Just back from a terrific weekend in Westport after participating in Killary Adventure Centre's Turf Warrior event. We did it for a friend's stag and it is the fourth such event that many of us had done this year.
Having done six of them in the last two years, with groups varying in size between 10-30 people depending on how many sucke...um...friends we could convince to come along, I think it would be fair to say that we've gained a pretty good knowledge of what we like and what we don't. So, seeing as I have been meaning to write a blog post for the last ages, I thought I might try to rate the four we got through this year:
- Runamuck Challenge - March 2014
- Hell and Back - June 2014
- Adare to Survive - September 2014
- Turf Warrior - November 2014
Originally I was planning on writing them all in one post but given that there are quite a lot of elements to take into account (and my tendency to spout on) I'll give them a post each.
Clonkeeran House, Kilshanroe, Co. Kildare - 01/03/2014
We did this with a group of 19, mostly first-timers, with some veterans of other events. This one was on very early in the year, so things were pretty cold. Participants have the option of doing 5K, which is one lap of the course, or 10K, which means going around a second time. Being a fairly large group, we spent a lot of time waiting for each other to complete obstacles before moving on, so a lot of us felt the cold, especially the guys that ran ahead, and thus ended up waiting longer. Half way around the first circuit I had decided that I probably wasn't going to go around again. Of course, about a kilometre from the end, when my sister cheerily asks me if I'm going to do 10K I had to say yes, not wanting to be shown up by my younger sister. Ah pride. However because there were only seven of us going around a second time at a fairly good trot it wasn't nearly as bad.
Ratings
Price: 5/5
We got an early bird, group rate booking of €16 a head. You're not going to find a more budget-friendly event.
Timing 4/5
The fact that it's one of the first obstacle courses you can do in the year. The flip side of that being that you are at the mercy of the elements. We were lucky to take part on a fine day in a particularly mild winter and it was still cold. You could easily find yourself attempting this in a hard frost, or in the hail and sleet.
Distance 4/5
The option of doing either 5k or 10k is great, as you can be borderline hypothermic after the first 5k, or perhaps you only thought you'd manage 5k, but when you get to the end you feel like you could go for another one. I had heard a rumour that there would be different obstacles for those doing the second lap, which would make it a bit more appealing. But this wasn't the case.
Technically I suppose there'd be no one to stop you if you decided to go around a third time either, but you may be committed to an asylum.
Course 3/5
Good use of natural obstacles, like streams and such, and agricultural bits, like the enormous stack of hay bales, or silage bales (which were very tough to get over). I did feel like there could have been less wading, and a bit more clambering, as by the third or fourth water-filled pit we had to drag ourselves through it was getting a bit old.
Dirt levels 5/5
The name says it all, this is MUCKY! Great if you like getting dirty, being submerged in mud, mud fights with your fellow teammates (or unfortunate innocents who get caught in the crossfire).
Waiting time 4/5
Most of the waiting around that we did was for members of our own group, we didn't often get backed up behind a queue of people waiting to attempt an obstacle, and most of them (the obstacles) could be attempted en masse, with few or none that needed to be taken one at a time, thus avoiding congestion.
Safety 4/5
Plenty of marshals, and no areas that were deep enough to be dangerous for folks who couldn't swim.
Showers 4/5
Not actually showers, but there were three guys with hot power hoses that sprayed people down. Not immensely effective as you're still pretty muddy afterwards, and you only get about 30 seconds of a hose down, but it is fantastically warm, which is well needed, and quite rare in these events. And, so long as you're not going on a first date or doing an important interview afterwards, a quick towel down and a jump into some dry clothes will see you on your way without making a mess of the car.
Food 3/5
Standard fare - hot soup, cereal bar and tea/coffee.
Fun 3/5
Everyone enjoyed it, including myself, although in comparison to other events I found the cold and the repetitive nature of some of the obstacles detracted from my enjoyment of it. All the first timers enjoyed it, although not many of them have come back for a second helping at other events since then.
Overall 4/5
What makes it unique?
The chill factor and the fact that it's the only one on so early in the season. You also get a free mug instead of the usual t-shirt that you get for participating in these events (although you can buy one). It's also the only event I've been to where you are chipped, so you know your time. Our group wasn't what you'd call competitive, so this didn't matter much to us.
The price, again, is a big draw.
The price, again, is a big draw.
Recommendations
I would definitely recommend having some sort of wetsuit to keep you warm for this, especially if you're with a large group that will require a bit of waiting around for. If it was possible to rent wetsuits on site (as you can with Turf Warrior - review coming soon) it would be very handy. Maybe I'm being a sissy girl. But I don't care. I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend this for your first outing, I may have mentioned this already but it is pretty cold, with the potential for misery accompanying it if you're standing around too long. But if you've done an event before and you know what you're in for, go for it.
We were lucky enough to have the talented Anne De Sophie as our official team photographer for the day, and she put together the following montage, which is worth a look if you're interested in seeing some of the highs and lows of the day.
I did have my own camera, an Olympus Tough, that I've brought with me for most of these events, but my hands were shaking too much to use it for the most part, so I handed to a friend who was spectating quite early on.
Next Review Hell and Back June 2014
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