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You are here: Home / Adventures / 5 Reasons Why Your Next Race Should Be An Adventure Race

5 Reasons Why Your Next Race Should Be An Adventure Race

August 10, 2010 By Joel Runyon 7 Comments

I’m a big fan of adventure races. Many of you know I did the Mudathlon back in June and it was a blast. Adventure races have been growing in popularity in recent years and for good reason – they’re awesome While there are countless reasons why your next race [or first race] shoudl be an adventure race, here are 5 of them:

There’s no pressure

Adventure races are pressure-free. No one is there to win. Well, okay, there are about 5 people, who really, really want to win, but everyone else is just there for the fun of it. It’s hard to worry about PRs and final times when you’re climbing over tires, slopping through mud and completing all the other obstacles on the course. The races are more about the experience & sharing and finishing it with friends than winning outright and beating everyone else.

Anyone can do it

Young, old, fat, skinny. You can do an adventure race There’s no pressure, remember? Since these races aren’t all about the time, all you need in order to finish the race is the determination that you will. You might need to slow down or even walk at some points, but trust me, there will be plenty of people walking right along with you. You’re able to do an adventure race…if you want to.

They’re unpredicatable

As a contrast to a 5k, the Mudathlon didn’t even tell us how far we were going, they just said we were going to run “between 3 and 4 miles” and sent us off on the course. That unpredicatbility, of course, is part of the fun. By not knowing every single detail beforehand you have not react mid-race not only to your own body needs, but also the things happening around you [i.e you getting shot at by paintballers]. It’s a much, much different experience than a traditional race, but that’s part of the fun.

They’re something for everyone

The Mudathlon slogan was Mud, Obstacles, Beer! If you can’t get excited about one of those options, than you need to check your pulse. Even if running through a mud pit, climbing a bunch of obstacles or sliding down a 30ft mud slide don’t sound fun, you can at least look forward to the beer at the end of the race. Most races usually will have food and drink and some sort of after-party so you’re bound to find something you enjoy at the race.

There are lots of them

Adventure Races are skyrocketing in popularity. There are several series of races that are being held in multiple cities around the U.S. Chances are there’s one near you. Here are just some of the races out there:

  • Muddy Buddy
  • Mudathlon
  • Spartan Race
  • Warrior Dash

There are tons of races with tons of themes. Pick your favorite. Do it.

Have you ever done an adventure race? What did you think of it?

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Filed Under: Adventures, Fitness, Hacks, The Impossible Tagged With: Adventure Races, Beer, Mud, Mudathlon, Muddy Buddy, Obstacles, Running, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash

About Joel Runyon

I started IMPOSSIBLE to push myself to try to live a life worth writing about by pushing my limits, living an adventure & telling a great story by doing the impossible. You can get free updates in your inbox via your new favorite newsletter and see all my businesses at Impossible X and our philanthropic efforts at Impossible.org

Comments

  1. Martin says

    August 10, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    Yep, did the Warrior Dash version in Southern California. It was awesome, they give out free war helmets!

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      August 10, 2010 at 5:40 pm

      War Helmets? Dang. I just got a dumb little medal a the Mudathlon…

      Now to see when the Warrior Dash is going to be in the midwest =)

      Reply
      • Nina | Castles in the Air says

        August 11, 2010 at 4:47 pm

        Can you imagine ppl wearing war helmets running down Michigan Ave. and Lakeshore Drive in Chicago? That’d be hilarious! And oh so fun!

        Reply
        • Joel Runyon says

          August 11, 2010 at 11:20 pm

          Think I can substitute one in for my helmet during the Chi Tri?

          Reply
  2. Yu says

    August 11, 2010 at 9:56 pm

    That sounds really fun, and I’m definitely in for the beer as long it doesn’t say ‘lite’ at the end. Maybe I’ll see what races will be near me and scavenge some time from classes to go do them.

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      August 11, 2010 at 11:20 pm

      They’re definitely fun. Grab a few friends to go with while you’re at it. That always makes things more fun!

      Reply
  3. Alan Reeves says

    March 10, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    The best one I have heard of are the zombie races. Half of the runners are selected to be zombies and chase the “humans” If you are caught by a zombie, you turn into one (hopefully not literally…) I’m sure you would have a faster time with someone chasing you and if you like zombie movies, it would most likely be fun.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Joel Runyon


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