The Top 5 Obstacle Races You Should Try Next

This year has been massive in terms of events for me across the board! Even though I have enjoyed the majority of them there are a few that stand out and I would advise everyone to try! This list is aimed at those who have yet to try an obstacle course race all the way through to those that Race regularly. With the sheer amount of races out there these days, this should hopefully help narrow down your selection process.

Spartan Race

I have taken part in a total of 9 Spartan Races to date and still love the challenge and the brand. With the various race types there is something for everyone. From a 3mile Sprint to the 25mile+ Ultra Beast, there is an event for those of all abilities. If you want to be pushed to your limits and actually feel a challenge, then Spartan Race’s will definitely deliver.

Tough Mudder

Can you have as much fun in mud, water, over walls and through electricity anywhere else? I don’t think so. Tough Mudder is the ultimate team experience that will have you revisiting memories for years to come. Big obstacles where team work is essential over anything from a 5km (new to 2018) to a 12mile course will make this a challenge you will want to revisit!

Nuclear Race

So 60 obstacles in the 7km course and near 100 in the 12km course, this race is the OCR lovers dream. With so many different tasks throughout this extremely muddy ex army training ground, Nuclear races make every mile feel different from the last. No chance of getting bored on this adults playground whatsoever.

Mudnificent 7

So you can’t decide what race to do next and you want to give a test run to some of the most fun in the U.K. Mud7 is for you. Created by the race directors of 7 different OCR events, you get a great taste of multiple events in one 10km course. This year even had a cheeky guest appearance so 8 in total made this one of my most enjoyable runs!

Rough Runner

So think of gladiators from the 90s, running and insanely fun race! My first ever OCR and one I can’t advise anymore for all the family. With 5km and 10km options, this is a brilliant course that will leave newbies and regulars enjoying themselves from start to finish.

This list is based on the events I have done. Are there any events I must try? Are there any that I should stay away from? What are your favourite events and why? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Michael Adeniran
The Urban Challenger
Instagram: @theurbanchallenger
Twitter: @urbn_challenger

Trick Or Treat Run London 2017

It’s very rare that I ever take part in ‘fun runs’. This by no means says that the events I take part in are not ‘fun’, because they are amazing, but in terms of simple distance, no chip timing and just hitting the road without focusing on smashing a PB. In the spirit of Halloween, I was asked to take part in the Trick or Treat Run in Southwark park and this was the meaning of a fun run.

 

The Event

There were 2 distances for this event-2.5km and 5km. You had the choice to run in the afternoon (from 1:30pm) for the more family friendly time or the evening scare run (5:30pm) for a more adult orientated event. As I wanted to run through the south London park in the dark, I opted for the evening run. It was a shame that it was probably one of the nicest autumn days we have seen this year as it was still light come 6pm. Kinda took away the scare factor but the crowd were still buzzing and waiting to go.

The event village had the usual food and drink tents but most importantly a face paint tent for those who wanted to up their costume game. Queues were short and there wasn’t any waiting around for things like bag drop. Everyone running were pulled together 15 mins before the run for a fun (yet slightly embarrassing) rendition of thriller! It got us moving and warm so it worked out, even if my coordination was terrible! The group of costume wearing trail blazers moved towards the start line and we were off!

The Run

From the off,everyone knew that the run would consist of 2 laps of Southwark Park. The Runners opened up pretty quickly and that gave everyone the space to run their own race. The route was splint into various zones along the way which were divided to show the various types of monsters of Halloween along the way. These were clear as each section had a volunteer to who was dressed up as either a Witch, Reaper or the scariest of them all, Zombies (on both laps I got scared by a Zombie who jumped out at me). This was my favourite part of the run, as I actually jumped when the zombie lady came from around the corner! Love a scare!

The route was well sign posted and well decorated. It definitely gave you the feeling of Halloween along the way, even though you were in the middle of Southwark park in the daylight. There was 1 water stop which doubled up as 2 in the second lap which was fine for 5k. The actors along the way made you feel encouraged and added to the sense  of fun and they all looked great. You could tell that everyone was enjoying themselves, which is what it’s all about. The finish line gave you the choice of Trick or Treat. They mentioned at the beginning that if you chose treat you would get a nice easy ride to your medal, so obviously I went for Trick; I prefer a challenge. The challenge was to grab a coin from bucket of gunk! Easy for me but great for the youngsters. All runners receive a great glow in the dark medal which looks pretty cool.

My Thoughts

You need to look at the event for what it is; that’s a fun run for families of all ages to enjoy and get stuck in too. The idea is to act a fool, get dressed up and go as fast or as slow as you want. Take in the atmosphere, the scares and let out your inner kid. I can imagine that with a family this would be a perfect way to spend your Halloween and if you are just running it for fun, it’s a great way to let down your hair and have fun!

 

Did you take part in the Trick Or Treat Run? What did you think? Would you go again? Let me know in the comments.

Michael Adeniran

The Urban Challenger

Instagram: @theurbanchallenger

Twitter: @urbn_challenger