Review - Nuts Challenge (OCR)

(With thanks to Sussex Sport Photography.com for the photo)

The Nuts Challenge is an assault course adventure race in Surrey. Aka a mud run or more recently Obstacle Course Race (OCR).

I'm not normally one for laps, but this one is a challenge of anything between 1-4 laps of a 4km course. This means you can do a 7,14, 21 or 28km run. Each laps was sufficiently interesting and challenging that I was looking forward to doing my 2nd and 3rd laps because I wanted to use my knowledge of them to try to do better than the previous time.

OBSTACLE RATING: 10/10 The obstacles were numerous & included some really tough ones. Many of the same as on other OCR; scramble nets, wooden climbs, monkey bars, lake crossings. Nuts added some unique obstacles. My favourites:

- 2 adjacent rafts of 10 ringos - this means that you can race another participant across

- oil barrel climb - approx 4 oil barrels on a gradient which you climb up the inside, this is really hard

- 10 wooden bars at chest height to jump over, less than 1m apart - its really hard to keep up the strength to do all 10 at speed & consecutively

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 8/10 There are SO MANY obstacles, this really was intense. The first 7km took me 1hr 45min, which astounded me. I was the first or second fastest female in my age category, so I wasn't slacking!

September is a good time of year to do this course. It isn't too warm, but warm enough to enjoy the water.

MUD RATING: 8/10 There is lots of well watered mud on this event from start to finish.

ORGANISATION RATING: 9/10 These really were some of the most cheerful martials I have met, and there were so many that registration queuing was non-existent. Even the numbers were well thought out, using temporary tattoos on the face or neck and adhesive ones on the shirt. Briefing was breif and to the point with lots of humor.

Would I do this again....Yes, I can't wait to beat my time.