Florida Mud Run, Obstacle and ruck training team.
The December 19th T3 is gaining popularity pretty fast, as our traditionally small close-knit group of crazies seemed to have spread like wildfire. This next T3 is limited to 30 registrants, which means only 8 spots remain for this intense event. If you plan on registering, you may want to get on that pretty soon!
With the world championships concluded, the big question on a lot of UltraBeast runner's minds is "Was Tahoe more difficult?" It appears that the consensus was not entirely. Finish times appeared to be about 1.5 hours faster at this event due to a more gentle course that wasn't riddled with non-stop false peaks and slippery mountain descents. However the high altitude, cold weather and more difficult obstacles provided a slight counterbalance to those claims of difficulty. If you'd like to see it for yourself, look no further than this well-crafted GoPro video from PivotalProductions:
If you haven't been looking at the live updates, now would be a good time. The good and bad perks have officially been released, and there are lots of them. No T3 has ever had this many perks to manage before, so it's imperative that the class size continues to grow and the participation in these challenges follows with it. You can check out the perks here, and if you'd like to be a part of this amazing experience, you can register or read more information about it here.
What a long, strange trip it's been. The 2015 VT Ultra Beast write-up is finally here!
To get a good idea of the events that led up to the story, it'd be best to read the 2013 and 2014 recap first. Without further ado, here is the 2015 story of the Vermont Ultra Beast.
In related news, in the coming weeks expect to see an updated UB guide to include all of the lessons learned this year as well. Many Tahoe UB runners are eagerly scrounging up as much information as possible right now, so I'll do what I can to help you guys out.
This upcoming T3 will be a doozy. We're going to be having a new cadre at this event to doll out the punishment to our elite aspirants and returning elites alike. Here is a short bio:
Hi, my name is Nate Jacobs, I will be your cadre for the next T3. The December 19th T3 has officially begun. We now have 5 registered participants and the prechallenges start now. Yes, I know its 3 months away, but trust me you need the extra points and the training cannot hurt you.(too much).
Pre-Challenges
There will be many challenges ranging in difficulty and athletic ability. I do not expect everyone to be able to do all the challenges,but I do expect you to try. I understand that we all have jobs and are very busy and I will schedule longer challenges to include some weekend time. There will also be shorter challenges that I will expect a quicker response time. You will often have 2 challenges ahead of you at a time, they will have different start and due dates, just work them into your workout routine.
Perks
For the returning Elites, this will be a little different, so read up. There will be several perks and negative perks you will have a chance to unlock before December 19th. You will have to have 90% participation in a challenge to unlock a perk, there will be no minimum score but there will be a team average that must be met. I will give you an example.
6mile run is your challenge- the time hack is 66minutes. There are 5 people signed up for T3 when I issued the challenge. #1 runs it in 68 minutes , #2 - 50:, #3-66: #4-65: , #5 80:. Even though 2 didn't make the time hack the team averaged under 66,so its a pass. If #5 could not run at all then I would remove the fastest time and average the remaining 3 which would put them over the time hack and a perk would not be unlocked for that challenge. So everyone needs to try. If for some reason someone cannot perform a certain task either temporarily or ever, please let me know , I will make an alternate (not easier) exercise for you. IE. 6 mile run=12 mile bike ride( time doubled as well).
First challenge
This will be the only challenge without a time hack or goal attached to it. Everyone will do this challenge first, present enrollees and any new registers. It will be something you will be expected to do all day at the T3 so if you cannot do it now we better get to work. For 1 burpee point I want a 5mile ruck march, 10% body weight, it can be all water and you can drink it. All I want to see is some sort of GPS distance and time, of more than 5 miles on the team regiment page. Here's mine, I will be doing all the challenges with you. Once this challenge is complete. Each person will get their next challenge as they complete this one, so get them in quick, so you can start earning more points, you'll need them.
What an exciting Ultrabeast weekend! We now have SIX more ultrabeast finishers among our ranks! Our training paid off, and our sights now narrow in on Tahoe. For now, expect this year's Ultrabeast recap to go live in the coming weeks.
Another event looming on the horizon is the next T3! Cadre Nate has stepped up and taken charge in dishing out the funishment to everybody, so keep your eyes peeled on the live updates! Our December turnout is usually the highest, so it's best to register early so you don't get excluded from the fun.
