This race was not the average Spartan Race, it was the Super Spartan. The elite Spartan racers began the over 8-mile journey at 7:30 a.m. Saturday under a perfect blue sky at Blue Mountain Ski Area in Palmerton.

The announcer called to the racers, "When I say 'who are we' you say Spartans. Who are we?" he asked, "Spartans!" the elites chanted.Participants came from near and far, from Walnutport to Australia. The elite racers were divided into male and female categories. The winner of the male division was Grant Tamutus, 18, who finished in two hours and six minutes. The female winner was Tara Peifer, 39, with a finish time of two hours and 31 minutes.The over 8 mile course consisted of 29 official obstacles with two added extras, spectators and the media. NBC was present to capture the race, and the director warned racers to "try not to run over the camera men."The obstacles were challenging and ranged from sandbag hauling to javelin throwing, running through the woods, log carrying, rope and net climbing to a fire jumping finish line. If a racer was unable to complete an obstacle, a "burpee" challenge option was available.A burpee is a whole-body-effort exercise, jumping down into pushup position, doing the pushup and then jumping up just to do it all over again 30 more times.After the elite racers started, it was time for rest of the racers to take their marks. Waves of 250 people took to the start line and were released every 15 minutes starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. These Spartans were mixed gender and mixed intention.Some were there to compete, and some were there to challenge their bodies in a fun way, not worrying about finishing time.All participants were sweaty and all were pushed to the edge of their capabilities. The race also created a children's trail for kids aged 4 to 13.The price for the race varied. The elite range was between $145 and $155, with the last wave costing between $115 and $125. Medals, T-shirts, protein bars, cold beer and, of course, bragging rights waited at the finish line for all of-age runners.The Spartan race has several sponsors including Reebok, Panasonic Adventures and TomTom.A majority of the money received will be going to different charities. The next race, The Spartan Sprint, is scheduled for Saturday. Registration is still available at a smaller price of $90 to $115 on the website.