Obstacles galore for ’warriors’

Participants working hard at the final obstacle.

THE Great Eastern Viper Arena obstacle course held at the Shah Alam Stadium was the perfect opportunity for local and foreign urban warriors to test their strength and endurance.

The evening downpour before the start of the race caused a slight delay but did not dampen spirits.

The race featured 15 unique and challenging obstacles placed around the stadium for a total distance of 7km.

The 10,000 participants, who were released in waves from 7pm until 3am,were challenged in myriad ways. They needed to run, jump, climb, crawl and slide to overcome the obstacles.

The event was organised by Original Bootcamp Sdn Bhd with Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Bhd as title sponsors for the second year.

Great Eastern Life in a statement, said the event attracted 40,000 participants in total in 2016 and anticipates 45,000 participants to take part in the series this year.

Participants working hard at the final obstacle.

The sponsorship is an initiative under the company’s “Live Great Programme”, a health and wellness programme to help Malaysians live healthier and better.

Great Eastern Life chief executive officer Datuk Koh Yaw Hui said Great Eastern Life is committed to inspiring Malaysians especially the youth to turn their health intentions into action.

“This event is an excellent opportunity for them to experience challenging situations and encourage them to work together in a team while having some healthy fun at the same time,” he said.

Aimed at also building community spirit by encouraging the Viper credo of “Leave No One Behind”, the event did not offer prizes for being first but offered participants a finisher medal and T-shirt each to celebrate their triumph over the challenge.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who tried his hand at the first Fence Climb obstacle on the course after launching the event, said the event showed potential as a tourist attraction besides providing youths an avenue to get healthy and could be included in the Selangor Tourism calendar of events.

To keep returning participants on their toes, this year’s event saw the introduction of six new obstacles dubbed: the Splitter, Rope Crossing, Ladder Traverse, Suffering Ring, Flying Monkey and Reach Around.

The Viper Arena in Shah Alam was one of the six legs of Viper Challenges this year. The Great Eastern Viper Challenge at the end of the year will feature 20 obstacles on a 20km course.