Tag: warrior dash

  • How to Win a Warrior Dash Obstacle Race

    How to Win a Warrior Dash Obstacle Race

    This guest post comes from Jason Fitzgerald over at Strength Running. Jason wrote our original obstacle race training guide. Take it away, Jason!

    When I beat nearly 17,000 other people to win a Warrior Dash obstacle race, I was more surprised than anyone.

    It was my first obstacle race. I had no experience with any of the obstacles. And I was just having fun!

    I didn’t do any specific exercises or or practice any of the obstacles. If you’re wondering how I did it, I’ll show you how to train for Warrior Dash without ANY obstacle experience.

    My only goal was to have fun and see if Warrior Dash could live up to the hype. The experience led me to write a free report showing you the same principles that helped me win the race.

    Want in? You can download it now, for free.

    Warrior Dash Course Report

    Most Warrior Dash courses have a narrow start – requiring a strategic start. Get close to the starting line so you don’t get caught behind the hordes of runners behind you, wading through mud and yelling warrior battle cries.

    Obstacle courses are typically set up on trails or in enormous grass fields. The uneven footing will slow you down and present its own challenges, so stay vigilant about where you step.

    The first obstacle will likely come out of nowhere (seeing around a lot of people is tough!). Take your time; you don’t want to get cut by barbed wire or suffer a running injury from one of the obstacles.

    Soon, you’ll realize that the obstacles you’ll face are significant:

    • A cargo net stretching two stories high
    • A vertical wall with a thin rope to pull yourself to the summit
    • Multiple truck tires to jump through
    • A concrete tunnel to somehow traverse through
    • A cargo net to climb over (don’t get your leg caught!)
    • Mud, barbed wire, and fire. Get excited.

    Don’t forget the hills! Most obstacle race courses are on an unforgiving series of rolling hills, uneven terrain, and wet grass.

    Preparing for an event like this requires a smart approach – here’s how to achieve success.

    How to Train for an Obstacle Course Race

    Here are the top seven ways to train for an obstacle race:

    • Don’t get hurt! Barbed wire and fire are real! Slow down and crawl low enough under (and jump high enough over) these obstacles. Women should wear their hair low but put together so it doesn’t get caught. Make sure you assume all obstacles (like fire, electrically charged wires, or barbed wire) are real.
    • Start near the front.Don’t start near the back or you’ll be stuck behind the crowd. Bottlenecks behind obstacles always happen, so get out ahead of everyone else.
    • Slow down (seriously).Don’t rush over any of the obstacles. Even though you have to slow down, remember that you can’t continue if you fall off a 15-foot barrier and break your foot.
    • Strengthen those muscles!You’ll be a lot faster over the obstacles if you’re strong. You don’t need to bench 300 pounds, but get comfortable with general strength exercises like a good medicine ball workout.
    • If you want to run fast, run fast.Let’s remember that to run fast, you have to practice running fast. It’s very helpful to run a variety of paces in your training, whether that’s classic repetition workouts on the track, hill repeats, or fartlek runs
    • Become a trail runner. The VAST majority of obstacle race courses are on dirt paths, trails, grass, and other uneven terrain. You’ll be at a huge disadvantage if you’re not ready to run on this type of terrain. Trail running improves your proprioception, balance, agility, and ability to cover uneven terrain more quickly.
    • Run more. Always! There’s a reason I beat over 16,000 other runners to win a Warrior Dash and it has nothing to do with my agility, power, or strength. I was simply a stronger runner.

    Train like a runner and you’ll dominate any obstacle race you enter.

    Train Smart, Race Fast

    Don’t be intimidated to enter your first obstacle race. The majority of registrants are more inexperienced than you are – and most obstacle races are completely accessible to anyone with even a small amount of fitness.

    But if you want even more ways to train for Warrior Dash (and maybe even win!), check out the free report on obstacle races here.

    Here are a few ways to prepare:

    • Run a trail race. The uneven terrain and hills will definitely prepare you for any off-road obstacle race.
    • A Parkour class will teach you how to run over obstacles quickly.

    Obstacle racing is a new and different way to run fast. If you’re bored of traditional road races and need a different challenge, a race like the Warrior Dash might be just the thing to break you out of your rut.

    Just remember that runners will always be the top finishers at any obstacle race so train accordingly!

    photo: Thatcher Clay

  • Winning the Warrior Dash Obstacle Race with Jason Fitzgerald

    Winning the Warrior Dash Obstacle Race with Jason Fitzgerald

    Want to know what it feels like – and what it takes – to win an obstacle race? Nerve Rush interviewed Jason Fitzgerald, who recently beat out nearly 17,000 people in the Warrior Dash obstacle race in southeastern Maryland.

    Warrior Dash Champion! What does it feel like to be the baddest of bad asses in the obstacle race community?

