Not too long ago, the Spartan Race introduced a few new events. One of them is known as the Hurricane Heat and there are 2 different ways you can do it.
This post will show you details on these events, what you need to participate and if it’s even worth doing, so let’s go:
The first is the regular Hurricane Heat (they call it HH) which is far from regular by the way if you know anything about Spartan Races in general.
In this event you actually compete as a TEAM and have to finish as such. The event can take a whole day and there is actually no time limit in this event.
Obstacles here are actually unknown to you and the goal of that is to discover them when they are new, as a team, find a way to complete it. While I’ve never done a HH (at least not yet), I have done a few Tough Mudder events and this is very similar to that and speaking from similar experiences, it’s actually a lot of fun to go through these types of events with like minded people who are all willing to help each other. I suspect that the Spartan Race borrowed this idea from Tough Mudder by the way.
When it comes to origins, the way HH was formed was after a Hurricane cancelled one of the events and in spite of that, some of it’s organizers still decided to go through with it and when a lot of people showed up, this eventually led to more similar events taking place, and today we have HH.
So if you enjoy working as a team, have done previous Spartan Race events such as the Spring, Super and Beast, this may be the next challenge for you.
Next up is the 12 hour Hurricane Heat, an “upgrade”:
If you’re a solo type of person, but want the benefits and challenges of running through the regular HH, but without support, then the 12 hour challenge is for you. It’s basically the same exact thing, but you have no team and have to complete everything on your own, in what is basically a 12 hour marathon and arguably tougher than than the Spartan Ultra Beast.
When viewing the official site for this challenge, do note that the organizers strongly advise the right accessories be taken with you since you are going in for a long event. This includes:
1) Proper backpack with FOOD.
Yes, I said food. I assume that this means you won’t get it or drinks or food during the event so you have to rely on yourself. Take my advice in this regard, a multiple time runner through these events and get yourself this backpack, which will help you keep a lot of essentials including food and water and not have to worry about it weighing you down.
Having used that same backpack for multiple events and hikes to this day, it’s long lasting and very convenient to carry around (and again, it’s mud run tested most importantly!).
2) Use good sneakers.
Any multiple time runner through mud runs will tell you that footwear is one of the most important pieces of clothing to have and a lot of people use these sneakers. I’ve run through at least 3 mud runs so far with this SAME pair and it lasts me very long, something you’ll need for your 12 hour HH event. It’ll ensure maximum comfort and safety.
3) Wear light, yet protective clothing.
I would advise comfortable rashguards. We’re talking shirts and leggings. I do not advise that anyone go with minimal clothing to these events. It’s dirty, you can get cut, you will get tired and that is going to lower your immune system, making it likelier to catch something bad. Wearing protective clothing will insulate your body heat, keep your muscles warm and elastic which will allow you to keep moving long term.
Seriously, this is important advice guys. A 12 hour event, likely in the mountains means there’s going to be rapid changes in temperature and especially in the mornings and nights, it will get VERY cold. Keep yourself warm with this mud run clothing, you’ll be happy you did. And don’t forget, you will get wet and dirty, that is just a 100% guarantee with the Spartan Race.
4) Make sure you bring some energy drinks or salts.
Long runs like these are going to make you lose salt through sweat. Replenish it with energy drinks and salt tablets to help the muscles maintain their stability. If you don’t know about this stuff, learn about it here and what else to bring to mud runs, as it’s VERY serious.
Are the HH events worth doing?
You know after having done so many of these mud runs, I’ve got to say that the HH doesn’t really attract me to it. It just seems like another torture event that you pay good money to go through. I’m not against going with a good group of people, but I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t want to pay so much money to get wet and dirty.
Now that’s my personal though, although I know full well that if I get invited by the same people I usually go with, I’ll probably do it, but more importantly, you need to know that events are nothing to take lightly…
The Spartan Races in general are the hardest mud runs in the industry and these HH events are just another tier up the old events they have created. If you aren’t in shape, if you haven’t done these events before, do not do HH until you are or do the previous ones. You are doing yourself a disservice and if you go with a team unprepared, you are going to weigh them down, believe me.
Make sure you have experience in doing mud runs and are in EXCELLENT shape to do the HH events. Nothing short of these qualifications makes doing these events worth it. They will test you and if you haven’t gone through that mental/physical ordeal before, you will not be able to do this.