12 Awesome Alternatives To Running A Boring Marathon

You probably thought that all races were the same: runners line up at the start and run for an alotted distance. While races and marathons are an awesome way to test yourself and motivate you to run, they can be pretty bland for those of us who need a little more stimulation when we run. Thankfully, there are a ton of races that will get you running while also making things a lot more interesting.

Color Run

The Color Run is a fun, colorful, 5-kilometres, event that is open to both individuals and families. It’s an event that has no time limit, no winners, and no losers. Each participant starts the run with clean, white, clothes and the idea is to end the race covered in a brightly colored cornstarch solution that is discharged by an eager group of volunteers ready to douse participants from head to toe.

Zombie Race

The Zombie Race is a 5K and 15K obstacle course peppered with zombies ready to bring participants into the fold. It’s a fun, apocalyptic combination of humans vs. zombies where humans are running, crawling, climbing and clawing for the freedom to finish the race. But don’t get your health flag pulled by a zombie, or else you’ll join their ranks and turn on your fellow runners.

Tough Mudder

An event meant to test endurance, the Tough Mudder is 10 – 12 miles in length and features various levels of obstacles designed around the concept of teamwork. Each of the 20 – 25 obstacles aim to test physical strength and staying power all while helping other participants complete them as well. There are several signature obstacles which include the Funky Monkey, Electric Eel, and Arctic Enema, to name only a few.

Hot Chocolate Run

The Hot Chocolate Run has two courses, 5K and 15K, and has been named America’s Sweetest Race, for obvious reasons. This family friendly event features an award-winning goodie bag, a post-race party, and, of course, a mug filled with hot chocolate at the finish line. It’s a chocolatey good time for runners and walkers, alike.

Electric Run

This marathon alternative is a 5K route filled with music, lights, and energy that keeps participants fully engaged and pumped up in an electric wonderland. This family event requires runners and walkers to wear brightly colored, glowing, shinny, blinky things as they travel through Electro Rainforest, Sweet Tooth Acres, Rockstar Powerhouse and many other electrically charged worlds. Definitely not a place for dull and boring.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Series

Serious play-listers will be totally amped for this high-energy run with a choice of 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon and relay distances. Live bands are placed throughout the courses, lining the routes and performing various genres, as runners sprint by. In spots where there are no tunes, dance teams, cheer teams, and volunteers cheer participants on to the next musical entertainment along the course.

Spartan Race

The ever-popular Spartan Race is a themed obstacle run with courses that vary in distance from 3 miles to 26 miles. With different degrees of difficulty, the obstacles include heart-pounding challenges such as the Fire Jump, Barbed Wire Crawl and the Object Carry, and require true athletic ability to complete. This race is not for the weak of body as it requires extensive training and true grit to finish.

R.O.C. Race

The Ridiculous Obstacle Course (ROC) Race is a 5K original as it is a game-show inspired run which features 12 obstacles that are wild, wet, and designed to trip you up. The course includes the Wrecking Ball, Sweeper and the World’s Largest Inflatable Water Slide. The ROC takes great pride in investing more than any other obstacle race in extreme safety measures to keep all participants from injury. With over 200,000 ROC stars since its inception, the ROC is a truly unique way to get your exercise on.

Dirty Donkey Mud Run

The Dirty Donkey Mud Race is an action-packed 5K designed to test overall endurance and “crazy” level. There’s a KickAss Category designated for the bona fide athlete where the course is harder, faster, and longer. Along the trail obstacles include the Teeter Totter Topple, Be UNdrunk, and the Monkey Ramp, all designed to get your booty moving.

Warrior Dash

Filled with mud, fun, and an extensive workout, the Warrior Dash is an outrageous obstacle course that takes place on some of the most rugged terrain around the world. The course is approximately 4 miles and includes twelve muddy, adventurous obstacles including Goliath, Deadman’s Drop, and Iron Crossing. At the Warrior Dash, there’s no room for wimpy runners as this extreme event is fast-paced and energy charged.

Badass Dash

Created with the bad-ass athlete in mind, the Badass Dash includes 25 – 35 truly unconventional obstacles that will challenge even the most achieved runner. Conventional marathons have nothing on the Badass Dash with obstacles such as the Chain Link Challenge, Crazy Cargo Climb, and Hellacious Hurdles, to name a few. Participants will achieve an awesome workout and gain a sense of pride all while earning the title of Total Badass!

Punisher Adventure Race

With both 5K and 8K course options, the Punisher Adventure Race is the perfect opportunity to test your athleticism all while rolling around in the mud through challenging obstacles. There are obstacles including Speed Bumps, Rope Over Water, and the Mud Pit, that total 16 in all. You can even obtain a Sissy Pass if the obstacle is too hard for you, but that just means you must walk the plank instead.