if Viper Challenge 2014 was muddy…
then Viper Challenge 2015 March was muddy & watery. its wet, and very wet, and very muddy, more so than last November Viper Challenge. The obstacles were tougher too.
Pre Viper Challenge 2015 Preparation:
my preparation for viper, nothing here can prepare what i was about to face in March 2015.
Reaching There & Registration:
my start time is 7:15am, supposedly to register 2hrs before but i arrived at 5:45am. the place is already flooded with people. the counter for teams is a lot of people while people registering under “individual” doesn’t have many people.
after done registering and going to toilet, make sure you go toilet first cause there is always a ridiculous long long queue for it. after that, i head to the luggage area to store my bag. if i had a choice, i wouldn’t use it cause claiming for luggage later is a big big hassle. should you really have to use their luggage storage service, try to get a bag that is bright & easy recognizable.
its 7:10am and almost my group starting time. i got the red band from registration as my indication of my starting group. there is a 5ft wall you need to cross before reaching the start zone. i guess its sort of like an initiation obstacle & also a chance to learn how to cross safely if one never do one before.
you have to forgive me for some of the quality of the images, as there was so much muddy pools that my Sony Z1 lens was covered so badly and i don’t have much fresh clean water to clean the lens at many point during the course. i manage to take pic of every obstacle as i reach there so to tag my time.
Obstacles 01: 7:39am – Viper Slushy
ahhh… nothing like a dip into icy pool of water and go down under the water to cross a 15cm board and surface up. you be cold & wet even before the first kilometer.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 02: 7:49am
jumping over the fire, this is really really easy. i was wet and i doubt the fire can burn or light up anything. last year there was a mud pool after the fire hehehe…
Completion: Success
Obstacles 03: 7:51am – Mud Walls
the first half of it was easy, thanks to my adidas shoes which has survive two viper challenge, i go up and come down easy. but some where in middle, they have water in one of the middle trench which makes climbing harder with everyone shoes carrying mud all over. last year didn’t have water in the middle.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 04: 8:04am
Barb Wire, like last year this also one among the easy ones.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 05: 8:10am – Spiderman Shuffle
i couldn’t get a grip on the wood somewhere in the middle and drop in the mud pool. last year i did so well i still couldn’t understand why. hmmmmm….
there were some contestants which were climbing the top to cross over, i don’t think you were suppose to do that way plus it was damn dangerous.
Completion: Failed
i saw this sign was at that moment, it was very amusing. so i decided to take a picture of it.
Obstacles 06: 8:22am – Logs Walls
Logs, multiple logs position around waist high which requires you to climb over. this is another of those which is pretty easy. probably quite challenging for people who are of certain lower height.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 07: 8:34am – Stairway to Heaven
its typically a climbing obstacle that you go top and crossover and come down. its alright as long you hold tight & go slow.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 08: 8:48am – Dry Creek
its a mud path about 500m to 1000m. full of mud, hidden mud trap holes that plunge me knee deep if not careful. a lot of participants were trying to keep clean which i think its just hopeless. in the picture, i just walk through the center.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 09: 9:12am – Mini Walls
there are five walls around the height of 6-7 feet that you need to cross over. this is one of those considerably easy.
Completion: Success
people queuing up for water. it was a long long queue.
Obstacles 10: 9:23am
its like the barb wire obstacle but the threads are a lot lowered but with the water, it makes it pretty to just slide across.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 11: 9:40am – Pipe Crawl
i crawl through the tube into a mud pool with netting above. so i just push the net as high and move forward to get to the opening. pretty easy obstacle.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 12: 9:44am
i used to have trouble with this obstacle last year, as i have to put a leg on one of the support beam to help go up, but this year i can just jump, grab hold, pull myself over without much trouble.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 13: 10:07am
this was in last year but with the difficult setting notch up. the first three hoops goes up and the last three goes down. i manage to get to the 2nd hoop and made three attempts to grab the third hoop which was a bit far. the third attempt my holding hand slip and i went into the pool. would love to give this try again as last year i manage to get across.
