Obstacles

Obstacle course races are growing in popularity, but people don’t know as much about them as your regular 10k or marathon races. Here, we’ve broken down the two most popular event organisers, Spartan Races and Tough Mudders, and then given you some tips about how to prepare for a race.

Find your next obstacle course event

SPARTAN RACES:

For those of you wanting a new challenge rather than just another half marathon or triathlon, this is it. It is as tough as you want to make it. You can just do this for fun in an age group or standard entry, or if you fancy your chances you could give the Elite race a go.

You will compete against some amazing people who live and breathe the sport. Even though it is competitive, don’t be surprised if someone holds out a hand for you when you are struggling. You’ve just got to be prepared to do the same in return.

Whether you spend hours in the gym or are a keen runner you will be challenged in every way. In this format you’ll be tested on not only general fitness but strength, coordination, technique and most of all mental resilience to just keep going.

This is as close a comparison to an assault course or steeple chase as it gets. When you have taken part in one of these races, you will never forget it.

Fitness requirement:

If you are doing this for fun, a basic level of fitness or the willpower to finish what you have started will see you through. If you want to compete in the Elite class, a good standard of fitness will be required from running to gym work. The ability to run and lift your own body weight will put you in a good position and make it more enjoyable depending of course on whether you are doing the short or long race. However fit you are, expect a tough challenge.

Did you know?

You can also sign up to a Stadion Spartan Race, where all the obstacles take place within one gladiatorial arena. In London, you can sign up friends and family for the Twickenham event, and compete at the home of English rugby.

TOUGH MUDDER:

We have all heard our friends talk about Tough Mudder and what fun it is. You might be thinking, “Why would someone voluntarily jump down a slide into an ice bath or jump into a mud-filled pit and need pulling out?” Once you have taken part, you won’t be left wondering. You’ll see it as a great team building day out with your friends and have a lot of FUN in the process.

The friendly atmosphere is key to these events. Nobody barges past you trying to shave one second off their time or leaves you stranded in the mud. You’ll be sure to see people smiling and helping each other along all the way round.  

All sorts of people take part in these events, and for some it will be one of the hardest challenges they’ve ever taken on, even up to the elite level. Whatever your body type, there will be some obstacles you are better at and some that pose more of a challenge. For example, if you are tall and lean, pulling yourself up might be a struggle and you’ll have to call on your teammates for help. Later on, though, shorter members of the team might need help over the high obstacles, so what goes around comes around. Completing the course as a team is one of the most satisfying aspects of obstacle course racing.

Fitness requirement:

This doesn’t require any pre-existing level of fitness, so prior training isn’t essential, but you will find it more enjoyable if you’ve done a few runs first so you’re not always catching your breath. Remember: you’re only as fast as your slowest team-mate, so help each other along.

PREPARATION AND TRAINING:

Depending on what you result you are wanting or just to avoid injury, a basic level of fitness will help you and make the day more fun. Two runs a week combined with some basic bodyweight exercises will really help.

A basic training program to help you on your way to OCR glory could include:

• Monday: 5km Running (or some kind of cardio vascular exercise for 45 min to an hour)

• Wednesday: Circuit training (or gym work involving body weight exercises)  

• Friday: 5km – 10km running, depending on your base level of fitness.

To compete in the Elite class, keep a good balance of endurance and strength: we’ve found that the best way is to combine 2 x 10 mile runs a week with 2 x Body Weight gym sessions. When you take part in these events, it is not just about being strong or super fit but also about being flexible and adaptable so that your body can handle the unexpected.

More and more people find that power yoga really helps here and will help keep your body injury free.  It’s no surprise that one of the main slogans of obstacle course racing is “ready for anything”.

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Whether you’re taking part in an obstacle course event for fun or for a personal challenge, you will come up against all kinds of obstacles that you will find testing in different ways.

These are a few that you can expect, with tips on how best to handle them:

THE START:

There will be pressure to run as fast as you can and not get left behind. But you don’t want to be on your knees out of breath before you even get to the obstacles. The chap who runs off first will almost certainly drop back unless he is very experienced and just a very fast runner. You need to pace yourself and not cook yourself in the first 400 yards!

The excitement and adrenaline will make you want to just go for it but you need to be cool and push yourself at about a 7 out of 10. Save the 100% for the last quarter of the race.

ALL OBSTACLES:

When you are approaching an obstacle you need to be aware of the people around you and if you have time, watch where other people are struggling with and learn from this. If you need to get your team together to plan how best to use the team’s strengths and weaknesses beforehand then this will ultimately save you more time than going straight in and having several failed attempts.

WATER:

If you are jumping into water, it will be muddy and you will have no depth perception. This means if you jump in with arms and legs everywhere you could end up hurting yourself and others. If you jump in with your feet together and arms by your side, you will minimize the risk of injury.

Remember you don’t know what the ground will be like under the surface of the water. It might be very shallow or you might go right under. So make sure to be soft in your knees as you enter the water.

