Running an obstacle race or a mud run is a great chance to get out with a group of friends and go push yourselves outside of the daily norm. It's a chance to help others achieve goals while you also achieve your own goals. For these reasons, many decide to tackle an obstacle race as a team or with a group of others. But racing with a team is not for everyone and sometimes the best option is to race solo.
It comes down to you and your motivation for that particular race or event. These are a few questions to ask yourself before signing up for your next event.
What is your goal?
Are you trying to qualify for a championship race?
Are you competitive?
Do you take racing seriously?
Do you care about your time?
Do you hate to wait for other people?
Do you prefer to suffer in silence or be around a lot of people?
How is your patience level?
Can you do the obstacles by yourself?
If the majority of the answers are yes, it might be best to decide to go it alone on race day. Then the next decision is whether to race open or elite, although if your answer was yes to most of the questions above then elite or competitive heats are probably your destiny. That does not mean ditch your friends all together but instead, come up with a plan for race day that allows you to race your race and then be with them for the after party.
If you typically approach races solo and go out to see how hard you can go, challenge yourself to run with a team.
There is not an option that is better than the other one. Many seasoned athletes can find great joy in helping a family member, group of newbies or officemates help got through a race. Many of the un-timed mud runs are the perfect place for those looking to run in a group to run together. Tough Mudder is just one of the un-timed mud runs that cater to those looking for an extreme challenge but also most interested in having a good time with a group of friends. Also running with a team or with a group can help you boost your skills and for those still working on accomplishing all the obstacles running as a team is a great way to succeed together.
Whether you choose to run solo or run with a team for your next event you can have a blast. Test out both ways of racing and find out which one best suits your personality. If you have only ever raced on a team, challenge yourself to run solo sometime, you never know what new friends you make on the course along the way. Overall, have fun and experience all that is obstacle racing and mud runs.
You can also do both! I have run a few races where I run solo early and then run with a team afterwards…It’s been an awesome way to enjoy a day going all out and then hanging out with old or new friends laughing and taking in everything 😀