Obstacle course races haver certainly become incredibly popular in the last few years. You've maybe heard about the Warrior Dash or the Tough Mudder, or maybe you have seen advertising for the hundreds of other mud running events all over the world. But how exactly do you define an Obstacle Course Race?
While other sports such as triathlons have a regulating body, obstacle course racing and mud running don't have any kind of organization that makes regulations or defines what exactly an obstacle course race, or mud run, should entail. However, events that fall under this category often have contestants running a course with various obstacles scattered throughout, and generally a mud pit of some type is featured.
But aside from these basic principles, you will find a ton of variation on obstacle course races. There are very long and intense courses that require a great deal of training that may last for an entire day or more.
But the vast majority of races are suitable for beginners and as long as you are moderately fit, you can train for and participate in one of these events. These beginner-level obstacle course races are about 5k and have ten to fifteen obstacles for participants to dodge, climb or balance on.
Every state hosts at least one mud run every year, and big states like Texas host up to 40. The three most popular companies that put on these events are the Warrior Dash, the Tough Mudder and Spartan. However, there are many other companies that organize races on a national level, as well as some that operate on a local or regional level. Some of these companies have also adopted themes for their mud runs. For example, in Run For Your Lives, in addition to normal obstacles, participants escape a Zombie Apocalypse.
With the exception of a few very competitive races, contestants are free to go around any obstacles they may not be able to do. In the competitive races, a competitor who cannot do an obstacle may not be eligible for awards or may have to wait in a "penalty box" for a few minutes.
In most of the races, contestants are not overly competitive and they do not take the event too seriously. Many times they wear silly costumes and oftentimes races include a free beer and a roaring after-party for all finishers. Perhaps this is part of the reason that these events have become so popular!
Obstacle course races have attracted many people who hadn't previously cared about fitness interested in pursuing new fitness goals. Want to get your feet wet? Try it out!
While other sports such as triathlons have a regulating body, obstacle course racing and mud running don't have any kind of organization that makes regulations or defines what exactly an obstacle course race, or mud run, should entail. However, events that fall under this category often have contestants running a course with various obstacles scattered throughout, and generally a mud pit of some type is featured.
But aside from these basic principles, you will find a ton of variation on obstacle course races. There are very long and intense courses that require a great deal of training that may last for an entire day or more.
But the vast majority of races are suitable for beginners and as long as you are moderately fit, you can train for and participate in one of these events. These beginner-level obstacle course races are about 5k and have ten to fifteen obstacles for participants to dodge, climb or balance on.
Every state hosts at least one mud run every year, and big states like Texas host up to 40. The three most popular companies that put on these events are the Warrior Dash, the Tough Mudder and Spartan. However, there are many other companies that organize races on a national level, as well as some that operate on a local or regional level. Some of these companies have also adopted themes for their mud runs. For example, in Run For Your Lives, in addition to normal obstacles, participants escape a Zombie Apocalypse.
With the exception of a few very competitive races, contestants are free to go around any obstacles they may not be able to do. In the competitive races, a competitor who cannot do an obstacle may not be eligible for awards or may have to wait in a "penalty box" for a few minutes.
In most of the races, contestants are not overly competitive and they do not take the event too seriously. Many times they wear silly costumes and oftentimes races include a free beer and a roaring after-party for all finishers. Perhaps this is part of the reason that these events have become so popular!
Obstacle course races have attracted many people who hadn't previously cared about fitness interested in pursuing new fitness goals. Want to get your feet wet? Try it out!
About the Author:
To learn more about mud running or the best way to go about training for an race like this, visit Mud Run Training. If you want to see a list of races that will be in your state visit the Mud Running Calendar .
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