Last but not least, we have our team founder for our final Regiment Elite athlete highlight. If you haven't been keeping track, here is the roster for Regiment Elites taking on Killington this weekend:
Ultrabeast:
Jeff Heimermann
Daniel Cramer
Heidi Williams
Kendall Cooper
Neil Murphy
Andrew Pragel
David Moore
Beast:
Damion Trombley
Tracy Trombley
Heidi Snyder
Hello! Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Neil Murphy. I’m 30 years old and I founded Team Regiment five years ago with the purpose of getting people together to train for events that we never thought were possible to conquer. My day job is a flight simulation engineer for the Navy and I’m expecting my first child in January. I can’t wait!
What made you want to sign up for this event in the first place?
When I heard of the UB in 2012, I was terrified. After hearing the horror stories of those who attempted it, I was even more intimidated. So I had to sign up for the next year. I learned very early on that it’s not about being un-afraid and doing something. It’s about being scared and doing it anyways. I failed it in 2013. I failed it again in 2014. But you know what? I don’t care how many attempts it takes. I will complete the Vermont Ultra Beast.
The stats for this event are grim. Only about 10% make it. What are you doing to ensure you fall in this rare percentile of finishers?
Since early June, I have been doing 3 hour kill-sessions at the gym on the stair stepper and bikes every other weekend. I have been running up and down parking garages and I have gotten my quarter mile lunge time down to 6:21. I have surpassed my expectations of this year and every bit of pain I go through is with this event in mind. Doing a trail marathon with a 35lb rucksack on? That’s for the ultrabeast. Doing BattleFrog Extreme on food poisoning and taking 2nd place overall? That’s for the ultrabeast. You throw any hardship my way, and I will turn it into ultrabeast training. Mind over matter – if you don’t mind it, it won’t matter.
What is the biggest challenge you think you will face out on the course?
I have yet to enter the Ultrabeast on 100%. In 2013 I injured my ankle. In 2014 I got sick and couldn’t take any nutrition until it was too late. This year I severely sprained the tendons in my left leg back in July and I’m still suffering from it. Any run over 3 miles renders me to a limp and it feels like a hot poker has been jammed into my leg. It appears that my specialty is performing under sub-standard conditions, so I’ll just have to ignore the pain and hope that my slower run speed will not be too slow. All I have to do is endure 14 hours of this, and the reward shall be a lifetime of pride.
After this, what are your other goals?
After this I plan on increasing my run speed and hit the podium at events more often. The super endurance races I’d like to take on is another World’s Toughest Mudder and the new Spartan Agoge series.
Horray, Information!
In this case, the information that we've been waiting for for a long time. The athlete guide provides essential information for all UB runners to adhere to. So give it a look here.
Our roster of team elites continues to grow. Our next athlete highlight is Jeff!
Hello! Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Jeff Heimermann 49 (50) in Oct. I've worked 27+ years in the animal field between Sea world and Animal kingdom. I've always had active outdoor hobbies from jetski racing to OCR . Having done a few tough events, this one seemed appropriate to be the next challenge.
What made you want to sign up for this event in the first place?
Having done 2 T3's, BFX, Extreme Intimidator and the 1 day trifecta in Ohio, this seemed like a good next challenge.
The stats for this event are grim. Only about 10% make it. What are you doing to ensure you fall in this rare percentile of finishers?
My training took a big downfall when I broke my hand the beginning of July. Since my kids left and 2 screws in my hand I have been getting back on track. I'm doing very specific training focusing on weak areas and hill training. I'm also doing bucket carries. All of these plus endurance training. There has been a lot of good info shared on the Facebook page that I've been reading.
What is the biggest challenge you think you will face out on the course?
The biggest challenge on the course will be the constant incline and the possible cool weather. I hate being cold and wet. The other challenge would be making the time cuts.
After this, what are your other goals?
After this I would like to do the Worlds toughest mudder sometime. Also go to the OCR world's and maybe a death race. I just want to continue enjoying these activities, being active and challenging myself!
Course designer Norm just posted this little gem.
"When Joe gives me a license to kill. I take full advantage of every moment".
