The hardest Spartan race in the world held on Mt. Chopok

The hardest Spartan race in the world held on Mt. Chopok
The hardest Spartan race in the world held on Mt. Chopok
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Although Martin Zikmund completed only about one half of the Spartan Race course, he was very excited: “It is a very complicated and hard race for a person with crutches. I decided to use the tactics of crawling on my hands and knees. I liked the beautiful location, the area and flawless organisation at the event. Spending some time in the mountains can recharge one´s batteries in a great way. I was passing the course with my personal coach and I did not avoid any obstacles, penalty points or push-ups.“
The first 250-member elite group of Spartans started their race on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. They were proving their speed, endurance, skills, stamina and enthusiasm in an extremely exposed terrain and had to complete disciplines such as jumping over straw bales, wading in a brook under a tunnel in freezing temperatures, deep snow and bad visibility, sliding down a hill on sacks, throwing snow balls, surmounting obstacles “hand-over-hand”, jumping over a burning obstacle etc. The finish area was undoubtedly a very impressive obstacle as well – an antique temple of ice was made of 47 tonnes of ice. This year´s winter sprint was won by 27-year-old Peter Žiška, who was born in the village of Hybe and completed the course within 52 minutes. Žiška is one of top Slovak Spartan racers and has succeeded in several international competitions already. As for the women, Czech racer Tereza Klimešová won her category within 1 hour and 15 minutes. Joe de Sena from the USA, the founder of the Spartan Race, came to test the extraordinary terrain in Jasná personally and took part in the race on Mt. Chopok as well. “Anyone who knows me, knows that I am super impressed with the Easter European work ethnic but being in Jasná for the first ever Spartan Founders Winter Race proved that I was right. No one can outwork an Eastern European, or in my case “outrun”. The men and women took the mountain with ease while I worked my way through the course. I never saw so many people smiling going uphill on a steep ski slope without ski’s!“ said  J. de Sena.    
Ján Čandík, the director and coordinator of the Spartan Race in Central Europe, was very satisfied with the race in Jasná. “Based on the reactions of participants, the race went really well, everybody was enjoying the beautiful location of the Low Tatras, helpful people and piles of snow. We have received outstanding evaluation from the chief quality inspector of the Spartan Race. The part that the athletes liked most was sliding on sacks and also the finish in the antique temple of ice. Thanks to great cooperation with the mountain rescue service, there were not many injuries on the course – 5 fractures and a few grazes and lacerations. We are already interested in organising the second winter Spartan Race in Jasná next year. And I am looking forward to the summer Spartan Race, which we plan to hold in Tatranská Lomnica as a 2-day European Championships event, with a sprint on Saturday and a beast on Sunday,“ added J. Čandík.  

Click HERE to watch a video of the race and download photos provided by TMR HERE. The final obstacle of the terrain Spartan Race – the antique temple of ice is available for all visitors in the resort of Jasná Low Tatras, in front of the Happy End music club until the end of the winter season.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) is a top subject in the field of tourism in Central and Eastern Europe, which owns and operates attractive ski resorts and hotels. These include the resort Jasná Low Tatras and the following hotels in the Low Tatras: Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri studničky, Chalets Jasná De Luxe, Mountain Hotel Srdiečko and Rotunda Hotel. TMR also owns Aquapark Tatralandia, the largest Slovak water park with all-year operation, which offers a lot of water and other entertainment, a Tropical Paradise – a special tropical hall with sea water, a Fun Park and accommodation in bungalows and suites of Holiday Village Tatralandia. In the High Tatras, TMR owns and operates resorts of Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec and cooperates the resort of Štrbské Pleso. It also owns the following hotels: Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec and Hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso. TMR owns 19% of the Melida, a.s. company, which leases and operates the mountain resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic. In Poland, TMR owns the resort of Szczyrk. The company also owns and rents hotels Slovakia, Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky and Bungalows. Almost 200 million Euros were invested by the end of 2014 in the above mentioned resorts, to support development and modernisation. The TMR shares are traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague and Warsaw.