A New Look for Terrain Race
Review Submitted by an OCR Community Member.
Find him on IG @buckar00_banzai
Photo Credits: Justin Muir for Terrain Race
The Terrain Race has been redesigned. Apart from the Mud Monkey logo, Terrain Race is almost unrecognizable under its new ownership. Many of you have probably gotten wind of all the free races being given out by Terrain as they’re giving the brand a facelift (including the changing of brand colors from orange and black to red and blue). The free races are not a sign of financial trouble, rather it’s the new ownership trying to build up their base and showcase the new product. Just seeing them actually having a social media presence has been a promising change.
All of the wooden obstacles (except for the walls) have been replaced with aluminum-framed structures. Their signature Tarzan Traverse is still around, but the monkey bars over the pool are gone, as are the pools at the starting line. I have mixed feelings on the start line pools being gone because they added an element of uniqueness to the brand.
On the other hand, that drop from the monkey bars into the pool was well-loved and will be missed. The current monkey bars, rope climb, vertical cargo, and multi-rig are similar in scale to what you’d find at a Spartan Race. This fact, coupled with the almost non-existent wait lines at obstacles, made this a perfect opportunity to get some obstacle practice in.
There are no competitive waves planned for this year, but running multiple laps wasn’t an issue and we cranked out 2 laps before calling it a day.
After speaking with Colin, the Race Director, it sounds like competitive waves or specific races (series) marked as competitive may be on the horizon, but nothing is planned for this year.
It’s a good course to just go have fun on. Don’t show up expecting the grandeur of a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder, or expect to see world class athletes toeing the line; rather it is a family-friendly course that is great for beginners or first timers.
The overall vibe seemed positive, with lots of groups and families running the course. As before, Terrain remains open to kids as young as seven allowed on the course.
Although I didn’t get to see any of the action, there was also a kids’ course set up off to the side. My only complaint: at least at the Tucson venue, the course seemd to be well short of a 5k with my Suunto logging the course at only 2.4 miles.
The Terrain Race in Tucson, Arizona was my first ever OCR and that venue will always hold a special place in my heart, but it was weird not seeing Lashay Marks and his red mohawk with a mic in his hand motivating everyone at the start line.
It’s all about mindset. Enjoy Terrain for what it is, rather than what it isn’t.
You can find a list of upcoming races on the Terrain Race website, by clicking here. There is no shortage to choose from! Will you be attempting the newly overhauled Terrain Race?
(OCRRacers.com reached out independently to Terrain Race to obtain the related images for use in this article, and the photos do not belong to OCRRacers.com or the person that wrote this review. Photo credit goes to Justin Muir for Terrain Race, and any permission for further use of the photos in this article should be obtained by Terrain Race).
3 thoughts on “New Look for Terrain Race”
Where can I find the obstacle list for the 3/11 Houston, TX terrain race?
In the past Terrain Race has not always published a map in advance. You might try keeping an eye out on their Instagram or Facebook pages as the event gets a little closer to see if they publish one, as well as any pre-race emails if you’re already registered.
Typically you’ll find lots of mud, walls to go over, monkey bars over water, cargo nets, and either an awkward or heavy carry at their events (though not as heavy as a Spartan heavy carry). Enjoy!
-Bethany
Thank you Bethany.