If running a 3.11-mile race isn’t enough of a challenge, try running it with 12 obstacles in the way of the finish line.
Participants of the Warrior Dash Louisiana ran a 5k and braved obstacles such as climbing over vertical walls, leaping over fire and crawling through muddy water Saturday in Denham Springs.
Warrior Dash is known as “the world’s largest running series,” with race locations throughout the year across the United States, Canada and Australia. This is the second year Warrior Dash has hosted a run in the Baton Rouge area.
The Warrior Dash’s national charity partner is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for which participants have the opportunity to raise money.
Kinesiology freshman Nya McWoods volunteered at the event through Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity. She passed out water and medals to race participants.
McWoods said she looked forward to completing the race at the end of the day after all the registered participants finished.
Some warriors took their role seriously and chose to dress in costume. Many participants wore fuzzy Viking-like helmets, while others stepped outside of the box.
“This dude shaved his chest hair into a bikini top and bottom,” McWoods said.
Other costumes seen at the race included a banana suit, Kiss-like face makeup and Perry the Platypus from the Disney Channel show “Phineas and Ferb.”
Taylor Landry, accounting sophomore, said her friend encouraged her to take part in the race this year, but she also wanted to do it to raise money for St. Jude’s.
Landry said this was her first time participating and she feared the vertical climb of the “Great Warrior Wall” most because she said she doesn’t have much upper body strength.
Tylyn Corona, University alumna, affirmed Landry’s fears and said the “Great Warrior Wall” was the hardest part for her, too.
Corona said her favorite part was getting down in the mud during the “Muddy Mayhem” obstacle. Completing this obstacle required participants to military crawl underneath barbed wire through muddy water.
After finishing the race, of-age participants had the opportunity to drink beer, eat giant turkey legs and listen to a band.
A Warrior Dash participant excitedly leaps over flames on October 13, 2012 in Denham Springs.
