🏆 Recently I had the opportunity to cover the 2025 Pan American Championship in Seattle and I am always in awe of the relentless pace of these elite Spartan athletes. Despite taking on the Beast (13+ miles & 30 obstacles), with stretches up mountains, through rivers, and gnarly terrain the entire way, the top athletes never slowed down or shifted into a lower gear.

⏰ Although it’s a 13+ mile race, there’s no time for setting up the perfect shot or getting a second take. The athletes are flying through the course as fast as possible with real prize money on the line. So it takes extensive pre-race planning, understanding what obstacles are where on the course, how you’ll get around the property, while still getting up close to capture the emotions and struggles experienced during a grueling race.

🐊 Thanks to the build team and course markers, I was able to hitch a ride and capture a lot of footage on the back of a Gator bombing around the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

🐟 The coolest part of the weekend though? Getting ahead of the leaders and setting up on the bank of the Snohomish River right before the action arrived, taking a moment to look around and appreciate the silence with the only noise coming from the salmon and trout leaping out of the water.