Survival of the Fittest: A beginner's guide to obstacle course races

Five vital tactics to give you a head start in Wembley Stadium's first ever 10k obstacle course race  
Ed Vanstone16 June 2016

For the first time ever this summer, Wembley stadium plays host to a 10k obstacle course race-Survival of the Fittest. Follow our five-point crash course to ensure you can thrive – as well as survive – on July 23.

1. Use your body

When planning to traverse bales, bars, slides and slopes in between regular running stints, it's best to do a little more prep than cardio work alone. Experimenting with a few body weight training moves will help build the strength required to haul yourself over – or under – whatever the course throws up. Think press-ups (doing them on your knees is fine), knee tuck jumps, lunges and body weight squats. Try a circuit of 10 repetitions of each move. Rest for 90 seconds after each run through. And do as many circuits as you can… Try to improve the number you can get through week by week in the run up to your race.

Give it your best shot 

2. Make friends with benefits

No matter how fit or strong you are, a leg up never goes unappreciated – especially on some of the more intimidating obstacles. During a race, as in life, one should never be afraid to ask for help. It's common to find some of the more burly and better-prepared competitors sacrificing minutes from their finish time to catapult the less blessed among us over a wall or two. Repeatedly falling over next to altruistic Adonises is infinitely more humiliating than accepting a toss over the top. It's not cheating. It's pragmatism. Take the boost.

Teamwork

3. Kit yourself out

Don't skimp on your shoes. What you're after is a pair of grippy running trainers which are lightweight, waterproof – and hardy enough to withstand a battering. Fingerless gloves are also a good bet to help with the multitude of swings, bars and blocks. Just don't wear anything brand new on race day. Few things can tarnish the unbridled joy of storming through a giant inflatable castle, but the soggy chafing of untested lycra will do it. The soggy chafing of untested lycra, truth be told, can tarnish almost anything. Make sure you're decked out in tried and tested gear that won't strangle you when wet. Because you're going to get wet.

Get stuck in

4. Beat the bottles

Conventional race day wisdom recommends you avoid setting off from the start line too fast. If you have any aspirations about clocking a decent time, ignore this completely. Storming to the front of your group is the only way to ensure you don't get caught in the bottlenecks that inevitably crop up around the first few obstacles. If, on the other hand, your only wish is to crawl across the finish line before dusk, you should still set off from the start line like a lunatic. Frankly, it's just more fun that way. And that's what the day is all about.

Aim high 

20 Instagrams for fitness motivation

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5. Fuel up right

No need to gorge on pasta the night before. Nerves lead to poor digestion; poor digestion leads to a sleepless night; a sleepless night sucks the fun from your day. Just stick to a regular size meal with a decent amount of carbs for your final pre-race dinner and have a very sensible breakfast. Think porridge, a bagel with some peanut butter, bananas – or whatever's worked for you best before training runs. Finally, sip (don't swig) a sports drink and plenty of water all morning, but stop 30 minutes before the starting gun for a final bathroom break. Now, you're ready. Good luck.

Good luck!

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