The Spartan organization explained to all of us that they’d ordered extra water. They brought in a bigger medical staff. They took all sorts of precautions. And yet, so many people were having medical issues that Spartan just did not have the manpower to handle all the people passing out.
I heard from one racer that over 500 people needed to be seen – including one of the medical staff members themselves! Of course, that’s just hearsay…
The Spartan organization felt it was unsafe to allow participants to continue without the support of the medical personnel. So, they closed the course.
Now, I do hear all the racers who complained. People took pictures of parts of the Spartan paperwork that says they race no matter. So if it rains, or snows, etc., don’t complain. Spartan Up, and prepare to race because a race will practically never be cancelled.
When that is the published attitude, I definitely understand complaining racers. Some people flew in from far away places. Some were completing trifectas. And if I’d been in that situation, I could’ve seen being livid.
Though I guess I do appreciate Spartan wanting to make sure we live and such… Of course, people do have a point when they say we sign waivers admitting we might die, and it is our job to make sure we hydrate and everything. However, if I get bitten by a snake, or accidentally shoved off a mountain or something, that’s not irresponsibility taking place. And I really would like medical personnel there to fix me right up. Just ’cause my waiver says I might die, doesn’t mean I want to up the chances…
Technically, we could be mad at the racers over-taxing the medical staff. Of course, I am the kind of racer who would say, “I will not quit unless I pass out. I will never take myself out of this!” So, I get their mindset, and I really can’t blame them for it…
It’s easy for me to feel pretty chill (and not mad) about the course being cut short, and to see this whole thing more from Spartan’s side than I ever thought I would – ’cause overall, I got a pretty sweet deal out of it, which I’ll get into next time.