OBSTACLE COURSES

More than 10,000 people went trekking to northeastern Pennsylvania to scale walls, leap fire and crawl commando-style through mud. They did it for fun and they also paid money to do it. It was just another race for people who like to have fun and get muddy. It’s called obstacle course racing. It’s difficult, dirty, and dangerous. Fans of the race say it’s a whole lot of fun. In only a few years, obstacle courses have become a favourite activity for many. There are hundreds of events around the country that make racers go up, over, under, and through various obstacles before getting to the finish line. Three of the top racing series are Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, and Spartan Race. Nearly 2 million runners join these races every year. The runners are all sorts of people. Some have taken part in regular races but are bored with them. Some racers just want to have fun with friends. Some are serious about pushing the limits of their own physical abilities. “I felt like a kid again for the first time in I don’t know how long,” says Hobie Call, 35. Call was a world-class marathon runner looking for something new when his wife urged him to enter an obstacle course race. He was doubtful. “I don’t care about getting muddy,” he told her. He liked it so much that he won 21 races in his first 16 months. “The people who dare do it, they do it and they’re hooked for life, and sign up for five more,” says Call. He quit his day job to do the sport full-time. “That’s why these races are exploding in popularity.” Tina Lengle wasn’t sure it sounded like fun. Still, she finished the 3.1-mile Warrior Dash course in just over an hour. “You need to do something fun in your life. Life’s too short,” Lengle said a few minutes after crossing the finish line. Her body was all covered with drying mud. The best of the runners completed the course in just over 20 minutes. They were all covered with mud when they received their medals. Winning wasn’t really the point. For most of them, finishing the course was the most important thing. The Spartan Race, however, is a bit more serious. Officials of the Spartan are working to get obstacle course racing in the Olympics. Spartan doesn’t give racers any warning about what they might come across. They only say there is “fire, mud, water, barbed wire, and obstacles that you can’t think of.” Tough Mudder, meanwhile, says it’s not a race at all, but a challenge. Racers must pledge to put teamwork and helping others ahead of their course time. They go through a 10- to 12-mile course. Obstacles may include swimming through ice water and sliding on your belly under electric wires. Alex Patterson at Tough Mudder says that in a world in which “we’re never too cold, we’re never too hot, everything is just right,” people long for a challenge and a different experience.