8,000-10,000 racers expected
Thousands of racers will descend upon the Bonnet Carre Spillway on March 5 and attempt to navigate a 3-mile course filled with obstacles that will have them jumping on junkyard vehicles and leaping over a wall of fire.
And while some of the 6,000 competitors that have signed up so far will speed through the course with the goal of capturing one of the many post-race awards, most will be there to have a good time.
This will be the first time that the Warrior Dash has ever visited Louisiana. The event started near Chicago in 2009 and its popularity has continued to spread. This year, there will be 28 race locations across the world, including Australia and Canada.
The Norco race will have 13 obstacles, including “hay fever,” where participants hustle up and over giant straws of hay, and “deadweight drifter” where competitors trudge through waist-deep water and climb over logs. Other obstacles call for the racers to navigate through a forest, burrow through black tunnels, and slither through a swamp.
At the end of the race, competitors must leap over two separate walls of fire that range from 1-2 feet high.
“Warrior Dash is just one of those things that runners and spectators are never going to forget,” Sarah Neukom, a race director, said. “They conquer crazy physical challenges. It’s really a great way for people to be physical and active and have a lot of fun.”
One of the highlights of the Warrior Dash is that the competitors are encouraged to dress up like it is Halloween. In the past, grown men and women have dressed as giant beer bottles, clowns, French maids and ballerinas.
In fact, costumes are such a big part of the event that afterwards contestants are called on stage and a prize, determined by audience applause, is given to the person wearing the craziest outfit.
Ashley Glanz, 25, took part in the Warrior Dash last year in Colorado and said she saw plenty of strange costumes.
“There was a wedding party that wore tuxes and wedding dresses,” she said. “I have no idea how the girls were able to run in a dress, but it was super fun to watch.
“The fire department that was in our heat were all dressed up as Spartan warriors. Once their outfits got wet and muddy I’m sure it made the run that much harder.”
As for the course, Glanz said it was more challenging than she imagined.
“The Warrior Dash experience was like none other,” she said. “I really wasn’t prepared for the physical aspect that it required, but the atmosphere was amazing.
“Being around a bunch of crazy warriors, you couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Glanz said that there were several competitors who tried to finish the race quickly to get an award, but that most were just there for the fun.
“There definitely were people who were there to dress up in crazy costumes and run the race, get muddy and have a few beers at the bottom,” she said. “I was there to get muddy and drink beer…the course was the only obstacle in my way.”
And Glanz had so much fun that she plans on running the race again.
“This year my sister and I plan to come up with some crazy outfits and get a lot of friends to join us. Our friends were pretty jealous of us after they saw our Warrior Dash pictures,” she said. “I can’t wait to add another warrior hat and beer mug to my collection.”
Registration cost for the Warrior Dash is $60 and registration closes on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Competitors will run in one of 13 different waves of participants scheduled for March 5. Up to 500 racers will run in each wave.
Every single participant will get a warrior helmet, a Warrior Dash shirt and a custom Warrior Dash medal. Additionally, every competitor over 21 will receive a free beer ticket.
The race has several different age divisions and awards various prizes. Bands play music all throughout the day and a fireworks show wraps up the event.
For more information on the race, or to register, visit www.warriordash.com.
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