Spartan Games 2.0

The athletes arrive at Big Bear Lake, California — this year’s high-altitude mountain battleground — and it seems every athlete has an agenda. The competition’s events are revealed with a twist: the order will be kept secret until each evening’s briefing and a surprise event will be added to the competition without warning. In the end, conquering Spartan Games is just like conquering Big Bear in the fall. You have to be ready for anything.

The athletes face a wet, cold and blustery day one in Big Bear, but their excitement to compete outweighs the poor conditions. In DEKA Heavy, the weighted sled push quickly becomes many athletes’ Achilles heel. Tempers flare in the Special Warfare: No Guts No Glory PAST test when select competitors learn they must complete a swim in freezing waters even though they cannot win points. DAY ONE EVENTS: - DEKA HEAVY: Ten weighted functional fitness exercises, completed for time. - SPECIAL WARFARE: NO GUTS, NO GLORY: Spartan’s take on the Air Force Special Warfare PAST test (Physical Ability & Stamina Test), which consists of two swims, a 1.5 mile run, push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.

After coming up seconds short in day one’s Deka Heavy event, Hunter sets out to make a statement. Veejay and Ryan face off in an unspoken rematch of the final US National Series race of the year. The news that all athletes must wear weighted vests for part of the trail half marathon receives mixed reviews. DAY TWO EVENTS: - SPARTAN CROSS: A high-intensity, obstacle-heavy OCR short course. - SPARTAN TRAIL: A trail half marathon with a twist. For the first two miles, all athletes must wear 5.11 weight vests.

Day three of competition is ripe with unexpected variables. In Spartan Combat, a medical intervention almost cuts the men’s final short. Tempers flare during the Pacer Test. A mechanical issue lights a fire under Corinna to hold her position entering the final descent of the La Ruta mountain bike event. DAY THREE EVENTS: - SPARTAN COMBAT: Single-elimination, ancient combat wrestling - PACER TEST: Endurance cardio test also known as the Beep Test - LA RUTA MTB: A lap-based mountain bike race for time, with a twist.

In the season two finale of Spartan Games, the secret challenge is revealed. Inspired by the heroism of Chief Master Sergeant Ivan Ruiz’s rescue of two teammates while under fire, the athletes are tested in the marksmanship, strength and endurance needed in active duty. Drained from a week-long onslaught of grueling challenges, one final event — the Atlas Stones — determines the season two champions. DAY FOUR EVENTS: - SPECIAL WARFARE HERO WITHIN: Three-round challenge with a combination of heavy carries and marksmanship - SPARTAN TRAINING ATLAS STONES: Three 60-second rounds of increasing weights. Athletes are eliminated after each round. The highest rep count wins.