Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 64, November 2014 | Page 43

OBSTACLE RACING

Competing in any obstacle race
requires fitness, endurance and
the will to go all-in, but even the
elite racers meet up with obstacles
that they simply cannot beat!
– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

I

n this month’s lead article, Warrior and Impi
Challenge elite racer Dominique D’Oliveira
describes how she took the lead in the sixth leg
of the Jeep Warrior Series by getting through the
notorious Tarzan ropes on her first try, while the
rest of the elite field kept falling off and got stuck
there. It was Dominique’s day, and her upper
body strength and all the hard work she has
done on improving her grip made the difference,
but even she says there are a few curveballs she
finds particularly challenging.
“I would say the toughest obstacles for me
would be the tyre-pulling and sand bag carries.
Not because they aren’t doable, but more due
to the amount of energy it takes to do them,
and especially to do them quickly when racing.
Pulling or carrying heavy objects tends to be
much tougher for us ladies, and often leaves me
with that full-body fatigue,” says Dominique. “I
also find the rope obstacles quite tough, whether
climbing or swinging, but only when they’re
placed towards the end of the race. My upper
body strength is generally quite good, but after
16 to 20km of running, including another 25 or
so challenging obstacles, the ropes become quite
tough!”
Claude Eksteen is another elite who says he finds
the strength obstacles challenging. “I come from
a triathlon background, with running being my

The dreaded sandbag hoist.

The dreaded rings.

strength, which means that I struggle more on
the heavier-weighted obstacles, where upper
body strength is important. This would include
all the carrying obstacles, such as the sandbag
carry, sandbag hoist and log carry. So this is
something that I have had to focus more on
and include in my training schedule. But that’s
what makes obstacle racing so unique. It is
the only sport where you can have 20-year-old
guys racing 40-year-old guys and people who
weigh 60kg competing on the same playing field
as 100kg guys. At the end of the day it’s not
about how big or strong you are, but rather your
strength to body weight ratio.”

strength and a strong grip - pull-ups at the
gym can help you out with this.
• Log Busters: Okay, so it seems simple
enough to carry a log over a set distance,
but it’s something that many athletes take
time to get through, because it requires upper
body strength and endurance.
• Monkey Bars: The real struggle is getting
a decent grip on the bars so you can
efficiently swing your body to the next one –
tired arms and muddy, slippery hands
definitely do not help!
All the athletes agree that getting past these
obstacles is down to your upper body strength,
and since runners often tend to neglect that
when doing strength work, the secret to obstacle
racing success is work on your upper body and
grip. Otherwise you may reach these obstacles
with enough leg strength to get you home, but
not enough vooma in your arms to get past that
obstacle.

Look Out For These...

According to a few top racers we spoke to, these
are some of the toughest obstacles you’ll come
up against in a race.
• Rings or Ropes: Channel your inner Tarzan!
Swinging from rope to rope requires immense

The dreaded rope swing.

What’s Tough?

Images: Zoon Cronje

We asked Modern Athlete readers about their experiences in obstacle racing and
what little devils they ran into…
Chantel Nienaber: “The swinging ropes, usually near the end of a race.”
Niel Cillie: “Definitely any skateboard half-pipe.”
Gerhard Uys: “Rope-climbing, because it just makes your arms burn, so
getting over that, and anything that requires core and arm strength.”
Denis Dendrinos: “Any rope-climb, really. And for the fear factor, the damn
Tower of Rage!”
Amanda Reddy: “Conquering any obstacle that has to do with heights is pretty
scary for me. Hanging or jumping off anything.”
Nicky Lundin: “Carrying a log was bad enough, but then one of the guys
pointed out that I was carrying a man’s log, instead of the smaller women’s log!”
The dreaded log carry.

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