Become a Spartan in Washougal

Take the natural elements like earth, air, fire and water — throw in some barbed wire — and you have the blueprint for a Spartan Race.

The world’s leading obstacle racing event comes to the Washougal Motocross Park for the first time Saturday. Admission is $15.

Elite heats occur from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Regular heats of up to 250 competitors each follow every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event culminates with a lively festival of raffles, food, beverages, vendors and games.

“The unique obstacle course will demand every ounce of strength, ingenuity and animal instinct you thought you lost three generations ago,” said Spartan Race founder Joe Desena. “It’s going to be insane and it’s going to hurt people. But for the ones who cross the finish line, it’s going to change their lives.”

The Spartan Sprint is more than three miles long and features 15 different obstacles. Desena said the course outline and challenges are kept secret until the competitors experience them firsthand on racing day.

“There’s everything from crawling under barbed wire, jumping over fire pits and pits filled with water. It’s basically like entering the military for a day,” he said. “Spartan Races are designed for all participants, beginners to hardcore warriors and marathon runners alike, to have fun and cross the finish line. You need a little physical conditioning and a taste for some adventure. This is not an extreme sporting event that will scare people away. It’s all about fun, getting dirty [and doing] something new and exciting.”

Limited registration for the race is available at www.spartanrace.com until Thursday. Cost is $100 a person.

There will also be a Junior Spartan Adventure Race for children ages 4 to 13. The entry fee is $25 per child. The course, with toned down obstacles, is a half mile for children ages 4 to 9 and a mile for children ages 10 to 13.

Spartan Races have been going on since 2004. Desena hopes this will be the first of many events to take place in the Pacific Northwest. He said a high demand of requests from people throughout the region brought the event to the Washougal Motocross Park.

“I just wanted to find really inspiring people, and this was the way to do it,” Desena said.

The top three male and female finishers from the Spartan Sprint in Washougal will receive free entry into a Super Spartan of their choice. A Super Spartan features more than eight miles of track and 20 obstacles. Finishers earn the opportunity to tackle the Spartan Beast, and it’s 12 miles and 25 obstacle courses.If you survive all of those challenges, you can enter the Spartan Ultra Beast on Sept. 22, in Vermont. It is 26.2 miles filled with obstacles.

For more information, go to www.spartanrace.com. The website answers the most important question.

“What does it feel like to be a Spartan? Register for one and you’ll know at the finish line.”