    Surprising! I wasn’t going for the win and I’m amazed that I beat almost 9,000 other competitors by over a minute. A few minutes into the race I found myself in 3rd place and my competitive instincts kicked in; I just went for it.

    I won’t lie – it feels good – but the race has me thinking “how much faster could I go?” Since I wasn’t running at 100% effort, I might have to run another Warrior Dash to see what I’m really capable of. Stay tuned!

    Was this your first obstacle race? If not, how does it compare to the others you have done?

    Warrior Dash was my first obstacle race so I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the obstacles would be tough so I took my time going over them. They can get slippery from the water and mud so you have to be careful not to hurt yourself. My first priority was safety, followed closely by running fast in between the obstacles.

    Because of that strategy, the race felt more like an interval workout: run really hard, rest while going over an obstacle, repeat. It was exhausting!

    Jason Fitzgerald Obstacle RaceLet’s talk obstacle race training. How did you prepare for the Warrior Dash?

    I did zero specific obstacle training. I’m a distance runner so I’m always running a lot and at the time, my training was focused on the 5k distance. So I was in good shape and had the speed to run pretty fast in between all of the obstacles.

    One aspect of my training that really helped was that I do almost all of my running on hilly trails in Washington’s Rock Creek Park. Some parts of the trail are muddy, rocky, narrow, steep, and even dangerous (one of these days I’m going to fall in the river). Practicing those conditions and developing the coordination to run fast over uneven terrain really helped in Warrior Dash. The first half-mile of the race was on a similar terrain so it felt like any other training run for me.

    What’s next? Any nuggets of wisdom for potential Warrior Dash champions out there?

    I’m not sure when – or if – I’m doing another obstacle race, but there’s always that possibility! Right now I have my eyes set on a half-marathon in a few months with a few shorter races thrown in for fun. But there are a few quick lessons I learned from my Warior Dash win:

    • Start at the front (even if you’re slow) – you won’t have to wait behind people at obstacles and you’ll avoid the madness of the crowd.
    • Don’t wear very loose clothing – if it doesn’t get caught in the barbed wire (which is REAL!) it might come off in the mud pit.
    • Get ready for a lot of hills! Not every obstacle race has them, but most of them do and they’re tough.
    • Train on trails before the race. Like I mentioned, it’s incredibly helpful to be comfortable running on uneven terrain.

    Thanks for your time! Where else can Nerve Rush readers find you?

    My pleasure, hopefully your next obstacle race will be just as fun and fast. You can check out my running and coaching site at Strength Running. Also check out my detailed article on how to train for Warrior Dash if you want to learn how you can win your next obstacle race!

    Thanks for the interview and good luck with all your gut wrenching adventure!

    [photo credit: Benjamin Lehman]

  • Warrior Dash [Race Profile]

    Warrior Dash [Race Profile]

    Adding to our list of obstacle races is the Warrior Dash. Based on a very short and unscientific poll I made, this seems to be the most well known adventure race. Although the Warrior Dash brands itself similar to the Tough Mudder, the Warrior Dash is really much more similar to the Mudathlon or the Spartan Race.

    Warrior Dash Obstacles

    This 3-4 mile obstacle race boasts almost 30 locations around the U.S. and is expanding fast. While each location has a variety of courses and no two races are the same, there are some staples obstacles that will conveniently show up no matter where you are.

    1. The Great Warrior Wall
    Grab a rope and start climbing! This 10+ foot wall has a few footholds, but just grab the rope and haul yourself up. Once you get to the top, you need to figure out a way to get down (besides falling). This obstacle takes longer to get through than others, so if there’s a line just sit back and enjoy watching people do things in the name of an obstacle course.

    2. Warrior Roast – The Fire Pit
    Fire in the middle of the course. Yea, that’s right. As you enter the final stretches of the race, you’ll see a few strips of blazing fire. The only way to get around them is to hurdle them like you’re in a high school track meet. Actually, to be fair, if you really want to go “full-Warrior” you can take off your shoes and walk right through it like a boss – just don’t blame us if you get burned!

    3. Muddy Mayhem – The Barbed-Wire Mud Pit
    At the end of most races, there is a barbed wire mud pit. A section at least 30-50 yards long of 2-3 feet deep of glorious mud. On top of that, there’s real barbed wire suspended about a foot over the actual mud pit. This means – you got it – that you are guaranteed to come out of this thing soaked with mud if you somehow managed to get through the rest of the race completely clean.

    Once you’re through, grab a banana and water while you rehydrate and head over to the celebration area. There, you can grab yourself a turkey leg and pick up your free beer and really start celebrating like the true Warrior you are.

    If you’re new to obstacle races, the Warrior Dash is a great way to get started. If you’re a veteran, it’s a good excuse to get outside and do a 5k in an unconventional setting and have some fun with your friends. However, if you’re looking for an obstacle course that’s a different level of challenge, you’ll probably want to check out the Tough Mudder.

    Happy Mudding!