Most great ideas are spawned from amazing revelations; sometimes the universe opens up and shares its infinite wisdom in the form of one gleaming, lucid thought. This was not one of those times.

Back in 2004, I participated in the most extreme, dangerous event I'd ever heard of with two of my co-workers at ESPN; Balance Bar Adventure Series. Prior to this event, my racing resume consisted of exactly one event; a really short, easy duathlon that I was talked into by my Buddy Chris (I cover the story of that epic event in 7 Weeks to A Triathlon) and prior to showing up for the mandatory pre-race briefing the day before the event I had absolutely no idea what an “Adventure Race” was and what we would be required to do.

Little-known fact: I could barely run a mile on flat ground, never mind through the single track and hills of Winding Trails in Farmington, CT.

The story of that event can be found in the pages of Obstacle Race Training which will be released this September, and the reason I bring it up is this – that event changed my life in a multitude of ways that weren't immediately revealed when I ascended the final 10′ wall obstacle; some reverberations of that event are still being felt nearly a decade later.

The idea for this book was spawned that crisp, autumn day on the east coast and has been shaped and nurtured by dozens of interviews and hundreds of emails and conversations with some of the most elite obstacle race athletes on the planet, the pioneers of mud runs and obstacle races that have created the most successful launch of a sport ever in the history of organized events and die-hard racers – male and female – that live to compete in these events; those passionate weekend warriors who bleed mud.

Obstacle Race Training features stories, bios and some relatively interesting stuff… and then it goes somewhere you may not have expected – we take you behind-the-scenes at the biggest, baddest events in the world:
Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, Savage Race, Run For Your Lives, Obstacle Apocalypse, Rugged Maniac, Lozilu, Dirty Girl, Primal Mud Run, Terrain Racing, VictoryQuest, Flagstaff Extreme, Bounce Boot Camp (and  more) to get the scoop on what makes their events so exciting and challenging – in their own words!

Of course, the book provides a whole heap of training too – it's names Obstacle Race Training for a reason! With tips from obstacle racing pros and the founders of the events, we show you the most effective way to tackle obstacles, get through challenges and barriers and plan your attack on any course. Walls, cargo nets, ropes, rings, hay bales (some may even be on fire), evading zombies – we've got you covered. Just to make sure you are strong enough to put all the knowledge we've provided to good use, we have a step-by-step functional training 5 week workout created by a certified trainer and obstacle racer to strengthen your body and prepare you for all the challenges ahead.

Whether you're a complete newbie, beginner or experienced athlete, Obstacle Race Training has plenty of behind-the-scenes information, tips, tricks and a kick-butt training plan to get you ready to crush the world's most bad-ass courses!

Obstacle Race Training: Get Tough Enough to Crush the World's Most Bad-Ass Courses


Available now for Pre-Order

Share this post!