Everything you always wanted to know about the Hurricane Heat
How did it begin?
When Hurricane Irene threatened the East Coast and forced Spartan Race to shut down our Sunday Amesbury race in August 2011, athletes, staff, volunteers, and crew were devastated. We are Spartans though, and we weren’t about to quit.
After some creative planning and 9,000 emails to set up the logistics, more than 150 Spartans showed up at 5am that Saturday morning to tackle the Amesbury course with Spartan Founder Joe De Sena and Spartan employees. Little did the brave runners know, they would be put on teams with strangers, forced to carry sandbags and do 30 burpees at every obstacle, whether they got through it cleanly or not. But they did not toil alone. Alongside their teammates they forged Spartan bonds of camaraderie and teamwork. This is the heart and soul of the Hurricane Heat. It was in these hours of pouring rain, sandbags, obstacles and endless burpees that the Hurricane Heat was born.
What is the Hurricane Heat?
The Hurricane Heat gives runners the chance to meet and run with the staff and sometimes even the Founders of Spartan Race in a unique and memorable way. This special heat is held early in the mornings of the race and occasionally on the eve. There is always a mandatory gear list and all Hurricane Heats will venture on and off the Spartan Race Course at the Race Director’s desire. The goal of the Hurricane Heat is to finish as teams. There are no chips, no clock, just a fun run Spartan-style that represents what our company and our athletes are about…getting up when you’re knocked down and finishing what you start.
The Hurricane Heat is designed to break you down over and over again, crafting you into a unified team, capable of overcoming the most difficult of objectives. It will reveal your weaknesses and exploit them until they are strengthened.
Every Hurricane Heat is unique, they are designed to utilize a combination of what is on the course and the areas that surround the course. Often times, there will be a series of missions or challenges that will need to be completed in order to succeed. Burpees are the currency in Hurricane Heats, if something can’t be accomplished for whatever reason there is often times a burpee cost that can get you out of it. Do note that not all challenges have this option so don’t bank on being able to just bust out burpees to finish the Hurricane Heat. We will cover a solid distance in the 3-4 hour time span that Hurricane Heats typically last. Come prepared with food, water, and anything else, like salt tabs, that you may need.
Successful finishers earn a finisher dog tag medal*, entry into a closed networking group, a finisher t-shirt, and the chance of a lifetime discovering the camaraderie derived from becoming a Hurricane Heater.