How to Choose An Obstacle Race
Obstacle races are slowly supplanting 5ks as the Weekend Warrior’s activity of choice. But with so many choices how does one know which grueling crawl under barbed wire is the right one for them? Well, you could start with our handy chart above, or read on for a more detailed breakdown of the top obstacle races available.
Alpha Warrior
Tough Mudder
Warrior Dash
Spartan Race
Pick Your Battle: Alpha Warrior
Choosing the right obstacle race for you
Tagline: No Mud. No Miles. No Mercy.
What It Is: is an adult jungle gym with 30 back-to-back steel-and-plexiglass obstacles erected in urban settings, like San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
Defining Trait: Crash pads break your fall. The race requires intense upper-body strength to complete obstacles like Pipe Bombs, a field of vertically hanging metal tubes that must be crossed by hand.
Why You’ll Love It: No running required, and it’s the most spectator-friendly of all the races.
Timed: No
Similar: training facility ($25 per session)
Price: From $70
Pick Your Battle: Tough Mudder
Choosing the right obstacle race for you
Tagline: Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet
What It Is: is world’s most popular hazing ritual, stretched over a 10-to-12-mile course with 20-plus obstacles.
Defining Trait: Teamwork. You’ll need it to conquer obstacles like Everest, a greased-up, 15-foot quarterpipe that you run up and over.
Why You’ll Love It: By finishing, you’ll earn an orange headband, a free Dos Equis, and bragging rights for the year.
Timed: No
Similar: (from $90); (from $59)
Price: From $95
Pick Your Battle: Warrior Dash
Choosing the right obstacle race for you
Tagline: The World’s Largest Obstacle Race Series
What It Is: . The 5K course is beginner-friendly, and the obstacles are appropriate for nearly all ages.
Defining Trait: Prizes, including the fuzzy warrior hats that every finisher receives. Engraved helmets and steins are awarded for the craziest costume, best beard, and top finish times.
Why You’ll Love It: You’ll swim through mud, slosh through water, and leap over fire, then celebrate the rest of the afternoon with live music and beer.
Timed: Yes
Similar: (from $49); (from $69)
Price: From $50
Pick Your Battle: Spartan Race
Choosing the right obstacle race for you
Tagline: You’ll Know at the Finish Line
What It Is: is serious racing, with timed courses ranging from the three-mile Spartan Sprint to the 27-mile Ultra Beast. The obstacles—flipping tractor tires, carrying buckets of sand, hopping from log to log—are basic but brutally taxing.
Defining Trait: Burpees, 30 of them—the penalty for a failed or skipped obstacle.
Why You’ll Love It: Within the series, there’s always a tougher race to try.
Timed: Yes
Similar: (from $39); (from $145)
Price: From $38