The Future of Racing Involves Costumes

Hundreds of athletes gather at the starting line in preparation for their upcoming trek through five kilometers of harsh terrain and obstacles. The excitement is palpable as the crowds watch in a state of overwhelming anticipation. With a sound that permeates throughout the air, the starting pistol lets out a deafening boom, as flames shoot up in a fantastic display of light, and the crowds begin to scream like wild animals. In the midst of all this chaos, the runners are off, as well as the Vikings, superheroes, zombies, and a plethora of other costumed eccentrics that make up this motley group of oddball athletes.
This strange scene belongs to none other than the “Warrior Dash”, a five kilometer, costumed race through various outlandish obstacles which the term “unusual” does not even begin to describe. The race has a huge number of events all across North America and the British Isles, with various unique obstacles for each venue. In addition to the race, the Warrior Dash also boasts live entertainment and food fit for a warrior, all wrapped up into what their website calls “the craziest frickin’ day of your life!”
As unique as the Warrior Dash is, it is most certainly not alone in its love of bizarre spectacles. In fact, the Dash is just one of many races emerging in the relatively recent trend of peculiar and over the top obstacle driven events, known by some as “adventure racing.”
These far-out and wacky displays of athleticism encompass a truly innumerable range of themes and creative adventures for runners. From zombies to superheroes and Vikings, there exists no limit to the pure, insane fun to be had at events like these. This new trend has certainly picked up quite a bit of running momentum in its sweep through the nation. Even some of Atholton’s own staff has caught the adventure fever, including Ms. Clements, Mr. Billups, Mr. Dupski, and Mr. Vennard. However, the question is how has adventure racing gained such incredible popularity and what does it mean for the future of racing?
Adventure racing has opened doors for would-be runners who do not find the prospect of participating in a normal race for the sake of simply running nearly exciting enough. Most conventional races and marathons do not appeal to the general public masses. Serious participants may find such normal races to be fun, but it is a kind of fun that is almost purely exclusive to the hardcore runners.
Conversely, many more people find the prospect of adventure racing thrilling. Running five kilometers while acting out a zombie survival role-playing scenario is the kind of crazy and unique fun that draws the attention of awestruck spectators and inspires them to participate as well. Often times, people who normally would not have joined in on races find themselves attracted to this atypical event.
With the popularity of adventure racing building up like an insane avalanche, it is safe to say that this might just become the future of racing, at least in the eyes of the general masses. Due to the enormous influx of newbie racers who get wrapped up into this particular type of sport, adventure racing has gained quite a lot of mainstream popularity. If people continue to jump on this speeding bandwagon at the current rate, these kinds of races will become the norm. It will not be long before people will be tuning their televisions to watch Spiderman competing in the Olympic Fire Jump.