Obstacle racing season officially kicks off this weekend with the first of Merrell’s Down & Dirty Obstacle races taking place in Los Angeles. We spoke to MESP’s Alisha Bryant to find out a little about the history of obstacle racing in the USA, and how Down & Dirty has evolved over the years…

Can you give us a Background and evolution of Obstacle Racing as an event?

According to Running USA, which keeps tabs on the nation’s running industry, more than 3 million runners took part in non-traditional runs in 2013, up from a little more than 2 million in 2012, 1 million in 2011 and 100,000 in 2010.  We’ve been producing adventure races since 1996 but the market today is like nothing we have seen before.

Obstacle Racing has exploded in popularity over the last few years! People love stepping out of their comfort zone, challenging themselves, pushing their limits and having a blast with their friends.

How did the Down & Dirty series evolve?

The Down & Dirty launched with four cities in 2010. Since its origin, the series expanded to nine races in 2011, 10 races in 2012, and 11 races in 2013 and 2014. The Down & Dirty is now partnered with national brands Merrell, Subaru, Paul Mitchell, and Larabar! Our goal is to attract 5,000 adult athletes and 1,000 kids in each city.

What obstacles can you expect to find?

The Down & Dirty Obstacle Race includes 12 obstacles on the three-mile course and 20 obstacles on the six-mile course. All obstacles are military themed challenges that will test every athlete’s mental and physical strength. Racers can expect to climb high, put all muscle groups to use, and escape the defeat of some of the most innovative obstacles in the obstacle race industry.

A few signature obstacles to look forward to are the 24 ft. Monster Climb Concrete Block Pulley System, Colossus climb, and Slippery Mountain. Others include various climbing structures, weight pulling through rugged trails, and hurdling over wall towers.

How do you keep people coming back for more?

Athletes keep coming back to prove their strength, check out the new obstacles, beat their time from last year, and dare their friends to do it too!  As such, we are constantly equipping our course to keep up with the demand.

This year we are fully rolling out our Brick Division.  The Brick Division calls all fearless competitors who are looking for an added challenge. Women will be provided a minimum of 3 bricks and men a minimum of 5 bricks to take over, under, and through each obstacle on the course. 

Alisha, thanks for your time.

Not a problem.