Despite the minimal information , the invitation was well received and sufficient enough to attract 25 runners to the Italian Club to attempt the inaugural SBBU . ( It need not be said , but to be clear , and for the purposes of posterity , Johnny Cobra is an excellent fly fisherman , judging by how many he reeled in for the SBBU ). Of those 25 , 19 finished , and the six that did not heard their surrender announced by a Scottish Highlander playing “ Taps ” on the bagpipes . The event raised over R120,000 for CHOC – Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa .
ROAD RUNNING
The Second Time Around
The ‘ war stories ’ from the 2022 edition of the SBBU made the rounds – as we know , word spreads quickly in this day and age of the Ultra-mania Interweb and the Instagrizzle – and for the 2023 SBBU , 40 runners presented themselves to the Spartan Baby barracks . Some had even flown in from the town previously called Port Elizabeth to take part . They all knew more or less what to expect , as the lore had rippled .
They had heard of the barracks . And the loops … with names and maps that changed every six hours . Different , imprecise loops , where you find beautiful houses with colourful gardens and smiling residents . They knew this was not the Comrades , nor was it a
The starting field of the first SBBU in 2022
Considerably more starters in 2023 .
Some of the Spartan warriors during the first loop .
parkrun . The Fear was there , because they had heard of the hills that morph into the Himalayas , and the lack of sleep that causes grains of time to slip through the fingers . They knew there would be a piper playing “ Taps ” if they failed or bailed . And they had heard about the demotivation posters planted around the course , like Go Away ! signs in Shrek ’ s garden . The allure was the sense they had found their tribe … and the price for admission was to keep moving for 24 hours without quitting . How hard could that be ?
In 2023 , only one of the Magnificent Four finished the 100 miler . Her name ? Crazy Hazy The New Improved Version (“ CHTNIV ”). Her fallen would-be 100-mile comrades , the impeccably named The Munger , The Warmonger and Johnny Cobra , all failed in their attempts . The Munger managed six loops . The Warmonger finished 14 . Johnny Cobra made it halfway .
Hanging with the Spartans
If you want to see what it ’ s really like at the Spartan Baby Badass Ultra , and if you want to meet the hardy challengers that took on the SBBU challenge last year , then check out this incredible video of the 2023 SBBU .
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