In Ultimate Obstacle Race Training, we went into detail about all the different walls you will face at most obstacle races and mud runs. Some are larger than others (Tough Mudder's Everest for example) others are made from interesting materials (like Hadrian's Wall at Victory Quest, made from old tires lashed together) but for the most part walls are exactly a you'd expect: A barrier between you and the rest of the course that you need to scale - by any means necessary - to continue on your quest to finish the event. To help you in your training, we've designed a DIY wall you can build in your own backyard. You can find the guide here. Enjoy!

Bounce Boot Camp is the first obstacle course– style fitness program utilizing inflatable castles, slides, obstacle courses, and other interactive equipment. Thomas Hill and his team have developed the course to include leadership training, nutritional counseling, strength building, and cardiovascular conditioning so that kids can get fit, develop athletic skill, flexibility, dexterity, agility, endurance, and have fun—all while learning life lessons and developmental skills to be future leaders. Read more about it here

Hey, this is Brett - for those who haven't read any of my books or don't know me, let me just say I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy. I always look for the positive in each situation and give anyone I meet the benefit of the doubt. I've made it through over 4 decades being an optimist, and although my wife doesn't realize it I'm a pretty decent realist as well. One thing I have a bit of a knack for is spotting trends; whether it is in interpersonal relationships or in business. For example, as a graphic artist/digital designer for my entire career, I have seen the cyclical process of in-house and outsourced design teams over the past 25+ years enough that I can spot it from a mile away. I've worked with multiple technology start-ups (and a by-product is knowing more about "Crossing the Chasm" than the average Joe) and I have been involved in the sport of triathlon for well over a decade and have seen it flourish.

Obstacle Races and Mud Runs (Ob/Mud) as a whole are in danger of Jumping the Shark. It's happening right now, and if you care about the sport you need to get off your ass and contribute to the well-being of this fledgeling industry.

As you're probably aware by now, this September our book Obstacle Race Training: Get Tough Enough to Crush the World’s Most Bad-Ass Courses will be released. However, we understand that you might need something to read to help pass the time until you get your hands on our book.

In order to keep mudrunguide.com the #1 online source for Mud Runs, Obstacle Races and Adventure Challenges we needed to create some of the most intuitive features possible to go along with the award-winning video, articles & content.

Here are a few of the latest feature additions:

Hey folks, Brett from 7 Weeks to Fitness here - every so often we'll give you behind-the-scenes access to obstacle races, mud runs and even training facilities. April has been a lot of fun so far; I've been lucky enough to travel to multiple events where I've helped to build obstacles, set up courses and even train on some amazing adventure courses!

There's a tired metaphor that we almost started this article with:
"Life is a series of challenges, we all have our walls to get over... "
blah, blah, blah - duh! You're here because you're not the type of individual to be penned in by 4 walls, a cubicle or stopped by anyone telling you that you can't do something. Instead, you search for obstacles just so you can conquer them: ropes, cargo nets, bars, mud pits... and of course, walls!

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.