Ideas to Make an Obstacle Course Fun & Messy

Obstacle courses have been a mainstay offshoot of running sports for years, and a fun way to test and challenge participants. A recent shift in making the courses more interesting and even messy has prompted all kinds of dirty and silly obstacles with everything from costumed groups doing a mud crawl to sliding down a hill covered in plastic on an oil-slicked slip and slide.

  1. Water Pit

    • Having runners walk a log across a water pit or even making them slog through the water is a good way to cool down the runners and make it a fun messy obstacle. The element of attempting to stay out of the water if it is a log crossing provides a challenge, but running through deep water is also challenging if it is merely a water pit. Another element commonly over a water pit can be a rope climb or rope net, so that if the climb is not successful, the participant ends up in the water having to fight her way across to accomplish the obstacle.

    Slip and Slide

    • A plastic sheet, water, oil or even something messy like pudding can make for an interesting, fun and very messy obstacle. It can be a crossing in a rather boring area, where the participants can show their style in sliding across the span of the plastic on their belly, back, trying to stay on their feet or whatever other entertaining way they can think of. The best bets are water or some kind of cooking oil to keep the plastic as slippery as possible. This works well for a hill or a flat location.

    Mud

    • Mud is a classic messy obstacle element that is also a lot of fun. Crawling through a mud pit, having to cross logs over a mud pit, sloshing through a wet bog before the finish line or even a big muddy pool are all elements seen often in dirt-themed obstacle courses. Creating a mud slide on a hill creates a fun and dirty part of a course, and a more fun way to get down the incline. Having to crawl under a net through the mud ensures dirty participants and a difficult maneuver as they have to get through thick mud to reach the other side.

    Costumes

    • For many larger annually held obstacle-course races where dirty and messy obstacles are a prime element, groups attend each year and dress in a theme. Custom T-shirts with team names, funny hats, flower leis -- anything to represent the group and add some fun and silliness to the affair -- is welcome. Everyone with a different version of viking horns, ballet tutus, anything with a ridiculous tone to the theme is all the better.