Getting family and friends together for a day of fun in celebration of living an active lifestyle

On Saturday, September 19, the Braun’s property just outside of Whitecourt was bustling with activity. Kari and her husband Trevor, along with many volunteers, built an obstacle course for their second installment of the Dung & Thistle Obstacle Fun Run. The first event was held back in June and received high praise from attendees. With a few changes, the duo decided to kick things into gear and hold a second event.

“We own property just outside of Whitecourt. I am a certified instructor with Canfitpro, and we both really enjoy fitness. We were talking about this idea one day, and my daughter really likes ninja warrior-type stuff. We thought it would be so fun to have an obstacle course,” explained Kari Braun. “Everyone just loved it back in June, and the feedback was huge. We weren’t expecting it to be how big it was.” She said that contestants probably thought they were coming to run around in a field and go over a few obstacles but that once they arrived, they realized that the endeavour was much bigger than that. “We have a canyon that gets fired off for the start of each team’s run, so that was really cool. It is just a completely different experience! There are yard games in the common area, and everyone is cheering everybody else on. It is a well-organized event. I’m really proud of it,” she added.

One big hurdle that is not part of the fun is COVID-19, but Braun said they had put together all the safety precautions to ensure the rules were followed. “We have sanitizer out, and each group stays together in the common area.  One neat thing about it is that you can easily see the different group themes because they are sitting apart from each other.” They also have a staggered start of fifteen minutes so that the teams are not packed on the course together, and attendees also wore gloves.

Though the event is not open to the public, the Braun’s are looking into the logistics of if that could become a reality. “There are many liabilities in place for holding an event like this open to the public. We are doing this because we like having our friends and family together to have fun, and we wanted to have a great day together safely.” Having it be closed to the public, and invite-only, also made it easier for them to keep COVID-19 restrictions followed by attendees.

For those that were able to attend, the day was pretty fun-filled. “We have 20 obstacles in the field. There is a bean bag toss, fence climb, army crawl, balance beams, golf putts, a ladder crawl, pail carry, tire flip and redneck towing, which is where participants pull a car hood around a track. “We got creative with what we had. We also have monkey bars and an eight-foot wall they must climb over. Once over, there is a deck on the back and a tight plank to walk down,” explained Braun. There was a large wooden box with hip height walls that each group had to climb in together and then climb out of and an obstacle where they had to carry one of their members around a track. Some pathways were overgrown with plants, which added to the fun, and the route was highlighted with colourful ribbons.

Another fun obstacle was the tug-o-war. A team of pullers remained static at the obstacle and waited for each team to arrive. It was a muddy spot that was continually sprayed with water as the day progressed. “Each team takes up to 55 minutes to complete the course, and anyone who fails must do a penalty. “Any obstacle that you fail, you must do 15 burpees. You can share them with a team member if they are willing to help you, though,” she laughed. The Braun’s Dung and Thistle Obstacle Fun Run had 15 teams slated to run, which is just over the number that took part last time. “It’s going to be a really full day!”

Braun said that she and her husband are immensely grateful for all the help they received in putting the event together. “We are super thankful that our friends and family took the time to come out and do this with us, and we are super grateful to those who donated their time or materials. We could not have done this without them!” The day went off without a hitch, and thankfully the rain held off. The course spread out over several acres, and once teams completed it, they were met with loud cheers from volunteers seated safely at the finish line. “We hope everyone enjoyed themselves!”