Most obstacle courses are designed to be fun, engaging, and challenging — but ultimately, doable. Alas, such is not the case with former Olympic track and field star Nick Symmonds’ Impossible Obstacle Course Challenge.
The two-time Olympian, YouTube personality, and fitness freak has designed his own obstacle course that (as the name implies) is absurdly tough. Possibly even impossible.
And Symmonds is willing to put money on that. When the course opens in March, he’s promised $25,000 to the first person who completes it.
Whether or not anyone will claim that prize money remains to be seen. Symmonds designed the course to test every aspect of athleticism so that only the most well-rounded, single-minded, versatile, conditioned, and pain-thirsty competitors even stand a chance.
Plus, Symmonds has skin in this game. He poured 3 months and $100,000 into designing, building, and fine-tuning the Impossible Obstacle Course. And he’s hoping that with the prize money, he’ll be able to motivate others to put their skin in it too.
“As a pro runner, I learned that when there is cash and glory on the line, it can motivate us to do incredible things,” he said. “I want to give that same experience to my audience. We say our videos are all about having fun with fitness, and what’s more fun than an epic obstacle course?”
‘Impossible Obstacle Course’ $25K Challenge
Ropes courses, Tough Mudder races, the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, and even Ultimate Ninja Warrior courses push those who attempt them to their limits.
Symmonds wanted to push them even further.
And, okay, maybe the name Impossible Obstacle Course Challenge is a little hyperbolic because Symmonds (allegedly) has completed it himself. But he’s eager to see if anyone else can. He says that when he retired from competitive running, he was only good at one thing: running. So he made a big effort to change that and to round out his abilities as an athlete.
This course is a testament to that spirit.
Built at an undisclosed location outside of Eugene, Oregon, the course is designed to test athletes in seven different unique ways. No one knows what those are yet, as the specifics are still highly classified and closely guarded.
GearJunkie couldn’t even attain photos of the course because Symmonds doesn’t want anyone to know what they’re getting into. But it’s safe to say that it’s going to be hard. All hopeful competitors can do, is train and show up with their game faces.
The plan is to have competitors run the course every weekend from opening until someone can complete it. Weekly episodes on Symmonds’ YouTube channel will document the challenge, so viewers at home can watch from the comfort of an armchair, snacks in hand, as lunatic athletes test their mettle. And with $25,000 on the line, it’s sure to be an exciting watch.
The competition is free to sign up for. For exact dates, times, and location, download the Nick Symmonds App for free at NickSymmondsFitApp.com. If you think you have what it takes, there’s only one way to find out.
BONUS TIP: Practice With Tires
While most aspects of the course are being kept closely guarded and totally secret, we do know of one obstacle in the course that competitors will have to overcome: a tire.
Specifically, a really heavy tire. Check out the video below to get an idea of what you might be in for.
Who Is Nick Symmonds?
Nicholas Boone “The Bison” Symmonds is an Idaho boy with a knack for running fast. He’s been sponsored by Brooks Running and Nike. He’s won seven NCAA Division III titles in outdoor track, is a six-time U. S. National 800-meter champion, has won a silver medal at the World Championships, and has competed in two Olympic games.
Suffice it to say that he’s a pretty good athlete. And he’s obsessed with fitness. In the years following his Olympic appearances, he jumped headlong into YouTube personality-hood, building several channels with subscribers in the millions. And all of his content revolves around fitness and running challenges.
So this latest challenge, the Impossible Obstacle Course, was a natural next step. And it might very well be his magnum opus — a Sistine chapel of athletic gnarliness.
