Megan Rupp, a 27-year-old West Tisbury resident, took first place in the women’s division and 40th overall at the New England Spartan Race on Saturday in Barre — a race not for the faint of heart. 

Competing against 1,258 other participants, Rupp completed the five-kilometer obstacle course with a time of 56 minutes, 34 seconds. The course included challenges like rope climbing, spear throwing, bucket carries, and swimming through watery mud pits. 

For Rupp, who moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2024, this is only her second Spartan Race, and her placement came as a big surprise. “I just did it for fun, I didn’t do it to win — that was not my goal. It was just to go have fun in the mud,” said Rupp. “I’m an outdoorsy girl, so the win came as a surprise to me.” 

Spartan Races are grueling obstacle courses where participants run, climb, crawl, and perform various physically demanding tasks and obstacles over rough terrain. Founded in 2007, the event draws athletes and fitness enthusiasts worldwide, with races ranging from three miles to 30 miles. They are designed to push competitors beyond their comfort zones. 

Rupp said while she didn’t train specifically for the race, she attributes all her success to her physically demanding job with the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, especially building boardwalks and trails. 

“We’re hauling four-by-fours and eight-foot boardwalk platforms out half a mile, almost a mile into the woods. My upper body has never been this strong,” said Rupp in an interview with The Times. “I didn’t train running, but thinking about it, I really attribute it all to trail crew, because it’s an athletic, hardworking job.” 

Originally from Charlotte, N.C., Rupp said she fell in love with the Spartan Races when she ran her first in May this past year in her hometown. Back then, she encountered some challenges at the rope climb. But this time around, things were different. 

“The first race that I did, there was a rope climb, and I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have the upper-body strength,” said Rupp. “When I did this race, I got to the rope and I was like, ‘Let’s go,’ and I was able to pull myself up.” 

Rupp initially found out about her achievement at a kiosk after the race, but since there were still more runners to finish, she thought her placement would change. She confirmed the following Sunday that her placement held up, and she was elated. “I was so hyped,” she said. “I was standing there alone, like, ‘Let’s go!’”

Rupp, who is now a year-round Island resident, said she is eyeing her next race already. There’s a possibility it could come at the pinnacle of New England sports — Fenway Park in late September. 

“I heard that you actually run through the locker rooms, and they bring in all the obstacles and the mud and stuff, and you do the 5K in Fenway Park,” she said. “That sounds really cool, so I might do that.”