This weekend, South Estonia experienced what the real summer is all about – a downpour of rain shimmered in the sunshine, as if on cue for the Vägilase jooks (Heroes run) at Lähte quarry. What kind of run is it where you’re crowned the mighty one?
For me, it was the first time to take part in such an extreme race. The thought of taking part was always daunting, but with around 450 of the mightiest runners on the full course, all wanting their share of the 30+ obstacle experience, how could I miss out?
I believe that many of the participants have come to the Heroes series of races through the familiar rants and tales about how there is a race in Estonia where you can get wet and muddy times two, but in reality it is all so much fun!!! It’s enough to make your head spin, but it’s enough to excite a sports fan.
That’s how I found out about the race through social media, with everyone at the finish line with a muddy face but a smile on their face. Supposedly, the third event of the season, the Lähte Heroes Obstacle Race, is the crème de la crème, and since I had the weekend off and needed to train for the marathon anyway, there was no way back.
Find events organized by Seiklushunt HERE.
Bumpy preparations
If you don’t know how to prepare, you just have to go for it. Apart from the organiser’s recommendations and last year’s fast-paced video, I didn’t do much more preparation – better to have unpleasant surprises on the course than to get overly nervous before the run. That’s a recommendation for everyone, and it’s a recommendation that still applies after the run.
“Luckily”, I discovered when I got to Lähte that I had left my worn out and shabby race shoes behind. Snow-white running shoes, which the organisers repeatedly stressed I should avoid, were the only ones to go. The first mistake was recorded, but in my heart I wanted it to be the last.
The emotions of a big race
Several different starting groups, energetic music and sporty noise created a feeling of a major competition even in Lähte. Over 700 people put themselves to the test at different distances, but I didn’t see any serious or grim faces. Even the group competing for first place was glowing, knowing that they were about to embark on an hour-long running adventure that cannot be compared.
As I waited for my starting group, which happened to be the last, there was a kind of anxiety. After a quick warm-up and the starting whistle, everything was forgotten. A large part of the group was already in a mad rush to try the first obstacle, while my friend and I followed them around the bend and waited for the first obstacles.
Over time, running turns into long strides
When the first crawls and jumps over the different pipe rapids were done, my pulse was already racing and my head was thinking that we were all doing ourselves too much at this pace in the summer heat. At the same time, there was a discussion with my running partner that we don’t want to finish last either.
I hasten to add that your finish time is irrelevant – the aim is to actually finish. With our 281st and 282nd places, we are just a statistic in a row and we will forget this result tomorrow. The emotion, however, remains.
Coming back to the course, running on the sandbanks of the old quarry, after the first ten minutes it was time to take my first swim in the water – then I slowly realised where the word ‘heroes’ had been added to the word ‘run’ in the main title of the race.
Passing through a succession of mud and water obstacles, the running stride suddenly turned into long strides of the ogre Shrek, where the body still wanted to run, but a few kilos of mud around the feet took the rising leg straight down.
As I pushed my legs forward, there was a kind of primal adrenaline rush to prove to myself that the next obstacle wasn’t really an obstacle, but part of a great running experience. And so it was right to the end. Some of the obstacles were not obstacles, but a childish reminder of a summer holiday – with water slides even.
The weather adds spice
As described at the beginning, the torrential downpour in the middle of the sunshine was also a reality that turned the experience on its head. So what if the mud got muddier when you’re already muddy, right?
Of course, there were obstacles that were made impossible by the rain, but the organisers always have a remedy. Either an extra lap in the mud or a strong 20 cosmonauts. No obstacle will keep you away from the finish line.
Warm advice to all future participants – the weather forecast does not matter. If it’s going to rain, let it rain. It’s only a bonus and therefore staying home is not reasonable.
The hardest part was…
The hardest part wasn’t the mud or the running, but the different hanging tasks. Feeling like wet laundry drying on a line, you had to move forward either by Tarzan’s method or by sliding head first along the planks. It was in these moments that strength and cunning, as well as a strong mind, came in handy, because each subsequent move could send you from overcoming an obstacle to a muddy extra circuit.
However, I encourage everyone to try every obstacle – the way something looks is not the best way to judge an obstacle, and some seemingly impossible tasks ended up in the easier category.
Camaraderie helps you push on
I took a friend with me for the 7.5 kilometres so we had each other to motivate. It wasn’t a bad idea, as I could see other groups of friends who were not competing for time or place, but to finish together. It was also a chance to physically lend a helping hand to strangers who needed a final push or advice to overcome an obstacle. It is therefore a competition of it’s own kind, not a competition with others or with oneself, but a collective struggle against the course.
New year, new challenges
Although Lähte’s run was the last stage of Seiklushunt‘s Heroes Obstacle Race series, in the new year, I recommend you keep an eye on the news early and sign up – these are increasingly popular events.
Who is this run for? Simply, anyone who is interested. Time doesn’t matter and any fellow runner is willing to help you if you get stuck unexpectedly. The desire to excel is more important than the running form. To a large extent, completing the course is in our heads and in a sense of safety that never really existed. My strong advice to first-timers is to go into the race with a ‘flat out, you’ll go far’ attitude and finish sooner rather than later.
A big bow to organizers from Seiklushunt who made this challenge extremely fun and safe for everyone!
See the full calendar of Seiklushunt events here HERE.