Completion: Failed
Obstacles 14: 10:21am
scaling down the hill with a rope, this is another easy obstacle.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 15: 10:40am
like the mud trenches, this has only two but with waist high mud water which made everything muddy. didn’t i say so, muddy and watery viper this year hahahaha…
Completion: Success
Obstacles 16: 10:53am – Slippery Senorita
one of the most enjoying obstacle. first half is fairly slow as its not too slanted and you can actually stop too but after half of it, the angle start to slope pretty deep and you pick up a lot of speed. i didn’t sit too well & when i pick up speed, i was beginning to slide down horizontally slamming into the water. hahaha…
Completion: Success
Obstacles 17: 11:01am – Nerves of Steel
this obstacle is quite easy for me other than the fact that the metal wire was burning my feet as i slide across. i tried to lock the metal wire on my shoes so when i use my hand to pull, it would slide on my shoes but somehow it keep slide back to my upper ankle which cause me some injury, so by halfway, i decided to drop into the water before my skin bleed.
Completion: Failed
Obstacles 18: 11:14am – Rappeling Wall
last year this was alright as i manage to cross above but this year i didn’t. i couldn’t get strength to grip completely after three times trying to go up. Without strength on arms, even if i manage to go up, coming down would be very dangerous.
Completion: Failed
Obstacles 19: 11:32am – Bad Plumbing
like the video in viper challenge fb page this was pretty easy, that is if you come out the right way at the end of the tube. i manage to follow the video way.
Completion: Success
Obstacles 20: 11:46am – Balance Beam
this was a LOT harder than it looks. first the beam is not balance, and it vibrates as well, not to mention the beam tilted a bit when i reach this obstacle. i manage to get to 40% of the way before going into the pool.
Completion: Failed
Obstacles 21: 12:02pm – Define Gravity
unlike last year, this year was harder with after crossing over the top, you have to be very careful as a sharp downward slope. last year there was a small platform, this year if you cross over, you have to stand on the slope first. this obstacle is a lot easier with a team and as i went as individual, i tried a few times and decided no go.
Completion: Failed
Obstacles 22: 12:29pm
there are barrels where the idea is to pass the barrel underwater. not a bad idea to wash off all the mud and dirt before the final obstacle.
Completion: Success
a good refreshing water blast from the fireman, kudos to them to washing away the mud, dirt, and tiredness hahaha…
Obstacles 23: 12:40pm – The Final Obstacle
after three attempts, i couldn’t run anymore as my left calves threaten to cramp so that its for me.
Completion: Failed
i cross the finish line roughly about 5hr and 50min. got myself a medal, certificate, and a dry fit tshirt. i still feel that the Nov 2014 tshirt was a lot nicer in design and color. hahaha… picky me.
courtesy of my friend Andrew who provided some of the pictures and map route we took.
there is no toilet or any mobile cubicles from start till the end. if you really have to relieve yourself, for a female, i think that’s going to be a problem. so for the next viper challenge, best clear your bladder hahaha…
Post Viper Challenge 2015:
i came back around 3pm after a long drive, took a bath and like have to shampoo and soap almost three times. i saw my shoes and socks, i don’t even want to think about it.
my MiBand which i bring along for Viper Challenge recorded a new record, around 31,000 of steps. the distance also seem pretty accurate though. i use some wire strap to seal its lock in order to prevent from losing it during viper.
a day after my skin wounds begin to heal…
despite my friends telling to wear knee protector, i refuse, i just cannot run in those.
it the end, i paid rm124 for tons of skin wound on my leg, a certificate, a medal, and one (M) size T-shirt, completed 16 obstacles and failed 7 ones.
is it worth it?
HELL YEAH!
will i do it again?
DEFINITELY!
more stuff to add soon…
fatsoslim 