Obstacle races

Obstacle course racing, or OCR, has developed into a cultural phenomenon with events all over the UK and organisers competing to create the biggest and silliest obstacles around. Whether you sign up on your own, with friends or as part of a corporate challenge, an obstacle race is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.

Taking their roots in military training, the first commercial iteration of OCR began in the 1980's when an eccentric former British Army soldier, self-promoted as "Mr Mouse", created the Tough Guy event. It was designed to put participants through their paces in a genuinely strenuous physical challenge, including wading through chest-deep water in January and diving through submerged tunnels. Hypothermia, anyone?

Unsurprisingly, more recent obstacle races, although taking their cue from Tough Guy, are much more accessible to the general public and focus on the sheer fun of clambering over obstacles and running outdoors. Ranging between 5K and 15K, OCRs are usually entered by groups who help each other along the course and enjoy the camaraderie of lifting someone else over a hay bale!

There are, of course, more competitive obstacle racers and even a world championship series for ambitious competitors.

If you've never experienced an obstacle race before, we cannot recommend it enough!