"So You Think You Can't Afford the Spartan Agoge?" — A letter from Spartan Mark Salvador.

So you think you can’t afford the Spartan ­­­­­Agoge....well, I thought the same thing two-and-a-half  years ago when Agoge 003 was announced and it was going to be in China.  A few days after it was announced I happened upon a post from Warrior State of Mind that said they could help pay for the entry fee to the event. Although that was a big stepping stone, I still needed some major funds.

Finding a Way to Afford the Spartan Agoge

As I began to think about how I could afford the Spartan Agoge,  I started to think what was readily available to me...I am a Krav Maga instructor so why not do a knife defense seminar for donations? Boom, I used what I knew.

Secondly, I needed gear. With the help of an amazing friend, we sent out letters to sporting and hunting goods stores to see if they could donate gear. None were able to flat out donate gear because I did not put the request in soon enough. They all said they needed at least 6 months to go through the approval process. But, Jax, a local company, said they would give me a 30% discount on all my gear, boom another score.

Minimal Food Costs

Next I needed flights and hotel. I didn’t have credit cards and I knew with my seminar coming up I'd have the funds to cover it, but needed it quickly before the prices went up. So once again my great friend purchased the flights and hotel on a credit card and I reimbursed her after my seminar. When it came down to food, believe it or not I virtually did the whole Agoge on Lara bars, trail mix and Vega electrolytes. Cheap and lots of calories.

Another important thing is to tell EVERYONE what you are doing and why. Have a lot of in-person conversations and use your social media. I had a lot of people within the Krav community who donated more than the minimum at the seminar. I also had someone from Krav whose husband was a higher up at Vega. He was able to provide a lot of products that kept me healthy during the training for the Agoge (and the electrolytes I used during the event).

So yes, it was expensive but if you take what you have open your eyes you may have the means right in front of you. These are life-changing challenges, you can do it. Oh and that great friend is now my girlfriend going on 2 years now, she seen my vision and helped me attain my goal.

Ready to test yourself? Find out more about Spartan Extreme Endurance Events