I wasn’t planning to chase a Spartan Trifecta in 2027.
In fact, when I started putting next year’s Tough Smudge calendar together, Spartan wasn’t really part of the plan at all.
The focus was Tough Mudder. World’s Toughest Mudder is the main target, with the rest of the year built around getting more experience, improving my endurance and making the most of the Tough Mudder Season Pass.
Then I looked at Scotland.
And one perfectly reasonable decision led to another.
It Started With Scotland
Tough Mudder Scotland is slightly unusual in 2027.
Tough Mudder takes place at Hopetoun Estate on the Saturday, but instead of continuing into Sunday, the venue switches over to Spartan.
I’m already travelling a long way to Scotland for the weekend, and Saturday is going to be a significant one because I’ve booked Tough Mudder Infinity.
So when I realised there was an entirely different obstacle racing event happening at exactly the same venue the following day, there was an obvious question.
Why travel all that way and not make the most of it?
I initially looked at Spartan simply as something different to try.
Then I noticed that the Sunday programme gave me the opportunity to do two different Spartan formats.
So I’ve booked the Spartan Super 10K in the morning and the Spartan Sprint 5K in the afternoon.
That means my first experience of Spartan won’t exactly be a gentle introduction.
It will come the morning after a Tough Mudder Infinity.
Apparently this is what now passes for sensible planning.
Why Two Spartan Races?
Part of the attraction is simply curiosity.
I’ve become very familiar with Tough Mudder, but Spartan has a different reputation and a slightly different approach to obstacle course racing.
I want to experience that for myself.
I’m particularly interested in how the obstacles feel, how much more individual the racing is and how the atmosphere compares with the teamwork that is such a big part of Tough Mudder.
I’m entering both races in the Open category.
I’m not going there to race for a podium, worry about rankings or turn the weekend into something overly competitive. I want to tackle the course properly, take on the obstacles and enjoy experiencing a different branch of OCR.
The Super gives me the longer test first.
Then the Sprint gives me another 5K and another collection of obstacles later in the day, by which point I suspect the question will be less about speed and more about whether various parts of my body are still speaking to me.
And that was originally going to be the end of my Spartan experiment.
Then I looked at South West.
Then Badminton Changed Things
The same situation happens again at Tough Mudder South West.
I’ll already be travelling to Badminton Estate for Tough Mudder on the Saturday, while Spartan takes over the venue on Sunday.
Once again, the travel is already happening.
Once again, I’m already staying for the weekend.
And once again, there is an obstacle race sitting there on the Sunday looking suspiciously difficult to ignore.
This time I’ve booked the Spartan Beast 21K.
The Beast is a much more substantial challenge than either of the Scotland races, with a half-marathon-sized distance combined with Spartan obstacles.
It also creates an unintended consequence.
Sprint. / Super. / Beast.
I’ve somehow booked a Spartan Trifecta.
The Accidental Trifecta
A Spartan Trifecta is earned by completing the three main Spartan race formats within the same calendar year:
Sprint + Super + Beast.
Scotland provides the Sprint and Super.
Badminton provides the Beast.
Put them together and, assuming everything goes to plan, I’ll finish 2027 with my first Spartan Trifecta.
Which is slightly ridiculous considering I wasn’t actually trying to achieve one when I started booking the events.
But I rather like that.
Some Tough Smudge challenges are planned months in advance.
Others seem to emerge because I look at an event calendar and think, well, I’m already going to be there…
But Not That Trifecta Medal
There is, of course, another level.
Spartan also runs dedicated Trifecta Weekends, where racers complete the Sprint, Super and Beast during the same event weekend.
And naturally, there is additional recognition for doing it that way.
So technically, after completing a normal Trifecta, there would still be another shiny thing available.
This is precisely the sort of information I probably shouldn’t be allowed to discover.
For now, though, I’m going to resist turning this into another challenge.
Three Spartan races across two weekends, each coming immediately after a Tough Mudder, feels quite sufficient.
I reserve the right to regret writing that sentence.
More Than Just Collecting Medals
The medals are fun, and completing the Trifecta will give the three Spartan races an extra sense of purpose, but that isn’t really why I’m doing them.
The bigger benefit is experience.
World’s Toughest Mudder means becoming better at moving for long periods when tired. It means dealing with obstacles when my grip has deteriorated, when my legs aren’t fresh and when the easy decision would be to stop.
Both Spartan weekends create exactly that sort of situation.
In Scotland I’ll be starting Sunday after an Infinity.
At Badminton I’ll be taking on a Beast the day after Tough Mudder South West.
Neither scenario is designed to produce my fastest race.
That’s the point.
They are opportunities to learn how I perform when the body isn’t completely fresh and to experience obstacles that are different from the ones I’ve become used to at Tough Mudder.
And somewhere along the way, I’ll find out whether I actually like Spartan.
Tough Smudge Goes Spartan
So what began as an attempt to get better value from two long journeys has become another strand of the 2027 Tough Smudge adventure.
At Scotland:
Spartan Super 10K + Spartan Sprint 5K.
At South West:
Spartan Beast 21K.
Together:
A Spartan Trifecta.
It’s not replacing Tough Mudder, and it certainly isn’t changing the main objective for 2027.
But I like the idea of stepping outside the familiar environment, trying something different and seeing what another major OCR series can teach me.
And if there happens to be another medal at the end of it?
Well, I’m hardly going to complain.
And Not to forget…
And behind all of these events, challenges and slightly questionable decisions is the reason Tough Smudge exists in the first place.
Every finish line, every obstacle and every new challenge is another opportunity to raise awareness and support for Prostate Cancer UK, helping fund research, support and a future where fewer families are affected by this disease.
The races may change and the challenges may keep getting bigger, but the purpose remains the same.
Endure. Overcome. Make It Count.