“The Ninja Challenge is a 5k obstacle race that will see if you are fit to walk the path of a ninja warrior. While anybody can run, only ninja can run up walls. The Ninja Challenge goes beyond a simple race and will truly test your athleticism. Running becomes only half the battle when you face our 15+ obstacles that only a true ninja can complete.”
This race was similarly flavored as the Warrior Dash. The unfortunate part was that I ran in the 12:30am wave, while most of our obstacle course workout group were done running by 10:30am. There are several good reasons for running early, particularly if you’re running these things competitively:
You avoid long lines at obstacles. Depending on the obstacle, some people just need longer. It might be their first race, or they’re just uncomfortable with that particular obstacle for some reason. The later you run, the more likely you tend to run into people from earlier waves.
The trail is less “used up” and obstacles are likely less damaged and dirty. Hundreds to thousands of people stomping through muddy trails will take its toll on the terrain. The obstacles, although generally well constructed, may get damaged, or at the very least turn quite muddy. It’s easier to walk over a wooden 4×4 balance beam when it’s not wet and muddy. Similarly, monkey bars grip better when they’re not wet.
It gets hot. Especially during the summer, you’ll want to be done by 11:00am. The sun will dry you out quickly. Have water ready. Use sunscreen (and bug spray). Also, have water ready. And finally, remember to stay hydrated.
On separate note, always be sure to keep up with your water intake. The sun will fry you in hot weather. Cotton mouth and no longer sweating are a Bad Thing™.
The Race
So much fun. They had a “Super Ninja” for each wave that got a 30 second head start. The idea was that we should chase and catch them. At 12:30pm that didn’t really seem like an option. I was dressed completely in black, and let’s just say that didn’t really help matters. Although, I have to say, the compression sleeves really helped cool me down, and so did the hood. I didn’t expect that, breathing through a cloth mesh and all. But it was actually rather comforting, knowing I wouldn’t inhale any insects and all. Of course that all changed at the first water station. It’s not in the video, but happened just before the obstacle at 1:23 min; I spilled water on the hood — the part that covers my face — and running with it afterwards felt what I’d imagine getting waterboarded would feel like.
At the 5th obstacle (about 1:15min into the video) some of the grips were already ripped off, so it was just a nail to hold onto. Rock climbing holds would have probably held up better.
The “Iron Mountain” walls were pretty tough. It was about a mile and half into the run, I was dehydrated, it was going uphill, and the walls got progressively taller. Getting over a wall is normally not really all difficult, but switching from running to any kind of upper body work is always a change. I have to say, the water obstacles (2:38min in the video) were the most fun, because I hadn’t done anything like that yet. The “Ice bath” afterwards (at 3:08min). had unfortunately already melted away. I’m sure the 9:00am crowd got to enjoy that one much more.
The shuriken (throwing star) was fun. It’s not all that obvious in the video, but I hit it on the first try. It lands in the center left of the board. Hence, why I’m handing back the other two stars. I have no idea who’s cheering at me at 3:55min. I’m fairly sure I heard my name, though. The last thing I remember in the race was the lady (Nicole, at 4:08min) patting her butt, before my mind wandered to one thing only: Get past the finish line and acquire water!
That’s about the biggest problem they had — water shortage. I don’t think the volunteers did a particularly bad job or anything — it was just so hot that it was really tough to keep up with the demand. I was continuously plagued by cottonmouth, and could have easily used at least twice as many water stops as there were.
About the Video
Holy shaky cam, Batman. I’m not sure if it was the HeatGear Hood I was wearing, but the camera headband felt really unstable, even though it was already quite uncomfortably tight. How unstable it was I only discovered afterwards, when I reviewed the footage. It took some serious stabilization magic to make it watchable. I cut out over four minutes of waiting at the water obstacles.
When I put together the sound track I wanted to add an element. I can’t sing, but figured maybe the vocoder can. There’s still room for improvement, but I felt it was good enough for a background track.
We had an absolutely fanastic time with this one. Our workout group had a huge turnout, likely also because the event was local. We went to have a good time and a good time we had indeed. There was not much running to finally hit a muddy obstacle. We ran a short piece, dodged the …
It is done! The official Zombie Escape at Panic Point trailer, produced by Atlantic Creative. I really like the way it turned out. Word is, there are still a few available spots available for the mud run, so register now!
