I had to transfer my registration and miss last year's Ridiculous Obstacle Course (ROC) Race with…read moremy team from work due to bridesmaid duties out of town...so this year I was convinced to sign up for the WIPEOUTRUN reincarnation. Our team this year was much smaller, but still fun times. Packet pickup was easy, at the gates to Cal Expo where you got your race bib, shirt (cotton or tech), wristband, bag for sweat check, etc. They also had branded accessories/merch to complete your race-day outfit if you so desired, including a package that had a shirt, headband, and medal saying "I Conquered Wipeout Run!" (medal not available alone).
Picked the earliest start time, 8:30am to tackle the course. The event was organized okay, I wish there were more official race photographers around the starting area with the Giant Red Ball backdrop. I would rate the obstacles overall as good. Not altogether lame, great, or awesome though.
You do have to run a bit from the start until you reach any of the obstacles.
First obstacle was "Sky's the Limit" which reminded me a little bit of Sky High Sports, super bouncy, tumbling and flips ensued.
The next was the "Smash Wall" which provided two walls of varying heights to climb over.
"The Drop" was climbing up steps then going down a big inflatable slide.
The "Sweeper" was a challenge, where you run straight across to the other side while the big sweeping arm tries to knock you down, then there's a small slide. I did conquer that one!
What did me in though, not-so-ironically, was the "Big Balls" obstacle (enclosed). Not sure if I chose the wrong foot to take off from the platform to jump, if I miscalculated how far away it was, or if the balls were fully inflated or what, but I stepped on the first ball then missed the second one. Putting my arms in front of me as I fell, I did a sort of "Superman" pose but landed right in between the two balls in a V, face-down. No bueno for my back. Halfway through the course too! I sat down for a few minutes but didn't feel the need for medic assistance, and was determined to continue. It hurt more to walk than to jog (also pulled something in my left thigh muscle) but I made it.
The next obstacle was "Foam of Fury" which was a grown-up Slip 'N Slide essentially, with foamy bubbles and a big pool at the end. I didn't get a good enough running start so didn't actually slide all the way down to the pool. Lemme tell you, standing up on a wet inflatable surface is hard, I sorta had to crawl to the pool.
The next obstacle was the cousin of the "Big Balls," the infamous "Wrecking Balls." This one required a life vest as the wrecking balls would knock you off the platform into a big pool -- at that point, I opted out of participating in this obstacle, instead stretching out while my team attempted it.
The next obstacle was the "Tumble Tubes," where you ride an inner tube down a big slide (how many big slides so far?!).
The final obstacle was the "Happy Endings" finish, another humongous slide to climb up to the top and slide down.
There was plenty of room for spectators by each obstacle, would've liked more obstacle variety. Not too much backups at the obstacles. I was wary of Cal Expo as a venue since Electric Run last year felt very "spread out." Post-run I didn't notice any particular party with food provided, just the stands/vendors typically selling fair food near the sweat check. Music was plenty, competing DJs or something depending where you sat could hear up to 3 different songs blasting. My favorite part of the event was the feeling of conquering the Sweeper, but once the Big Balls defeated me that feeling didn't last long.
I've done other themed/fun/obstacle runs (Warrior Dash, Color Run, Electric Run) and I consider those much better than WIPEOUT. Granted, I know I signed up knowing this course was inspired by the WIPEOUT TV show, and that the course is meant to attack you, but this was the first time I've almost injured myself at a race. This was supposed to be fun compared to my regular 5Ks, 10K, and half marathons! I did make it through with a smile on my face by the end, but man, I was so sore and in pain the following week. Required two deep tissue massages and I wasn't sure I was up for the 5K I had signed up for the weekend right after WIPEOUT (I did complete that though, and with a pretty fast time!).
I'm not likely to sign up again for another WIPEOUT. If a friend asked me if I would recommend it, I would say that's up to personal preference. Mud and stable wooden obstacles, ropes, etc. are more my thing, otherwise solid ground under my feet. That unstable feeling of inflatable bounce-house type environs really threw me off (literally), and the slides and stuff felt too out of control for my liking.
