The anniversary of 1066 may be upon us next week, but Brighton was invaded by a different kind of warrior at the weekend as the Autumn Warrior Run was swarmed by hordes of lycra clad adventurers ready to face the re-designed course. Were these weekend warriors tough enough to survive the challenge? Well this recently discovered ancient text will let you know the way of the warrior..
The Wise Warrior Never Skips Leg Day
Skipping legs day would be widely regarded as a bad move when you met some of the lovelies at the Warrior Run had in store. The explosive power in your legs was well tested by straw bale hurdles, mini hurdles, ditch jumps, tyre flips and a variety of slippery ramps.
The Brave Warrior Does Not Fear Multi Terrain
Mud running? Road running? Slidey slidey loose dirt running? Sand running? Grass running? Stinging nettle running? Thistle running? The unexpected sight of some idiot parking their souped up Vauxhall Astra (I realise that’s an oxymoron, yes) in the middle of the road segment? True warriors are prepared for all of this terrain, whether they run it or walk it. Although I’m not usually a fan of big sections of running, it broke the pack up nicely so we ended up stuck behind a maximum of four people at most of the obstacles.
The Fearless Warrior Loves Enclosed Spaces
In hindsight, singing “Ring o roses” in a creepy little girl voice and making the girls behind me under the bridge section scream was probably a bit mean… it helped them run a lot faster though..
If you are a tiny, weeny person you frequently asked if they are “a real pygmy” at bars, this will not be quite the same challenge as if you are a fully grown adult, but you will enjoy it. From running through water under a pitch black bridge, to crawling through flat tunnels, to incline tunnels, to flooded incline tunnels, a warrior will set aside their claustrophobia and take them on like a badasss.
The Prepared Warrior Climbs To Great Heights For A View Of The Land
Two sets of monkey bars really gave everyone the chance to be king of the swingers for a good five meters, and a series of up and down again pyramids towards the end took weekend warriors literally to new heights!
The rope climb delighted me. If I have a favourite obstacle, it would be that. If there’s no queue, it’s a good place to hang around. Loin cloth optional.
The Zen Warrior Seeks Balance
Balance beams, a traverse wall, tangled threads, steep cambers, sheer descents, abseiling… a test of the core muscles for the unwary. For the traverse wall, two words: second position. If you’ve got a ballerina’s fully rotating ankles, now is the time!
The Guerilla Warrior Embraces Barriers
Walls, everywhere. Fousands of ‘em! Innumerable walls swamped the course, an impenetrable barrier. 8ft walls. 6ft walls. Incline walls. Walls ice cream (maybe not that one). Tactics are everything. There is the bunk up method. There is the stand on the supporting beam method. There is my personal favourite, the “Hands-Armpit-Ankle” method.
And then there’s choosing your optimum spot. I’m a left-sider. Well with this many walls, you can have a go at each method before pouncing on the unwary on the other side…
The Bold Warrior Finds Solace In Challenge
Then there was all the rest. Abundant hills, random clay pigeon shards, log carrying (for the love of little green apples, please always watch what you are doing when carting these things around), a slip n slide (yes, there was extensive posing), things to travel under (roll sideways, it will always be quicker), scramble banks, ladders, a-frames, a sheep dip and gates. The course favoured natural-type man made obstacles over the flashier inflatables and gimmicks and it worked well in the surroundings of the Sussex Countryside.
The Successful Warrior Finds Reward After A Long Campaign
A goodie bag was awaiting the finishers, with tee shirts, water, a bottle of cranberry juice and a lovely medal (a different style for those who have run before vs newbies to the course). The event villiage was like a relaxed music festival (think Lounge on The Farm), with astonishingly cheap food (£4.50 for two massive pork chops in a bun with unlimited apple sauce!), cheesey tunes, plenty of places to sit and enjoy your food and drink and even a smoothie truck filled with healthy fruit based loveliness.
So there you have it, the way of the Warrior.
I think this would be a pretty good race for newbies while still being mentally tough for those on repeat visits or doing laps. They change the course a lot from race to race so there will always be something new. A special shout out to the marshals and the medics as I had to leave the course after a single lap (I wanted to do three) due to a concussion caused by being struck on the head during the log carry by another racer (with her log, obviously, I wasn’t randomly attacked!).
The marshals quickly rallied a medic for me at the finish line who not only gave me the once over but a full diet audit while he was at it (that is service!). It is rare that you will get to spend any time with the medics, rescue divers and support staff at a race but when you do then this is the kind of experiance you want. Amazing stuff, and also from the marshals (they politely but firmly inisited that there was no way I was going back for seconds or thirds in my condition!) who were polite, cheerful and supportive all the way around, cheering and offering advice and a chat and quite frankly were just the warmest bunch of individuals you could hope to meet on a course.
So… are you ready for the Spring Warrior?
