麻豆社区

Local athletes put on a show this past Saturday in the inaugural Awesome Warrior Challenge hosted at the Mud Bog pit just south of Robert Service campground.

More than 20 athletes put their physical and mental endurance to the test in a challenging obstacle course designed by Taelin Free.

There were mazes, hurdles, ropes, swings, puddles and walls of fire.

There were sections that tested creativity, thinking on your feet and intuition.

Free said the course and the concept for the event was derived from martial arts training.

"The greatest battle in the world is not on the battle field but in between your ears,鈥� he said.

"It's a chance to test yourself, find fears and things in your mind that will push you and challenge you. If you can do that, you're awesome.鈥�

Leading the way on the day was Tom Fulop, who completed the course in 21 minutes and 52 seconds.

He was followed by Terry Joss and Alex Hanson, with Joss less than a miunte behind Fulop.

On the women's side, Julia Gerlach and Kyla Adams battled for the top time, with Gerlach just getting the edge, reaching the finish line 22:42.

Andrea Buckley was third in 26:10.

Three teams also completed the course, the Allout Fitness Dudes, the Allout Fitness Babes and a local Firefighter team.

The Dudes paced the team field, finishing the course in a group time of one hour, 17 minutes and 37 seconds.

"It was really a lot of fun,鈥� said Free. "As a pilot no one knew how it was going to go but we gave it our all, we worked like crazy and everyone had a lot of fun. For our first time out, the amount of enthusiasm and the responses has been great.鈥�

Free said events like the Awesome Warrior Challenge are gaining momentum in the Untied States and he was hoping to carry that over to Whitehorse.

He also wanted to put on an event that was also spectator friendly.

"In the summer a lot of the events are happening in the woods, on the river or on the road and spectators don't get to see anything,鈥� he said.

"So I thought we could shape it so people could see some of it so people could see the skill.鈥�

Free started working on the project eight weeks ago and benefited from the support of volunteers and the local fire department.

Aside from the physical challenges, competitors also passed through a station where they were shown flash cards and required to quickly add the numbers together before they could move on.

There was also a section that tested creativity, where the athletes painted their face without the aid of a mirror and until it satisfied the station judge.

"Different people were challenged by different things,鈥� said Free. "To me that's a more complex and complete way to challenge yourself. It's a mirror of life, in a sense.鈥�

Free said the challenge will be back next year, with improved concepts and more obstacles.

"We're going to be back and it's going to be way bigger and way better,鈥� he said.

"I'm already working on new designs an a new system that no one in the world is doing.鈥�

The top finishers, the Awesome Warrior Dude and Awesome Warrior Babe were rewarded for their efforts with $100 gift certificates from AirNorth as well as a gift box from Aroma Borealis.