Here are the five coolest team adventure races to look forward to in 2013. Plus, if you don’t have time to train together, but you’re already in decent shape, you can wing most of these for the heck of it. Think costumes, beer, and music. Whoever said racing had to be so serious all the time?
The Rugged Maniac isn’t the longest race, but it’s loaded with 20 tough obstacles, including a 12-foot wall climb, a mud crawl under barbed wire, and a fire jump. Do this race with your less-fit buddies—perhaps those who can’t complete more than a three-mile-run, but still want a mud-run challenge. Hell, throw on a costume and make it a party out of it. Mud, fire, and some beer to replenish at the end — consider this a warm-up run to the Tough Mudder. In 2013, the race will take place in at least 21 cities. ruggedmaniac.com
Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle course that’s so intense it might have you begging for the finish line halfway through. Obstacles include the Arctic Enema cold-water plunge, the Ball Shrinker rope walk, and the infamous Electroshock therapy—a sprint through live, high-voltage wires. Most obstacles, covered in mud or slippery oil, are near-impossible to conquer on your own. You’ll definitely want a team of other Mudders to push and pull you along. Tough Mudder has more than 50 races in store for 2013. toughmudder.com
Are you that guy who’s got a race lined up every weekend? It's cool to bring home the hardware, but we bet your lady is getting pretty sick of cheering you on. The Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run is a perfect race to do with your girl, since you sign up in teams of two. You’ll share one bike, ride/run 6-7 miles total (hitting five obstacles on the way) relay-style. Columbia has eight races lined up in cities across the U.S. for 2013. muddybuddy.com
Remember when you used to watch American Gladiators and wondered what it would be like to be that awesome? (No, just us?) The Gladiator Rock’n Run races are brought to you by Dan Clark, also known as Nitro from American Gladiators. Course distances vary by location and range from five to 10 kilometers long, and each course has obstacles that include a Polar Bear Plunge, monkey bars, and beastly wall climbs. Want to be extra cool? Sport your own gladiator costume. The 2013 season will hold 14 Gladiator races nationwide. gladiatorrocknrun.com
We dare you to convince your buddies to a Spartan. The only goal? To finish. The Spartan Race series has four different obstacle course lengths you can run: the three-mile Spartan Sprint with 15 obstacles, the eight-mile Super Spartan with 20 obstacles, the 12-mile Spartan beast with 25 obstacles, or the Death Race, which is a 48-hour endurance adventure race from hell that is held once a year. The race lengths vary by location. Much like the original bad-ass Spartans, you’ll have to throw, dodge, dive, crawl, and climb through this killer race. Spartan holds races all over the globe, and the 2013 season has 29 events slated already for the US and Canada. spartanrace.com