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As we wove our way in and out of the vineyards obstacles became apparent. Some of the obstacles were hay bales, cargo climbs, walls, monkey bars and tunnels. None of these required our Burpee pass so we continued on in hopes of using them at the more advanced obstacles. There were tire drags, spider webs and sand bag carries
Participants were immediately faced with a deep and slippery mud pit that had people laughing and taking melfies (mud selfies). The trails were well marked and the terrain was fantastic with streams, hills and trails cutting in and out the conservation area. With over 1200 acres of woodlands, there was a lot to choose from.
As you descended the first mountain face the view was breathtaking and the base camp kept you motivated to continue towards your next obstacle. Over a 9’ wall we went and then down a slippery mountainside to repeat the climb 3-4 more times, each one adding elevation and difficulty to the challenge. Some of the standard Spartan obstacles were present, cargo nets, crawls, barbed wire and fire; they also added some new ones like the rotating monkey bar grab and others that await you in secrecy.
It's one week before the first obstacle race of the season, I check the weather and UGH, it's gonna be cold and damp! Welcome to racing in Canada. We are the only country it seems where we can go from frost bite to sunburn in one day. We load the car and head off to the Hamilton/Niagara region, about a 4 hour drive.
Off to Tweed, Ontario we go. The location for the Doomsday Race was at the Trudeau's Park Resort about 20 minutes north of Napanee on Stoco Lake. This is a beautiful setting with a breeze coming off the water to keep racers cool. I had spoken with the Race Director a few weeks prior and he had some concerns with the amount of rain that they had been having, but he felt that they could accommodate the racers but may need to change some of the parking areas.
It’s a beautiful sunny day and the breeze is gently cooling us as it sweeps across Lake Ontario and down the hill to meet us. Nervous racers are gathered at the base of the Fort Henry hill awaiting the final instructions before the first annual military Cannonball Rush 5K begins.
As a keen obstacle racer I have met some fantastic people during events and while networking online. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Sharenow (Brian) who is one of the creators of the BADASS Dash. His company has been associated with sporting events for over 15 years and became more focused on OCR in the last 10. Brian has been the Race Director for the last 2 years and works with a crew of talented people who are all passionate about building a fun and safe event for everyone to enjoy.
The race itself is a 5K trek looping through woods and fields and back to the main event area. This race is for those who like to run. It weaves through a variety of terrains but the obstacles are few and far between. Racers kept asking whether the fallen trees were obstacles or just the trail itself. The wooded section was the best part with hill climbs, ropes, mud pits and some over unders.
Wow, with three races completed in a one week period, it was a hectic schedule so we decided to end with a FUN race where we did not have to take ourselves too seriously. Dressed in tutus and animal hats we shuffled off towards Buffalo to play in the foam.
This race was located at the Christie Lake Conservation area in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The race itself is an 8KM trek looping through woods and fields and back to the main event area. From the very start of the race, racers are dunked into the lake for a swim and then right into a variety of obstacles (16) including river back crawls, walls, over/unders, monkey bars and mud pits.
