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There were plenty of monster themed obstacles races this past month and we talk about two that we did: Run For Your Lives and The Monster Mash Obstacle Race. We also interview Steve Carlisle who is taking fundraising and obstacle racing to a whole new level.
Run For Your Lives – A 5K zombie infested obstacle race. Check out Laurie’s review for more info.
The course is loosely marked with plenty of room to take the wrong path. If you go the wrong way, you will add extra distance to your run and you may even run into a hungry horde of brain-eating zombies!
Cardio – #1 training tip for this race! Take a tip from Zombieland and follow the first rule!
Large hill first obstacle (about ¼ mile straight up)
Lots of zombies to avoid.
About a mile in before the first obstacle – mud hills with 2 mud pits
TIP – when going through mud pits, stay on the edges of the pit or you will get your shoes stuck! No need for duct tape if you are smart about your footing.
Several 4 foot walls to hop over. Very easy.
Zombie maze. No real skill – just run and hope you picked the right path. Many runners going crazy in this trying to get away from zombies.
Cold mud pits with barbed wire above your head.
TIP – Stay down to avoid getting snagged or scratched on the barbed wire. It is real!
Army crawl is the best bet for this obstacle. If you are short, you may be able to go through on your hands and knees. But be warned, crawling through rock ridden mud HURTS!
Fog filled room with electrical wires as a surprise. The fog was so thick in this room, you had to trust your instincts and just keep moving forward.
TIP – Move fast and just take your beating. The shock does hurt a little, but if you move fast, you won’t have to deal with it for very long. You can bypass it if you don’t want to do it.
Plywood slide into a cold muddy pool of water. You climb wooden rungs to a 10 foot platform. The slide is made out of painted plywood that you get to slide down into a 4 foot murky pool of water. No bloody water – boo!
More mud crawls. Lastly a 12 in gap between the ground and electrified fence you get to crawl under.
TIP: shimmy under that fence and kiss the mud. Keep your head low or you will get shocked! Doesn’t really hurt, but just enough to startle you.
TIP: CARDIO! Obstacles are fairly easy, but you will be doing a lot of sprinting! Zombies get tired! If you find yourself on the course during a zombie shift change be prepared to run as fast as you can. New zombies on the course are hungry!
Monster Mash Obstacle Race which was held in Victorville, CA on October 27th.
Check out Laurie’s review for more info: LINK
Gangnam Style / Ghostbuster mash up. Hysterical!
Said to be a 5K race, but actually was more like 2 ¼ miles.
Used pre-existing fixtures at the fairgrounds and turned them into obstacles.
Concrete road dividers used as hurdles.
Dirt motocross track with bunny hills to jump over.
Hay Bales
TIP: Watch your step! Many people running over hay bales tend to loosen the ties and make them perfect ankle breakers.
Grandstand used to tired out your legs.
Balance Beam – just take it slow. No one will laugh if you use your arms to balance.
4 foot walls. Easy to get over.
Army crawl obstacles with no barbed wire. Just keep your head down so you don’t get a rope in your face. If on grass – extra nice.
8 foot wall to scale. Not too hard if you don’t land wrong. This one had wooden rungs on the back side to climb down. Some are flat on the backside and you have to just drop down.
TIP: If you have to drop straight down try to leave your knees bent. Landing on slightly bent legs will be easier on your ankles and lessen your chance of injury.
Rope hurdles. These are about 12 inches above the ground. Not difficult at all. Just don’t misstep and take a tumble.
We have a special interview with Steve Carlisle who is taking fundraising and obstacle racing to a whole new level. Visit him at Facebook: MuddyPhilanthropy or Twitter: @MudPhilanthropy
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