To many people, a Spartan Race is simply a typical run such as a community 5k or a run for the cure. These people see it as a Saturday morning activity that one signs up for a month in advance and shows up to, coffee in hand. A Spartan race is not the usual 5k race. A Spartan race is a 5-13 mile course designed to wear its opponent, yes opponent, down both mentally and physically that takes months to prepare for. The race requires mental tenacity and physical vitality from each runner out on the course. The picture essay “More than a Race” portrays the journey of a Spartan racer. It brings the readers along on the race so they can share in the experience. The picture essay uses lighting, clothing, and facial emotion to portray its message, the story of a Spartan race.

The race begins a long time before the starting gun. It begins months before with commitment and preparation. The first photo of the sled and tire shows the preparation for the race. A serious competitor follows a strict regiment to prepare their body for the stressful undertaking they are about to go through. The first photo includes a weighted sled and a tire with a sledgehammer. This picture portrays the unusual exercises a Spartan athlete does to prepare as opposed to the more typical fitness programs. In the photo it is evident that this training is being done at a person’s home. This aspect of the photo was included to show an important part of Spartan races; anyone can be run a Spartan if they work hard. Spartans are not limited to a select few genetically gifted athletes, they are open to anyone in the public who chooses to compete. This photo shows the necessary intense training of a Spartan racer and how anyone willing to put their mind to it can compete. The photo is well lit and contains items that have brighter colors. There is brightly colored sledge hammer, water bottle, and t-shirt in the picture. This brightness signifies the positive outlook towards the race. The person is getting more fit and stronger which are positive things. 

Finally, race day arrives. Months of training and preparation have all led to this day. The second photo shows the beginning of the race. All the Spartans line up at the line and wait for the start while a million thoughts run through their heads. Bang! The starting gun shoots and all the racers sprint off. In the photo there are people with different appearances. They have different clothing and look like they come from different backgrounds. There are shirtless people, people with athletic wear from Nike and Under Armor, and people with old t-shirts and shorts on. This difference in clothing shows that people come from wealthier backgrounds where they can afford to spend money of high end athletic apparel and those who can just grab an old shirt out of the closet. This enforces the idea that Spartan races are for the everyman. They all run forward, not knowing what to expect. The colors of the photo are on the darker side. This darkness creates a bleak atmosphere, foreshadowing the pain each racer is going to go through over the next 3 hours. 

While on the course, these racers complete a series of challenging obstacles dispersed throughout the course. They are forced to carry 100lb buckets of rocks, climb over structures, climb muddy, grimy ropes, flip logs, and many other physically demanding obstacles. The third and fourth photo show these obstacles. In both photos, the subject has extreme determination on their face and have an intense focus on the tasks at hand. They are both muddy and have a fatigued look on their face but have an unrelenting will to finish. In the background of the bucket photo, other competitors are seen giving into fatigue. They are resting, out of breath and feeling defeated. This photo is incredibly foggy, nearly impossible to see further than ten feet. This aspect of the photo shows the secretive nature of the race. The racers have no idea what is coming next which adds to the difficulty of the race. Also noticeable in the photos are the apparels of the two racers. They are both wearing athletic clothing. This serves as a reminder to the reader that this is at its heart, an athletic competition. Another important aspect of the clothing is that it is not jerseys or uniforms which would create a sort of structure within the competition. Their clothing is a compellation of athletic gear the people have acquired over time. This again emphasizes the “everyman” aspect of these races that allows anyone to partake. All the clothing is black which is darker just like the lighting. 

The next photo shows one of the final obstacles. A 100-yard crawl through mud under barbed wire like a soldier in battle. At this point the racer is completely physically drained. As he nears the end of the crawl, the racer looks up and sees the finish line. The racer’s face in the photo almost has a sense of relief as he realizes he is almost to the end. The lighting in this photo is brighter than that of the others. This is because of the hope the racer feels when he sees his goal. He musters up those last bits of energy and crawls out of the mud pit, slowly picking himself up and running towards the finish line. The clothing of this racer is also common athletic apparel. A difference is that this racer has a brighter color shirt as opposed to the previous pictures. Again, the clothing is somewhat coupled with the lighting in the photograph. The blue shirt worn is now mostly brown from dirt and mud. This shows the hardships he has gone through and what he has dragged along with him.

The racer runs towards the finish line seeing one last hardship to overcome. He breaks out in a sprint towards the finish line. He leaps, clearing the fire line. This photo shows the completion of the race. After all the preparation, all the training, and the mental and physical beat down on the course, the racer finally makes it through. They have completed the race. The racer looks like he has gone through the worst. His shirt is destroyed, his body and face are muddy, his face is screaming fatigue and pain, and he barely has the energy to get over the foot-high fire. Again the lighting is much brighter because the relief and joy are displayed in these moments. There is a sense of relief in the bright lighting. The photo includes people along the fences in the background cheering for the courageous Spartan. He has trained intensely, he has gone through the obstacles, and he has come out on top. Spartans are a lot more than just a race, they are a physically and mentally straining test of strength and power of will. The picture essay uses the transition of dark to light lighting in the photos throughout, the clean to dirty clothing, and the strong to fatigued faces of the athletes to portray the journey of a Spartan race. 
