September 16, 2014

 

You know how you watch the show Wipe-Out and you laugh at all those people and say, “I can’t believe they would do something like that”? Well, this weekend, I was one of those people and I now know why! Because it is so much fun! And when you throw in the fact that you’re ‘running’ a 5K and part of your admission is donated to charity, it makes it so much better!

 

The Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge (R.O.C) Race made its way to New York City – or rather Brooklyn – on Sept. 13, 2014. The course was laid out at the Aviator Sports and Event Center on Flatbush Avenue. I have to admit, I was very hesitant to venture into Brooklyn for this. How would the parking be? Was there really enough room at the center for the race? How long would the race take? It was sold out, so I anticipated lines, not only on the obstacles but for packet pick-up too. But once I arrived early, all my fears and worries were put at ease.

 

There were three different waves that you could sign up for. I signed up for Wave 2 – which could give me a start time between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. I was lucky enough to get the 11:30 a.m. start time. I arrived about 90 minutes early and was pleasantly surprised that there was plenty of free parking. I easily found the packet pick-up tent and signed up to get my number and T-shirt. And then I waited. There was a foam party section, along with a little beer garden and food stand. Oh, and there were plenty of Port-O-Potties. But for those who don’t like them, you could utilize the facilities inside the event center, which has a game room and rocking wall, among other activities.

 

There was also a merchandise stand and, of course, a bag check. The bag check used your tag number from your bib, so you could easily pick it up after the race. The spectator area was a pretty big space at the end of the race by the World’s Largest Inflatable Slide, so you could cheer on your loved ones as they finished.

 

Check-in was a breeze. After some stretching and a few bathroom breaks, I was lining up at 11 a.m. to wait for the start of my wave. We waited an extra 20 minutes, which was actually OK, as they were waiting for the lines to clear up on the course. It worked out well because by the time our group started, there were little to no lines!

 

There were 12 obstacles all together, and you were running about a quarter mile or so in between. First up was the Tight Rope Traverse. This one was pretty easy if you paced yourself. If you rushed, you could trip, which I did not. Next was the Jump Balls. I really wanted to by-pass this one, but didn’t want to be a party pooper on the second obstacle. However, after I climbed up on the inflatable little hill, I had second thoughts. And then I just jumped and face-planted into the ball and then the ground, just like most of the people ahead of me. Oh well. Onto the next one, which was the Tarzan Swing. Now, most who know me, know I have no upper body strength. My goal here was to just hold on and get across without falling in the middle. Which I accomplished!

The fourth obstacle was the Sweeper. You had to either run or crawl on a balance beam, while a big foam pole sweeps around and tries to knock you off. Guess who crawled? I tried to run, but as soon as I saw the big red thing coming, I ducked and crawled the rest of the way. Hey, at least I didn’t fall off! Next up was the Gorilla Bars – or monkey bars. Yea, there goes that upper body strength again. I attempted it and on the fourth rung, dropped down and ran to the next obstacle, which was much easier – the Aqua Drag. Basically, it was a big slip-n-slide.

 

And then we were at the half-way mark with the obstacles, with a little over two miles done. The seventh test – the Up And Over wall.  This was actually tougher than it looked. You needed to really pull yourself over the wall, but I did it. I was awkward, but I did it. The next three obstacles were so fun! It was Cool Runnings, which was a big water slide on a tube; The Drop, which was climbing up a hill with a rope and then a big slide; and the World’s Largest Moon Bounce.

 

Then it was the home stretch with just two more obstacles to go! The 11th one was the dreaded Wrecking Ball. And yes, it was just as scary as it looks. Since the balance beam was wet and round, and there were two big balls hurling toward me, I fell off within a few steps. But laughed the whole way down! And finally, after finishing up that third mile, was the World’s Largest Inflatable Water Slide. This was the only obstacle where there was a short wait.

 

Couple of pieces of advice. You will get wet, so wear comfortable clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Wear a costume! It was fun to see everyone dressed up. Pace yourself. If you aren’t a runner, walk/run the 5K portion so you’re not winded at the obstacles. And lastly, enjoy yourself! Don’t be scared, just do it and laugh when you fall down, just like everyone else!