3 reasons why you should enter an obstacle race

19 August 2015 by
First published: 25 August 2015

If you’ve always fancied giving a mucky race a go, but haven’t quite worked up the courage to take the plunge, we present 3 reasons why you should enter an obstacle race today!

 

It’s a great goal

The difficulty of the challenge ahead will depend on the race you pick, but most of them are reasonably tough, so you’ll have to get yourself in the gym pronto to prepare. Book something in for a few months’ time and the thought of having to make your way around that muddy course is sure to get you up and out to the gym every day from now until the finish line!

 

It’ll get you fitter and stronger

And obstacle race requires you to run, but it also requires you to make your way over, under and through some challenging obstacles. So for this, you’ll need both good fitness levels and a bit of strength. Good prep involves lots of running – longer distances and sprints – and lots of functional and weight training. The result? You’ll look and feel awesome by the time you take your place at the start line.

 

It’s social

Most obstacle races have a big emphasis on teamwork. The idea is that you splutter and scramble through the mud with your buddies by your side, then when it gets to the tough stuff you literally lend each other a hand to drag yourselves over walls, through tunnels and under water. A good team on race day is a team that’s trained together, so it’s a great excuse to get your mates together for some workouts in the park. You could also try some team off road runs to get used to more difficult terrain.