“Race of Heroes”: 5 of the steepest obstacles according to Ksenia Shoigu

“Race of Heroes” is a real test for anyone who dares to test his or her strength. The past winter competitions left the most vivid impressions of conquering the peaks in Mitino. The participants, as always, had to overcome obstacles of varying degrees of difficulty, climb Elbrus and prove to themselves that they really can. The inspirer of the project Ksenia Shoigu shared with us her personal rating of tests on the track.

Pyramids with hooks

In my opinion, one of the most interesting obstacles on the race. This is a test that some of our participants in different cities of Russia know well. A pyramid with hooks looks like two fences, located at an angle to each other. On top of them there are hooks for hands, and there are quite a lot of them. At the same time, there are much fewer ledges for feet. Therefore, the main task of the participant is to distribute the force on his hands in such a way that it is possible to reach the end, as well as to use the inertia of his body to reach the next support with his foot.
This type of construction allows, firstly, to develop their strength, and secondly, to work on the coordination and coherence of the whole body. There are also quite fascinating forms of passing this obstacle for girls – it is when they are supported by young people so that they do not fall down.

Length: 9m
Width: 3m
Height: 2.6 meters

Gymnastic bars

They themselves are very unusual, because they have a special shape. The first part of the obstacle is the bars called “Wave”. The second are broken lines that look like gas pipes.
I only managed half of this challenge myself. Then I slipped, because the bars can be quite slippery if they’re wet. And then I pretended to be a person jumping and trying to keep my balance.

Length: 11 meters
Width: 4 meters
Height: 2 meters

Cube with netting

This is an epic obstacle of nine meters high. As they say in our technical department, it is a prism rather than a cube, but for simplicity we call it that. It is built from metal trusses, which are used for the stage and building any non-standard structures. Due to the fact that the faces are fixed on one side and the other, the cube keeps its balance on one of the edges. It is covered with mesh, so that the main task is to overcome it at different angles, including at a negative slope. Climbing up is actually quite scary. Especially breathtaking at the top. Then you start to descend, and having overcome this obstacle, you get a huge amount of emotions. Personally, I had a lot of impressions and a small cart.

Length: 19.5 meters
Height: 7 meters
Width: 10.5 meters

Handwalk “Swing”

This is the most favorite obstacle of our dear athletes, because “Swing” is one of the simplest maneuvers I have seen in nature. It consists of alternately arranged straight swinging beams. Accordingly, the main task of the athlete is to use the inertia of the body and the swing of the arm to cling to the next beam while swinging. From the outside, it resembles a monkey grasping lianas in the jungle. In the final part of this challenge, there is a rope to climb down. In my opinion, this obstacle is very interesting and fun. I’ve been through it myself. When our technicians assembled the “Swing”, we tested it for a very long time. Now it is even used in some gyms for training.

Height: 3.6 meters
Width: 9 meters
Length: 10.5 m

Barrel-Wheels Handwalk

Everyone knows this obstacle from the championship (a form of competition, which implies the possibility of participation in the Superfinal of the “Race of Heroes” and selection for international competitions). This year “barrels” will also be on the amateur track. So I think that a large number of participants, who are just starting their way in the race, will have a lot of fun getting acquainted with this obstacle. “Barrel-Wheels” is a handwalk, which is two planks on which a cylinder with metal ribs is placed on top. Grabbing alternately for them, you move the cylinder along the rails, thus moving forward. This is a really exciting challenge that requires stamina.

Height: 3.2 meters
Length: 8 meters
Width: 8.4 meters