Unveiling the first four obstacles

     The time has come. No, no, not the Beast – you still have a little over a month to train! It’s time to begin revealing just what you will be facing come September 6.  With over 20 obstacles set for the Beast, we have split the course into five different zones. While participants will be facing all the zones at the same time, we’ll be unveiling them at a pace of a zone a week.  For this week, here’s Zone 1.

                Zone 1:

                Here’s where it all starts. This is where the magic happens, where the fun begins, where the Beast first roars. Beach 11 is home to the start of the Beast.

             

A Google Maps view of Beach 11.

     The first obstacle asks a good question: “Are You Shore You Want to Do This?” Assuming you say “yes,” the first obstacle takes you straight into the water for an invigorating plunge.   A Slalom will be set up to take you parallel to the shore.  Oh, and to make it interesting, you’ll be carrying overstuffed sand bags.  Spectators will see a scene much the same as this one:

              

                Once out of the water, it’s on to the next obstacle: “Creepy Crawl.” Participants will go from running to crawling on their hands and knees, coating their wet skin with sand like they’re battering fish for the fryer. Participants will be crawling under netting to make it through to the next obstacle. So why is it called the Creepy Crawl? Well, raise your back too high and you’ll feel the netting brush across our back like the breath of a Beast on their tail. Creepy!

               

                As if we haven’t given participants enough different elements already, next we’ll be introducing another type of surface—mud, muck and more mud.  Call it the Nature of the Beast. In this case, though, we’ll be in the phragmites as part of our third obstacle, the “Romp in the Swomp.”

               

                This is the chance to get muddy and dirty. It’s not going to be a clean walk through Presque Isle State Park – this is the stuff that most people avoid when they come to the park. But not us! All our participants will be kicking up mud as they rumble through the obstacle. This won’t be pretty, but then again, we’re trying to beat the Beast here.

                The final obstacle in this zone is known simply as “Over/Under.”  As the name suggests, participants will be darting over and under obstacles in their way. Crazy, right? Participants will be going over barricades instead of logs, but here’s a look at the type of activity they will be doing:

               

A hydration and nutrition station is located right at the start of the Beast to ensure that participants are properly hydrated and nourished before tackling the Beast. If you don’t use the first station, don’t worry, as there are plenty of other stations throughout the course.

                And that’s it for Zone 1! It seems enough for the entire course, but we have a whole lot more coming your way. Check back next week for Zone 2 which features three obstacles.