Survivalrun is a fast-growing sport in the Netherlands. The sport is not very well known yet. Are you not sure what to imagine when thinking of survivalrun? In that case, you have arrived at the right page! Here we explain exactly which obstacles you might encounter and what you get to learn!
During a competition, usually called a run, you will complete a trail with obstacles. The track can cross any variety of terrain, for example forest, fields, villages, etc. Many obstacles are built out of beams and ropes, but often we use recycled material. This can literally be anything! Think of old fire hoses, car tyres, beer kegs, axes, lanternposts; you cannot think of an object crazy enough to make an obstacle out of! Hommes, the track owner, always makes sure that new obstacles are being built every now and then. This means there’s always a new challenge to conquer! During runs you may also encounter obstacles of natural origin such as digs, ditches and hills.
Below, we have summed up the most commonly found obstacles.
The Swingover! This is probably the most fundamental obstacle in Survivalrun and you will definitely encounter this one. You climb up using a rope or something else, roll over a horizontal beam and climb down again.
Many obstacles are swinging obstacles. You swing from hold to hold using your arm muscles. Like thise monkeybars, for example!
Vertical ropes: Make your way across vertical ropes by using your arm muscles and a tactically placed foot-knot.
The Monkeyhang: Climb with you hands and feet to the other side along a horizontal rope!
When you’ve grown completely tired of that monkeyhang, you can also crawl over the rope using the catcrawl!
Not all obstacles are about speed, endurance and strength. Solmetimes it’s about precision and concentration as well; This is especially the case during archery. Get ready to channel your inner Robin Hood and hit the gold.
Triangles! The name speaks for itself: these dangly geometric shapes provide a great, although notoriously slippery way of reaching the other side. They are so much fun when you’ve got the hang of it though. Get it? Hang? 🙂
Chopping wood: yeah sure, roasting marshmallows above a fire sounds warm and cozy, but to make that happen, first you need to chop a lot of wood!
This one is a bit similar to the monkeyhang when it comes to technique: with horizontal nets you need to climb underneath the net to the other side. That does not stop our members from using them as a comfortable hammock for a break though 😉
The Tarzanswing! This one is always awesome to do and you really get a kick out of it if you succeed. Practice your best primal scream, because this obstacle got its name for a reason!
As if running all those kilometres was not hard enough already… sometimes you need to shoulder some extra weight, such as a tyre or beam. And then you get to drag that weight with you on a run so you can forge a special bond between the two of you! Fun! 😀
Of course these are only a couple of examples. But there’s an unlimited amount of possibilities! At every run you run, you will encounter obstacles you’ve never seen or practiced. But the fun is precisely in figuring out on the spot what the best way is to cross an obstacle. And everyone is always ready to give advise and exchange tactics!