Iron Viking - The biggest playground in the country
The mythical marathon distance of 42km (42.195 to be exact) remains a challenge for most people. Well, except for Kipchoge who is allowed to go home after 2 h ;)
Good preparation, knowing the course and being able to adapt during the race are usually a must to be able to successfully complete such a distance.
Usually a classic marathon is run in the city. There are also a number of 'nature marathons' that are run in parks, forests and over mountains.
Now, I won't deny my love of adventure. So an obstacle marathon seemed like an interesting challenge to test my physical abilities and mental toughness in a more alternative race.
In the past I had tried a couple of obstacle runs (such as Gladiator and Sparta) and it made me think that Philippide's original journey from Marathon to Athens was most likely also not without obstacles.
And guess what? Once a year an obstacle marathon is organized in Belgium: the event 'The Iron Viking' - Water edition, + 42km and + 100 obstacle axis. Awesome :)
The chosen terrain was the beautiful (and afterwards pretty muddy) domain of Puyenbroeck, in Wachtebeke. Muddy obstacles, towering climbing frames and heavy chains were scattered across the area in combination with ‘natural obstacles like rivers and streams.
Together with Sam (my brother) and Jan (Sam's friend) we made our way to the starting line on a drizzly Saturday morning.
The organization called 'Strong Viking' did its best to awaken the Viking in you with ancient roars and appropriate decor. Still, I've never seen documentaries where Vikings dance to fast, tight beats (reverberating from speakers at the start and finish).
Soon after starting, we decided to take it step by step and to recover as much as possible in between obstacles.
You start with a huge advantage when you can run longer distances quite comfortably. The trail race I completed in Wales at the end of June proved to be an ideal preparation for this. Luckily the wetness of Wales hadn't left any long-lasting traumas, I live in Belgium after all : )
More than once you had to swim a bit through the river, cross the stream or drag yourself through wet mud right up to your hips.
Having a vague idea of what to expect, I had focused on hanging and swinging as much as I could in my preparation - and in between training sessions with clients.
It turned out to be a good investment: obstacles that you could not successfully complete were 'punished' with 10 burpees. The toll of which can quickly add up after a few difficult obstacles… just ask Sam :).
Still, with smiles and the childlike thrill of ‘what’s coming next?!’ we made our way through the largest playground in the country, running from slide to swing, climbing up ropes, and thinking - why haven't I done this before?
Carry the shield
With the right mindset and a controlled running speed, more brain space and energy was naturally available to us to overcome the more complex obstacles.
Obstacles with hardcore viking names such as the Valhalla Walls, Fjord Drop, Flying Ragnar and Rollos Wheels became like riddles that you want to solve as efficiently and safely as possible.
Time and again it came down to getting your breathing under control, lowering your heart rate and diving into your Natural Movement archive to find the appropriate movements that are genetically programmed in every human being.
These natural movements have been trained, refined and enriched over the years. Anyone who comes to training at BeMoreActive is familiar with the essential skills of crawling, walking over a beam, hanging and throwing.
Participating in an 'Obstacle Run' every now and then is an excellent opportunity to test your techniques in practice.
It gives you confidence when you overcome an obstacle and since life is a journey, you also gain a good picture of where there is still room for improvement.
As if the anticipated obstacles weren't enough, in the last half hour of our trip the rain also fell in torrents. We couldn't get much wetter anyway and after 5 hours and 50 minutes the three of us reached the finish line.
And if we ever get it in our heads to try and finish this awesome marathon in a faster time , we’ll have added our own obstacle no. 101 :)
OORAH!
Life is what we Train for!
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Sign up for our Nurture your Nature workshop or the Strong by Nature lesson series and experience for yourself how pleasant life becomes with your regained freedom of movement.
