Conquering the Kulmbach Beast: A Spartan Race Recap
21km, 30 Obstacles, and 900m of Elevation Gain – My Toughest Spartan Race Yet!
So far I had done Sprint (5km, 20 obstacles) and Super (10km, 25 obstacles) races in Munich and Berlin. Completing a Beast race - 21+km and 30 obstactles - was a long-time dream of mine. On June 14th, 2025, I finally had the chance to compete for the Beast in Kulmbach, together with my good friend André.
Here's a little recap of that exciting, action-filled day.
We started early - even though Kulmbach is also in Bavaria, it was a 3-hour drive. My luck that André was picking me up. We didn't have much traffic, so arrived early in Kulmbach, and after getting our race badges, we even had time for a second breakfast.
Turns out that was a good idea. I had mapped the race course the day before and was shocked to find out it has ~900m of elevation gain - for a distance of 21km (Half-Marathon) plus 30 obstacles, that's really a lot. Plus, the weather report showed a max of 31°C... the only positive thing was that the race track was mainly in the woods, so we expected to run in the shade mostly.
Our wave started at 10:30, and off we went. We always participate in the Open category, so we only need to beat ourselves. It also means it's a team effort, which is really great. Nevertheless, it's challenging, really challenging. The ups and downs of the route were tough, and we mostly walked those segments. When it was even or going down, we jogged lightly.
Obstacles: I've never done 30 obstacles before... and the 5 extra ones of the Beast compared to the Super were really new to me. I am super happy that my calisthenics and especially monkey bars really paid off - I was able to complete these successfully and only failed the spear throw, which really requires some good piece of luck.
New obstacles for me:
Ape Hanger - although we did not have water below us in Kulmbach
One more that I was not able to find the name for - horizontal ladders, two in a row, that shift towards the sides once you crossed the middle...
Lots of monkey-bar style obstacles were tough on my hands. Halfway through the race, I ripped off some skin on the left hand, which led to using the right hand even more... the result soon was two wounded hands, taped so I could make the final obstacles. The Tyrolean traverse, the beater, rope climb, and the multi-rig (just to name a few) were obstacles that I completed with my taped hands... it was tough, ultimately worth it though.
It took us about 4.5 hours to complete - but duration doesn't matter. We had great chemistry and supported each other in many obstacles, like many times, the bonds got stronger. It was a great experience, something to remember.
Would I do it again? Yes - but I need to find a way to take better care of my hands.
For those of you who have participated in a Spartan Race or any other OCR, what are your best tips for hand care during the race? Share your experiences in the comments below!