Video—How to make a Spartan Race spear ‣ MyFixitUpLife

The Spartan Race spear throw is easy. Unless you miss. Dammit. Now it’s hard. Because, well, burpees.

And the best defense against burpees: Practice. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. So here’s how I made a Spartan Race spear.

The body of the spear is an Ames TrueTemper replacement handle for rakes and other garden implements. The business end is a 40-penny nail. Each item easily available at most home centers.

Cut the head off the nail. I used an angle grinder and metal-cutting wheel for this. Please note, a grinder is a tool that means business. Be careful.
Drill the hole in the handle a little deeper with a drill bit the same diameter as the nail.
Fill the hole with epoxy. I used JB Weld, which is crazy-easy-to-use and sets-up-like-iron. See below.
Slide the nail into the hole blunt side first and give it a tap or two to seat it in the pilot hole, drilled above. Don’t force it. I changed the cutting wheel on the grinder to a grinding wheel and used it to round off or taper the top of the nail before installing it.
Wait for the epoxy to cure. JB Weld says 5-minutes on the package but I gave it an hour. And when I missed the hay bale, my Spartan Race spear stuck into our obstacle race training wall. BAM!
Throw. Repeat. Beat the burpees and brain game.

Note: I modified this Spartan Race spear from a different design. After throwing my spear over a hundred times straight into 1/2-inch plywood—no hay—the nail is a solid as the first throw.

AROO!

‣ MyFixitUpLife ostacle race training — Theresa and Mark built this Spartan Race training apparatus for the local YMCA.

‣ MyFixitUpLife Spartan Wall YMCA MyFixitUpLifeDSC_0772 — The spear throw side of the Spartan Race wall is ready.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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