Trials and tribulations

By entering an entirely vegan team to compete in the Spartan Sprint for the first time, Manzol is setting an example of being a healthy vegan Spartan, which he hopes will inspire other people to try, or "even become a little bit curious about a vegan diet".

Sponsored by Japanese automaker Infiniti and Chinese sportswear brand Anta, the 2018 Spartan Race will see more than 20 events being hosted in China, more than double last year's nine events and five times the number held in 2016, when the competition was first introduced to China by sports marketing company SECA.

According to Zhang Haoyang, product manager for the Spartan Race in China, Beijing will host an event that combines all three major races on August 25 and 26 - the first Spartan Beast event in Chinaand the first chance for warriors to obtain their Trifecta glory in one weekend.

"Even though male warriors are in the majority, we are attracting more female participants, who are more willing to share their experience on social media," says Zhang. "Eighty percent of our participants are aged between 26 and 40, and half of them are unmarried."

"For the Spartan Race, if you can walk, you can definitely join the race, because for the open group, we encourage friends and colleagues to help each other," Zhang says. "There is no time limit, so we hope everyone will come and give it a try because the spirit of Spartan Race is to challenge yourself."