What a bunch of maniacs!
Thrill-seekers romped through mud, climbed ropes, and scaled walls during the Rugged Maniac race at Aviator Sports on June 24. Participants got down and dirty as they made their way across 3-miles and 25 different obstacles, but it was all worth it for the cold glass of beer at the finish line, said one participant from Manhattan.
“It was a lot of fun!” said Nell Davis, who competed with her co-workers as a team-building exercise. “The best part was probably the beer after, though we also enjoyed the obstacles.”
The weekend warriors stepped across the finish line after challenging themselves to make it across fire jumps, warped walls, trampolines, and water slides — just a few of the crazy obstacles along the course that really got everyone’s adrenaline pumping.
And if true maniacs want to go at it again, there are plenty of races to sign up for across the state and country this summer, said one of Rugged Maniac’s head honchos.
“We’ve got a lot of great things in store for 2017,” said Rob Dickens. “For starters, our engineers have designed some big, exciting obstacles that will make things even crazier out on the course. We’ve partnered with Anytime Fitness to produce an amazing obstacle course training program for all of our Maniacs, and we’ve added new varieties of beer to our festival. We can’t wait to bring another year of outdoor fun to the people of New York.”
The wild race, now in its seventh year, is also a party with a day-long festival featuring live music, mechanical bulls, pie eating and strength contests, food and beer. And a portion of the profits and donations collected at the event go to the American Cancer Society. For 2017 so far, Rugged Maniac has raised more than $200,000, according to Dickens.
