People usually go to stadiums at to watch a match or a concert, little did we expect the latest fad of Obstacle Races to be held in stadiums instead.
The crowd spans out in a festive mood, loud energetic music blares over the speakers, you can hardly hear yourself but you’re all pumped up for the Viper Area, brought to you by the founders of Viper Challenge.
The sun may not be shining at night but you can still feel the heat of the moment as you traverse the 7km route with 15 awesome unique obstacles set on the massive Stadium Shah Alam as Asia’s only night obstacle event.
Where Challenge Meets Darkness
Don Wong, better known as Mr. OCR within the Obstacle Racing community supported his colleagues who are mostly first timers at the recent Viper Arena.
It was also a challenge for himself, as Don was racing at Spartan Super Malaysia race just the week prior to this. He had to ensure he rested and recovered quickly, to be ahead of the challenge at Viper.
“They were thrilled because they have neither ran nor climbed obstacles at night. I had to ensure I am capable to help them overcome their fear,” said Don.
“On the course at the Shah Alam stadium, my favourite obstacles were the Eliminator, Rope Climb & Monkey Bar! There were 2 types of Monkey Bar – One with Rings Swing at the middle and one without.”
“I did both types of Monkey bar and it was fairly exciting! A good opportunity to practice as the queue wasn’t long and no penalty was enforced in the Open category. “
Don also commented on the lack of safety features at the monkey bar obstacle setup which was built way too high up.
“Organisers should provide a soft method of landing e.g. lack of padding to absorb the impact,” added Don.
You will see darkness in a whole new light
As the popularity of Viper Challenge has grown by leaps and bounds, and the ‘safe’ nature of the venue hosted in a stadium, many people had come off the sofas and joined the race. One of the biggest “obstacle” was the queue for the obstacles.
“My goal is to obtain Series Finisher and will sign up for both Viper Challenge Genting King of Mountain and Sepang events. Have been VC fan since 2013 at their first race,” continued Don, a regular whom you will definitely spot in the next race.
Acrobatic Yogi meets Obstacle Race
Robyn Lau is better known for her acrobatic yoga poses and bending into positions we think is not humanly possible. How does that give her the upper hand at Viper Arena?
Paired up with Under Armour Brand Ambassadors like Hansen Lee, Peter Davis and Linora Low and joined by Suhaili Micheline, Nicholas Chong and Lynn D Ong from Under Armour Malaysia – Robyn had the perfect team in hand.
“Everyone was so supportive and determined. We had to wait in line to get on some of the obstacles, but thank God we had Peter to entertain us with his British humour,” said Robyn.
Date Night at Viper Arena
“We had fun! Hansen Lee and I have different schedules but we make it a point to train together as often as possible. I even got a good friend of ours to teach me how to climb a rope efficiently!”
“It was date night for us, so we went, decked out in our Under Armour gears, mentally and physically prepared. And yes, I nailed the rope climbing obstacle! It was the most amazing feeling ever! And Hansen was SO PROUD. All I can remember was hearing him cheering me on at the bottom,” said Robyn enthusiastically.
Knight in Shining Under Armour
“We were so comfortable being team mates as we are constantly inspiring and challenging each other. Oh, did I mention he was there to catch me when I fell? I was halfway through and was losing my grip. Hansen came to my rescue,” said Robyn.
That’s a personal knight in shining Under Armour for you, Robyn! Robyn also echoed the lack of safety features at the Monkey Bars. Viper Arena 2016 was the second obstacle race Hansen and Robyn participated in together and they had a better experience this time.
Movement and Mobility training enhances performance
“I’ve been training a lot longer now, so I could finally keep up with Hansen’s speed. Also, with his movement and mobility training, we had the knowledge to get through obstacles efficiently.”
“We really loved the team spirit that everyone had there. We saw strangers helping each other out. There was an amazing energy going around!” added Robyn.
One of the highlights of the night was the new obstacle named ‘The Eliminator’. Due to the difficulty of the obstacle, the queues were massive and everyone waited patiently in anticipation.
At obstacles like these you would really need a helping hand or a dozen. Viper Challenge exudes the spirit of teamwork and lives up to the ethos of ‘Leave no one behind’, hence this inspires newbies to gather some friends and join the challenge.
