"But it'll be fun", said NO ONE that had actually entered a Spartan. Many people said that but those who had actually done it weren't amongst them. Those that did it, they said I'd feel empowered and on such a high after it. But I didn't feel empowered after it or on this so-called high. Instead, I pretty much hated everyone who pushed me to do it and questioned myself about a million times why I was doing it. I did, however, feel in love with just how beautiful the Philippines is but not in the way people think it's beautiful, like the beaches. Instead, the trail took me through some crazy cool bushes that were over 10 feet high, on the beach side of what I'm sure was once a lake but is now a washed up sand pit. And I went up hills that I'm pretty sure were mountains. The trail they had created, the route of the race, it was absolutely gorgeous and you couldn't have mapped out a prettier scene for us getting dragged through hell to enjoy. The scenery stopped me from seriously cursing everyone out.
And it wasn't just the scenery though, it was the volunteers along the route that were cheering us all on, those leading the obstacles, and it was my fellow Spartan participants who sparked up random conversations with me or threw me a line of inspiration and encouragement. Numerous people recongized who I was and made it known, so that was cool. I even ran into some fellow Facebook friends that before today I hadn't actually met, and same with some people I follow on Instagram and they follow me back.
And it wasn't just the scenery though, it was the volunteers along the route that were cheering us all on, those leading the obstacles, and it was my fellow Spartan participants who sparked up random conversations with me or threw me a line of inspiration and encouragement. Numerous people recongized who I was and made it known, so that was cool. I even ran into some fellow Facebook friends that before today I hadn't actually met, and same with some people I follow on Instagram and they follow me back.
So no, it wasn't fun but it was a pretty hard experience, one that made me proud to be calling the Philippines my new home, and one that really refreshed my admiration for not only the country but also the people.
As for my finish, I finished 2nd in my age category for the females. I didn't stick around for the ceremony because it was set for around 2pm, I had finished the race around 12 noon, but I had been up at 2am to get out the door for 3am. It had already been a long day. They'll mail me my podium placement medal, I'm cool with that.
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