At 10am on a blue-sky Saturday morning at the end of April , 49 intrepid challengers shuffled out of the pool barracks of the Italian Club in Johannesburg , past the SetteBello restaurant , setting their sights on the leafy suburb of Essexwold in Bedfordview . They were embarking on a 24-hour odyssey full of challenges and existential reckoning , to achieve the coveted title of “ Spartan Baby .” The Spartan Baby Badass Ultra is a ( somewhat ) sadistic challenge where participants complete a
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loop of 4.167km on the hour every hour for 24 hours , for a total of 100km . That is why the SBBU slogan is Spiritual , Yet Masochistic . For some , 100km is not enough , and that saw four runners line up this year to tackle the 100-mile option , or 161km , meaning their loop would 6.708km each hour . Once a loop is completed , participants can rest up until the top of the next hour , when a cowbell is rung to signal the start of their next loop , and they must complete 24 loops in 24 hours to complete the challenge . |
This was the third edition of the SBBU , as it is
Happy faces before the 24-hour challenge began …
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affectionately known , and the aim of the event is to raise money for the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa . The event thus draws an assortment of wonderfully colourful characters bearing Spartan monikers , like Irish Spartan , Creasy of Sparta and Queen Gorgo-Nzola Budd . This race is self-supported , so each athlete is responsible for ensuring they are adequately trained and equipped to survive the course .
The SBBU organisers take much care in preparing for the event . Motivational ( and de-motivational ) posters adorn the barracks , adding much life and humour to the event . There is also coffee , tea , popcorn , hydration and snacks provided , not only for the challengers but for the many volunteers who make this event possible . A medical team is also on standby , with a phalanx of doctors , chiros and sports massage gurus stood at the ready to patch up strained feet and muscles and help athletes complete the event .
Military Operation
In military jargon , the tooth-to-tail ratio ( T3R ) is the amount of military personnel ( the “ tail ”) it takes to supply and support each frontline soldier ( the “ tooth ”). To calculate the T3R for the Spartan Baby Badass Ultra , we need to consider the people involved in supplying and supporting the babies :
• Medical team : Comprised of a doctor , chiro , physio and four sports masseuses .
• Volunteers : 32 volunteers .
• Seconders : each baby has two to three people that come and check on them , or assist with everything from morale to medical accessories ( plasters , Vaseline , etc .) – about 125 seconders in total .
• Spontaneous volunteers : many friends and family swing by to come support the runners , whether to help with logging finish times or
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Images : Jayde Fouche , Rob Riccardi , CHOC Cows |