The Ninja Challenge posted their own Videos: Testimonials If you’re paying attention, I’m briefly in the video right at 0:53 min. 🙂 Trailer And I’m also in this video, same scene, right at 0:59 min. 😀
Similar to last year, The Ninja Challenge took place at Drake Landing, a hunting preserve just south of Fuquay-Varina, NC. EOCR was able to get a sneak peek and test run to provide feedback a week prior to the race, and it was a lot of fun. One of the differences between The Ninja Challenge …
The Ninja Challenge
This race was similarly flavored as the Warrior Dash. The unfortunate part was that I ran in the 12:30am wave, while most of our obstacle course workout group were done running by 10:30am. There are several good reasons for running early, particularly if you’re running these things competitively:
On separate note, always be sure to keep up with your water intake. The sun will fry you in hot weather. Cotton mouth and no longer sweating are a Bad Thing™.
The Race
So much fun. They had a “Super Ninja” for each wave that got a 30 second head start. The idea was that we should chase and catch them. At 12:30pm that didn’t really seem like an option. I was dressed completely in black, and let’s just say that didn’t really help matters. Although, I have to say, the compression sleeves really helped cool me down, and so did the hood. I didn’t expect that, breathing through a cloth mesh and all. But it was actually rather comforting, knowing I wouldn’t inhale any insects and all. Of course that all changed at the first water station. It’s not in the video, but happened just before the obstacle at 1:23 min; I spilled water on the hood — the part that covers my face — and running with it afterwards felt what I’d imagine getting waterboarded would feel like.
At the 5th obstacle (about 1:15min into the video) some of the grips were already ripped off, so it was just a nail to hold onto. Rock climbing holds would have probably held up better.
The “Iron Mountain” walls were pretty tough. It was about a mile and half into the run, I was dehydrated, it was going uphill, and the walls got progressively taller. Getting over a wall is normally not really all difficult, but switching from running to any kind of upper body work is always a change. I have to say, the water obstacles (2:38min in the video) were the most fun, because I hadn’t done anything like that yet. The “Ice bath” afterwards (at 3:08min). had unfortunately already melted away. I’m sure the 9:00am crowd got to enjoy that one much more.
The shuriken (throwing star) was fun. It’s not all that obvious in the video, but I hit it on the first try. It lands in the center left of the board. Hence, why I’m handing back the other two stars. I have no idea who’s cheering at me at 3:55min. I’m fairly sure I heard my name, though. The last thing I remember in the race was the lady (Nicole, at 4:08min) patting her butt, before my mind wandered to one thing only: Get past the finish line and acquire water!
That’s about the biggest problem they had — water shortage. I don’t think the volunteers did a particularly bad job or anything — it was just so hot that it was really tough to keep up with the demand. I was continuously plagued by cottonmouth, and could have easily used at least twice as many water stops as there were.
About the Video
Holy shaky cam, Batman. I’m not sure if it was the HeatGear Hood I was wearing, but the camera headband felt really unstable, even though it was already quite uncomfortably tight. How unstable it was I only discovered afterwards, when I reviewed the footage. It took some serious stabilization magic to make it watchable. I cut out over four minutes of waiting at the water obstacles.
When I put together the sound track I wanted to add an element. I can’t sing, but figured maybe the vocoder can. There’s still room for improvement, but I felt it was good enough for a background track.
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Zombie Escape at Panic Point
We had an absolutely fanastic time with this one. Our workout group had a huge turnout, likely also because the event was local. We went to have a good time and a good time we had indeed. There was not much running to finally hit a muddy obstacle. We ran a short piece, dodged the …
Official Zombie Escape at Panic Point Trailer
It is done! The official Zombie Escape at Panic Point trailer, produced by Atlantic Creative. I really like the way it turned out. Word is, there are still a few available spots available for the mud run, so register now!
Official Ninja Challenge Videos
The Ninja Challenge posted their own Videos: Testimonials If you’re paying attention, I’m briefly in the video right at 0:53 min. 🙂 Trailer And I’m also in this video, same scene, right at 0:59 min. 😀
The Ninja Challenge 2013
Similar to last year, The Ninja Challenge took place at Drake Landing, a hunting preserve just south of Fuquay-Varina, NC. EOCR was able to get a sneak peek and test run to provide feedback a week prior to the race, and it was a lot of fun. One of the differences between The Ninja Challenge …