Viper Arena 2016

If your idea of having fun on Saturday midnight is running an obstacle race, then Viper Arena is the right race for you. Since Viper Challenge was introduced, there have been various versions of obstacle races done by Viper, and Viper Arena was one of them. It is a shorter version of the original Viper Challenge (only 7km instead of 20km), set in a stadium (so it means no mud/water obstacles), but nevertheless still as tough and not to be messed with! Not to mention the very late flag off time, so the challenge also lies in trying to stay awake and fight the sleepiness.

IMG_3308IMG_3313We (literally) ran wild on a Saturday night!

True to it’s motto “Leave No One Behind”, most of it’s obstacles are designed to be completed as a team. The scale of the obstacle is huge, you would think it’s designed for giants. You will always need an extra pair of hands to pull you up because the obstacles are too high and you can reach up enough, or an encouraging cheer when it gets tough. All of those upper body training were starting to pay off, but I still need to work harder because I could not even complete the monkey bars.

IMG_3270“Leave No One Behind” taped onto my wrist, just in case if I need the reminder.

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetCompression arm sleeves from Nashata so my hands can move freely and maneuver easily.

However, we spent way to much time waiting for our turn at the obstacle. I lost count the number of times I yawned while wondering will it finally be my turn. In my honest opinion, the waiting time will reduced significantly if they provide several levels of difficulty for the same obstacle, or implement a penalty system just like in Spartan Race, or have timing chips, so people are pressured to complete the course faster.

IMG_3314We reached the halfway mark. This calls for a celebratory selfie inside the stadium!

One of our team members had to catch a red-eye flight, and I was getting lethargic from waiting in line for too long. So we had to split into 2 teams so some of us could take their own time and run at their own pace. Despite the short course, we completed the 7km + 15 obstacles in 3 hours as precious time was wasted with standing in line. This was one of those races that I was glad there was no timing chips!

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.