A new brand of “fun run” is popping up across southern Ontario, throwing a wrench -- as well as mud pits and rope ladders -- into the basic mini-marathon format.
The prevalence of short-distance runs has grown in recent years, with countless five- and 10-kilometre runs being held in parks and on streets across Toronto as fundraisers for various charities.
Now a new breed of race is growing in popularity: An extreme run with obstacle courses, mud pits and even zombies making the trek more perilous.
Andrew Yablonovsky, 29, has run in a handful of obstacle course races in Ontario and San Francisco and says he finds them far more thrilling than traditional mini-marathons.
“I am not a big runner. I can’t seem to motivate myself to run for the sake of running. I prefer to be able to do some other physical exercise while doing it,” Yablonovsky, a financial sector worker, told CTV Toronto.
“I prefer soccer or tennis, that kind of stuff. This just kind of seemed like a more fun way to exercise, so why not?”
In September, the first-ever obstacle run will be held inside Toronto’s city limits, when the Toronto Urban Warrior challenge hits Tommy Thompson Park.
The 10-kilometre run through the Leslie Street Spit will feature at least nine separate obstacles to traverse, from extensive tire courses to cargo nets to rope ladders.
“People are getting bored of just pounding the pavement,” Urban Warrior organizer Cathy Muffolini, told CTV Toronto. “This can be just as challenging, even if you are a marathon runner and want to tackle this at a faster rate.”
The Urban Warrior race (held on September 8) is a spin-off of several popular runs in the U.S., including San Francisco’s Urbanathalon. Proceeds from the event will go toward prostate cancer research through the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation.
Muffolini competed in the San Francisco race to prepare to host the Toronto event and said there is a distinct difference between marathon running and obstacle course races.
“You are totally in survival mode. It is not only about having the endurance to run... the obstacles take a lot of your energy. If you have the stamina, the agility and everything else, you can complete it no problem,” Muffolini said.
“It is going to be a fully-charged event. It is going to be a lot of fun.”
While the Urban Warrior obstacle race will be the first of its kind held inside city limits, other challenge courses have sprung up across southern Ontario as the prevalence of such challenges grows internationally.
Barrie, Ont., will play host to the Warrior Dash on July 21 and 22 – a five-kilometre trek through muddy slopes and manmade impediments at the Horseshoe Resort ski hill.
“You are literally running up a ski slope for a kilometre,” said Yablanovsky, who ran the dash last summer. “I like how they finish you off climbing through the mud at the end.”
The Ontario run is one of dozens of Warrior Dashes held across North America this year. Another race will be held in British Columbia in August, with the rest being held in the U.S.
And then there is the Tough Mudder challenge, an intense series held on mud-pit-filled tracks across Canada and the U.S., as well as Europe, Japan, Australia and South Africa.
The Tough Mudder touts itself as “probably the toughest event on the planet” but, like others of its kind, does not take itself too seriously.
“Triathlons, marathons, and other lame-ass mud runs are more stressful than fun,” its website declares. “As hardcore as our courses are, we meet you at the finish line with a beer, a laugh, and a rockin’ live band.”
The local race will be held in Mount St. Louis Moonstone, north of Toronto, on August 18 and 19.
In most cases, such obstacle races are distinctly militaristic or Spartanesque.
On the other hand, there is the zombie-themed “Run For Your Lives” series, an obstacle course where the obstacles chase you.
One of several North American races, Toronto’s event is held on the Burls Creek Family Event Park north of the city on September 22, and features a five-kilometre track overrun with the undead.
Some zombies remain stationary, snatching at flag-football tags as you pass, while others will chase after you with all the ferocity their unfeeling legs will allow.
Yablonovsky said that obstacle course races are a great mix of running exercise, athletic challenges and fun. In most cases, the run is just the centrepiece of the weekend, with music concerts and socializing available the rest of the time.
“You get to have a beer at the end, which is also a positive thing for me,” he said.
“That seems to be a common theme with these races.”
