A hardcore obstacle course race designed by British special forces, tough mudder tests your strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. Your team will forge through ice water, mud, fire and 10,000 volts of electricity – making sure no one gets left behind, and finishing off the day with beer and live music.
Known as “the happiest 5K on the planet,” the Color Run is the original paint race that hosted more than 170 events around the world in 2013. Join the fun this year and wear white to the starting line. You’ll finish the race doused in color before attending the larger-than-life Finish Festival equipped with music, dancing, and even more explosions of color.
This Grant, New Mexico quadrathlon combines biking, cross country skiing, running and snowshoeing for the ultimate adventure course. The race starts at an elevation of 6,500 feet and climbs to the spectacular 11,301-foot summit of Mount Taylor before returning to the finish line. Compete alone, in a pair, or on a relay team.
Touted as the world’s toughest obstacle course, this extremely demanding 5K features fire jumping, cargo net climbing, mud-crawling and more. You never know what challenge will be thrown at you next on this course, but finishers receive a furry warrior hat and get to celebrate with beer and live music.
Fans of the walking dead will want to sign up for this one. Run for your life from a horde of zombies who will test your speed and endurance in this fun race. “Survivors” who finish the race with more than one health flag will receive a medal, while everyone else will join the horde of the undead. Choose to run alone, as a team or be one of the zombies.
For a less serious, more fun run, get a team of your friends together, put on ridiculous costumes and gear up for Tap ‘N’ Run. Featuring “beer chug” stations along the route, the course is only 4K, meaning anyone can finish it in less than an hour. Everyone who finishes receives a medal that doubles as a bottle opener, and there are prizes for things like best ‘stache and best short shorts.
Will you be able to resist the urge to yell “THIS IS SPARTA!” as you charge the obstacle course of the Spartan Race? We won’t judge you either way, but prepare to be challenged during this race designed by eight ultra athletes. The Spartan Race offers events for all levels of athletic ability, but only those with true Spartan blood in their veins attempt the most challenging, the Ultra Beast Marathon.
Adventure lovers will navigate 50-mile courses set in beautiful destinations in Colorado and Utah on foot and via kayak or mountain bike. Special activities like rappelling keep even top athletes challenged, although the event does cater to both aspiring and elite athletes. Note: you will need to know how to kayak and mountain bike to enter.
Your ultimate destination: the Beer Garden of Eden. But before you get there, you have to make it through this 5K complete with obstacles that represent the seven deadly sins. Expect to dart through fire, crawl through mud pits and run through a river to prove you should be allowed to escape purgatory and have a beer.
There are plenty of fitness events where you can chug beer, but wine lovers haven’t been left out. At the Marathon du Medoc in the Medoc wine region of France, runners take an adventure through vineyards and breathtaking landscapes, stopping at numerous drinking posts along the way. Taste the best of the best French wines and snack on delicacies like oysters, foie gras, fruit and cheese between sprints. This one might take a while to finish, but there’s nothing else quite like it!
