Review: Strong Viking Trail Run (19 KM)

Run Abstract (9th of February 2019)

What do real Vikings do when it’s too cold for muddy, muscle-mangling obstacles? That’s a great question, and that’s why we went to Sint Anthonis to find out!

This is the first trail run our friends at Strong Viking have organized. Their goal is to prepare yourself for the 2019 obstacle running season. Especially considering that winter’s a bad excuse to sit still. Strong Viking describes this event as following:

The new Strong Viking Trail Run consists of running on narrow paths (trails), where only natural obstacles need to be conquered such as streams, tree trunks, rocks, hills etc. The Trail Runs mainly take place in the winter period, when it is too cold for obstacle running, and are the ideal goal to train / stay fit during the winter period. Prepare yourself optimally for the new obstacle run season during this new Strong Viking concept.

Strong Viking

Before the Run

Getting to Sint Anthonis from Belgium is fairly easy. Strong Viking provided parking which seemed to be owned by the trailer park attached to part of the track. We were kindly invited to pay five euros for the parking, which is acceptable considering the run itself is quite cheap.

There weren’t many facilities since this isn’t a fully-fledged Strong Viking obstacle run. You had some merch, food, and basic toilet facilities- and that was essentially it. No Walhalla Steps, just a dog toilet that was turned into a starting and finishing point.

During the Run

Out of complete honesty: running without obstacles isn’t exactly my thing- the only thing I can think about is being bored and really wanting to finish, which is my main driver for obstacle course running. Before subscribing for this run I had some doubts about actually doing it because there are no obstacles.

I was wrong. The run itself is simply “fun.” The organization didn’t fail to deliver by creating a trail that revolves around a trailer park, recreational domain, and thick forest.

Nutrition points broke the run into segments and were well-placed each ~5 kilometers. As Strong Viking tradition prescribes, nutrition is sponsored by Herbalife Nutrition consisting out of water, energy drinks, and protein bars. No gummy bears or winegums this time round!

The only part I hated during this run were the sand-based segments. These seemingly endless ankle and heart rate crushing parts provided some beautiful views of the Netherlands, but fall into the “not fun to do, fun to remember” category.

Overall, this run is up to par with the standards you’d expect from a Strong Viking run.

After the Run

This concept is new to Strong Viking, and out of honesty: it’s a nice one. It attracted an audience that spans beyond simply OCR, making it nice to meet (and introduce) normal and trail runners to the concept of OCR.

Trail running provides excellent preparation for the new OCR season since the only difference is the lack of obstacles. 

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