Adventure races offer up hellacious good times - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

Adventure races offer up hellacious good times

Facing the ice-field tank known as the Arctic Enema, Army Capt. Jason Rathbun and Air Force Capt. Justin Ballinger bumped fists and dove in.

“As we came back up, we caught each other’s eyes and were like, ‘Yeah, this is real!’ ” Ballinger said.

With challenges ranging from fire pits to a 10,000-volt obstacle dubbed Electroshock Therapy, there’s a reason they call it the Tough Mudder, say the officers who braved the course in Pennsylvania on April 29.

It’s just one of dozens of Tough Mudder events slated across the country this year. From zombie-infested fun runs to invitation-only ultramarathons, Tough Mudder is just one of an exploding number of bone-jarring, mud-sucking and occasionally blood-letting adventure races designed to test muscle, minds and mettle.

Tough Mudder alone has grown from three events its first year in 2010 to 35 this year, with an average of 20,000 people taking part at each location, said Jane Di Leo, a Tough Mudder organizer. “By the end of this year, there will be half a million people who can call themselves Tough Mudders.”

A total of 75 events are slated for next year.

“It’s amazing how fast these races are growing,” said Ryan Hogan, a petty officer second class-turned-NROTC officer candidate studying at the University of Maryland.

Hogan knows better than most. Last year, he launched his own apocalypse-inspired adventure race dubbed Run for Your Lives in which hordes of zombies chase contestants through a 5K series of obstacles. From its Baltimore launch last year, the race has grown to 13 events in 12 states and Canada in 2012.

“Our race is less about being tough and more about just having the time of your life,” Hogan said.

Racers are handed a free beer at the finish line and can party like it’s the apocalypse.

But most of the new races take pride in bringing the pain.

At Tough Mudder, about 20 percent fail to make it through.

“It’s got the puzzle portions of a leadership challenge but also some of the pure suck of survival school,” said Ballinger, a C-5 pilot at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., who was one of a four-man military team from the base that tackled the Mudder in full uniform — boots and all. Now his sights are set on one of the dozens of Spartan races held across the country.

For the truly hard-core, there’s Spartan’s Death Race, a torturous 48-hour course in Vermont that culls more than eight of every 10 contestants before it’s all over.

Even over-the-top ultramarathons are growing — both in length and in participants — and 100-mile endurance runs are popping up everywhere. Races such as the Western States 100-miler must hold a lottery to keep things manageable.

While most mortals might not even consider such races, they can be fun to watch.

“Be ready to be awestruck,” said Dale Garland, an organizer for a 100-miler in Colorado known as the Hardrock, one of four ultras in the state that make up the Rocky Mountain Slam.

“I think I’m pretty much addicted to them now,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Guillaume Linget, one of Ballinger’s teammates, who has already signed up for two more Tough Mudders. “It’s one of the best times I’ve ever had in uniform.”