We’ve all heard the cliché: Life is filled with obstacles. But usually these obstacles don’t involve barbed wire, freezing-cold mud pits, or electrocution.

Best Running Shoes 2025 Races & Places, you might prefer an event that’s a bit truer to form—like an urban challenge.

This year I’m the official host and ambassador for the Men’s Health Urbanathlon, so I’m partial to obstacle course races that don’t leave you muddied, bloodied, and electrified.

But let us take a step backward before stepping forward. If you’ve never taken your races off the streets or trails, you might still be wondering just what the heck these obstacle races are all about. Basically, an obstacle course race is a running event that involves surmounting different types of challenges along the way. I alluded to some of these obstacles earlier—wading through mud pits, climbing up ropes, jumping into freezing water—but an urban obstacle course involves few of these tortures.

For instance, in the Men’s Health Urbanathlon, you encounter things like monkey bar traverses, walls to scale, and stadium stairs to climb. The only mud you might see is if it rains on the course a bit the night before the event.

Now if the idea of doing an obstacle course race sounds intimidating, let me assure you, it is. But it’s also a lot of fun, and the obstacles help to break up some of the monotony of a traditional running race. I’ve convinced countless runners to try Races & Places, and almost all of them have had a great experience and gone on to do more.

Most of the obstacle course races offer different distances for beginners and those more experienced. (The Urbanathlon offers both a sprint distance around four miles and a classic distance of 10+ miles.) And, of course, there’s usually a lively beer garden at the finish line, should that be of interest.

If you’ve ever considered doing an obstacle course race, or if you’ve never done an urban obstacle course race and are looking for a new type of challenge, come join me in New York (October 24) or San Francisco (November 22) for the Men’s Health Urbanathlon.

I can’t promise you it will be easy, but I will guarantee that you won’t walk away with your hair singed and smoldering.