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HEALTH&FITNESS
254
January15
A
s someone who considers
herself fairly sporty, I went
ahead and signed up for
the Viper Challenge in Kuala
Lumpur without looking particularly
closely at the details. I knew it was the
biggest obstacle challenge event in
Asia, but – though I’ve never completed
a hopscotch course, let alone an
obstacle course – I didn’t appreciate the
enormity of the task ahead.
In hindsight, it’s a great thing I didn’t
look into it – because if I’d have clocked
the 20km forest route, the walls of fire,
mud pits, ice baths and (so much) more,
I may not have considered myself fit
enough to sign up. And I’m so glad
that I did – it was one of my highlights
of last year.
While a half-marathon through the
forest with huge obstacles is naturally
going to take its toll on your body, you
don’t have to be super-strong or agile
to make it through the Viper Challenge.
Everyone who takes part in this event –
whether they enter as an individual, or
as part of a pair or a huge team – soon
realises that getting through the course
is about teamwork. There are some
obstacles that you simply won’t be able
to complete without supporting one
RACHAEL WHEELER takes on
The Viper Challenge: 20 muddy
kilometres and 20 even muddier
obstacles.
When’s the next Viper
Challenge?
It will take place on the weekend of
14 and 15 March 2015.
How do I register?
Head to
viperchallenge.com
.
Race entry per person starts at $34
– get in early for discounts.
Where to stay
The course starts at Sepang
International Circuit, so I simply
booked one night at an airport hotel;
but there’s plenty of accommodation
in the Sepang area.
What to wear
I can’t express how dirty your clothes
will be at the end of this race – being
covered in mud is unavoidable!
Good trainers or walking shoes are
a must – I saw abandoned shoes all
over the place.
For more information
Visit
viperchallenge.com
for
more (or go in blind and enjoy the
surprise like I did!).
another – at one point, I had five dudes
hauling me over a 12-foot inverted wall,
three on the bottom and two on top
(
oo-er
!).
The Viper Challenge isn’t a race –
there’s no clock; instead, batches of 500
people are released in stages across
the whole weekend and everyone gets
(and fully deserves) a medal. There are
20 obstacles of varying difficulties –
you don’t have to attempt them all, but
everyone does: it’s all part of the fun. My
favourite ones were those that I looked
at and thought: “There’s absolutely no
way I can do this.” And, sure, I ended
up being dunked into muddy water
on a lot of them, but the ones I did get
through? Amazing! You get applause,
high-fives galore and a wicked sense of
self-achievement.
I’m aware of how cheesy this may
sound–but spend four hours scrambling
under electric wires, dangling from
monkey bars and wading through lakes
and you’ll start to feel like you’re part
of a community. A tired, yet hilariously
enthusiastic community.
Wall of fire,
anyone?
I saw this
happen — it
was beautiful
teamwork!
Yeah, I managed two of these before falling in
I signed up with my other half Guy,
but ended up making heaps of pals