The Logistics
First and foremost this was already the longest OCR I had taken part in standing at a distance of 10k around the urban environment of Wembley. The backdrop for this event was fantastic. Wembley stadium looks brilliant especially on a 27 degree summers day (yes it was a warm one). Being this was a true ‘London’ event, hills and mud were not on the menu. This race had a very industrial feel which suited the MensHealth brand and made the event unique in its approach.
This is definitely an obstacle race on a larger scale. With thousands of people in attendance it’s easy for an event to be held back by delays and poor organisation. When it came to this event however, organisation was brilliant! From walking into the event village, the atmosphere was buzzing and the ques were orderly, well laid out and most important of all, quick. So quick that I didn’t once feel held up by a line. Everyone receives their Rambo style headband and MensHealth shirt before they start so they can run the race in style. After a short intro regarding the race your warmed up by a member of the British Military Fitness team then off you go!
My Thoughts
This was my first time taking part in the MensHealth event, so I was excited to dive right in. The greatest thing about this race was the complete veriety throughout the entire course. The great idea regarding various zones along the race (industrial zone, men at work, waterworks etc) was what kept it interesting until the end. Each zone had its own set of obstacles and feel.
My favourite parts were definitely the extreme zone, tunnel vision and waterworks. The extreme zone boasted clambering up a pretty high set of scaffolding only to lead to jumping onto a giant crash mat from a 12-15ft platform. Yes it is as epic as it sounds. Especially when trying to pose for the cameraman only realising that gravity drags you down much faster then you’d imagine. Waterworks had every child (and adults) favourite thing…a giant water slide! Probably one of the most fun sections of any race I’ve taken part in regardless of being absolutely soaked after. Another section that I really enjoyed was the tunnel vision part. This started by claiming down a very unstable mud hill into what can only be described as a city canal. Being knee deep in dirty water was surprisingly refreshing. Especially on what was probably one of the hottest days of the year. Then you enter a tunnel and it goes pitch black. I mean PITCH BLACK. I could even see my teammate who was standing beside me. However unnerving this may have been it was a brilliant halfway point in the race.
A few things that did stand out were the open sections where there were no obstacles, just running. There were parts where obstacles were bunched together rather then evenly spread across the course. The space hopper section in “the playground” zone was annoying (probably because I have never been able to use one) but was still a great laugh. There was no free beer at the end which was insane. Before this I had never finished a relate and not been prompted to down a free pint after. Also you later find out that you need to pay for all the pictures taken at the event which I thought wasn’t fair with the amount you pay to compete. Regardless of these things, there is very little negative feeling toward what I thought was a great race.
Each racer gets a MensHealth Medal, Survival of the Fittest Shirt, Bandana and a Goodybag. This came with a Trek Bar (which are delicious regardless of being starving after a 10k run) and an issue of the MensHealth magazine. The pink Rat Race Rag that comes with looks pretty cool also.
Did you compete in the MensHealth Survival of the Fittest? How did you find it? Will you compete next year? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below.
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