WALL:

Depending on the height of the wall, you might need some help or look for footholds that will assist you. If it is flat you will need the momentum to help you and so some pace at your approach is best: go for it! If it is too high you might need to boost up the next person and they can in turn help you when they are up at the top to assist in lifting you.

Leave the strongest member to last as they will probably manage on their own and then you have the second strongest up on top helping people over. If you are advanced, you will probably just go for it and the momentum and brute strength will get you over.

MONKEY BARS:

Before you jump on, make sure your hands are as clean as you can get them and, if a member of the team has a dry t-shirt, clean your hands on it. If you don’t do 20 pull ups before breakfast in the morning it will be the grip that might let you down so make it as easy on yourself as possible.

If you can see people falling off look at why they are falling off. It’s normally because they go too fast and are rushing and their hands slip. Or they stop half way and lose momentum because their strength or grip is exhausted.

The technique is to swing, reach and grip. If you go into it with momentum this will carry you forward. If this is a technical obstacle, then again watch people do it first and try and look at where they are going right or wrong. A few pull ups in preparation will really improve your grip strength for this and there is no short cut as this is the best preparation.

CARGO NET:

We used to play on this as a kid in the playground and now you’re still doing it as an adult! This will test your coordination speed. You need to just take your time as it’s better to do this in your own time slow and steady rather than rushing and falling through. We recommend you pick a route straight up and don’t over stretch yourself.

Be aware of what you are doing when you swing your legs over at the top as no one wants a kick in the face. Don’t jump off it as you might well meet an unforgiving metal frame half way down.

RINGS:

Much like the monkey bars, if you have just been crawling along the ground in the mud make sure that you have got the worst of it off your hands to ensure you get the best grip. Use the momentum to swing yourself in a controlled way from ring to ring. You can power this by lifting your knees!

Don’t over reach but try to keep consistency as this will be the most efficient way of getting it done. Again, if you have never done this before, watch a few people do it first. It can look intimidating but if you calmly reach from one to the next you will smash it!

ROPE CLIMB:

This can be about good technique rather than strength. Having jumped as high as you can, grip the rope and then it’s time to lock off so you can push up. Lift your knees up and you want the rope hanging on the outside of either the right or left of your feet. Let’s use the right, for example: If you imagine the rope hanging on the outside of your right foot, then you need to bring the left foot over the top of the right foot with the rope underneath your left foot and on top of your right foot. You then step down on the left foot so it is back alongside the right.

This locks off the rope enabling you to push the body up using your legs not your arms. If you use your arms you could fail halfway and then you’re not going any further – that bell at the top will not ring itself. Use your legs and continue this technique and you will see it requires skill not strength, other than some grip to hold you steady.

BARBED WIRE:

Stay low and move fast! This is very easy but if you want to go fast you need to keep your chest just an inch off the ground. Move by making contact with the ground using your forearms to hold yourself up but low enough that you don’t touch what is above you. Push off the ground with your big toes with heels turned in.

Keep your bum down so you don’t get your shorts caught on anything. You don’t want to finish the race half-undressed at the other end!

FINAL TIP FROM US:

After completing each obstacle make sure your watch and timing chip are still with you and not playing hide and seek in the mud!

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These 6 top tips will prepare you for your next obstacle course challenge. A little prep will save you time, energy and reduce the risk of injury on event day.

Find your next obstacle course event

1. Run. A lot.

All obstacle course events will include a fair amount of running–normally up to 80% of the event itself–so make sure you are adding consistent running to your training schedule. Try to include at least one long run and one shorter run in your weekly plan. You could also add in some off-road runs to give you confidence on unfamiliar terrain on the big day.

2. Circuit training

Circuits should be a key part of obstacle course training as it will help your overall fitness but also replicate exercises you’ll likely be doing on event day. The best exercises for this revolve around working with your bodyweight . Try adding press-ups, squats, burpees, planks, pull-ups and sit-ups into your training sessions.

3. Wear the right shoes

Shoes can have a huge impact on how comfortable your event is and also how well you perform. Ditch the running shoes and get yourself a pair with lots of underfoot grip. Investing in suitable footwear will help you tackle the steep hills, water or thick mud that coats everything–but make sure you train in them before event day so that they're well worn in.

4. Rope in your friends

Find a bunch of people that you can train and cross the finish line with and you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Training as a team can help boost motivation and help push you to achieve new personal bests. A lot of obstacle course events are all about teamwork and camaraderie so bring people together who are going to help, support and push you to do the best you can do!

5. Technique

There are some obstacles that are common and will appear in most obstacle race courses. Things like monkey bars, high walls, net climbs and crawls are worth practising beforehand if you can. When it comes to races with inflatables, the obstacles can be harder to replicate. If you incorporate hill sprints and interval training into your race preparation, you'll stand yourself in good stead for tackling anything that requires a climb! You can also check out technique videos online that show the best way to tackle inflatable obstacles.

6. Accept the mud and embrace the challenge

If you're on a muddy course: mud is going to get everywhere so the sooner you learn to love it, the better. If you're on an inflatable course: it's very unlikely you'll have faced a challenge like this before, but be ready to give it your all and attempt every obstacle with grit, determination and a sense of humour!

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