Mens Health Survival of the Fittest
Surviving on the Streets
Rob Howard / 13.10.2008
The inaugural ‘Survival of the Fittest’ took place on Satuday, to the south of Nottingham in the area around West Bridgford and the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.The race was a new concept, dreamt up by Detail Events and sponsored by Men’s Health magazine and was a 10k running race with a difference – well 10 differences really. There were 10 obstacles along the course designed to challenge the competitors and slow them down so that by the finish it really was the Survival of the Fittest. It was like a cross between a 10k and Tough Guy, with a Rat Race ‘urban edge’ to it.
With the support of the magazine the idea really took off and the race was full, with over 1000 entries, which were set off in 5 waves at half hour intervals. The start/finish was on Victoria Embankment on the Trent, not far from the Notts Forest stadium, which was one of the challenge locations, and the course was an out and back to the watersports centre.
The competitors had been told what the challenges were – but until they actually arrived at them really didn’t know what they’d have to do. Challenge one was in front of the start line – a hay bale wall to leap over en masse, and once across the river it wasn’t far to the Parkour Zone. This was set up on the riverside beside the stadium and involved leaping over low traffic barriers and jumping walls and tables – and it wasn’t easy! The Parkour team did a great job of helping, encouraging, coaching (and pushing) racers up and over, then they were on their way to Holme Pierrepont.
After stretching their legs they arrived to find an assault course set up with scramble nets to crawl under and monkey bars to swing across. The final net had cruelly been set over a deep, muddy puddle, but a chance to wash the mud off was just around the corner! This was a 50m ‘postman’s walk’ across a lake (why is it called that?), but turned out to be more of Postman’s Paddle! The wires sagged under the weight of racers and were soon underwater – and so were some of the racers! And if that didn’t get them wet there was a water slide to following – just to make quite sure they were soaked.
This was the turn around point and the return was via another set of obstacles (tyre hops, tunnels, cone slaloms and a maze made of industrial fencing), an urban playground, suitably covered in graffiti, and a stop at the Forest stadium. Here the route lead into the riverside stand and then up and down 8 flights of steps – it was a quad killer!See All Event Posts
