Simply put…Nuclear Rush was one incredible race based in Brentwood, Essex, UK, but I’m about to explain in a lot more detail just why you should try a Nuclear Race.
From the start, it’s well signposted, everything is easy and bag drop is even free… Something you rarely find! There are 6km and 12km options, with the 6km containing the majority of obstacles, but the 12k adding that (big) bit of extra difficulty.
The warm up had everyone raring to go, and before we knew it, a massive explosion had gone off ahead of the start line and we were running down a hill straight into knee-deep mud. The perfect stuff to get stuck in.
Now when I say this race was muddy, it was a whole new scale of muddiness. Having experienced many extremely muddy races, I’m 100% sure this has beaten them. From the majority of the race being on mud so slippery you may as well have been running on ice, to getting stuck in waist-depth mud on the ‘ice-cream’ obstacle, by the time we reached the finish line we were completely exhausted.
Every obstacle was brilliant. There were no random walls just to add to the number of obstacles, but every obstacle was something completely new. This brings me to the water area.
Beginning with a jump into freezing water, a swim, bodyboard paddle, zipwire and finally the famous Nuclear Death slide, we were in the water for a good 45 minutes. Every obstacle was incredible, with some serious heights and what they call ‘air-miles’ on the death slide with a kicker to fling you into the air before eventually landing back in the lake.
Queueing was kept to a minimum but the time in water made it difficult to get the body temperature back up. It got to the point that running didn’t even help, and the warmest I felt was when we went into swampy mud. You know your life has taken a strange turn when bogs feel warm to you.
The volunteers were brilliant, cheering on every participant and constantly reminding us “you paid for this”. Nothing like a sense of humour!
With obstacles that tested everything, from mental strength with high up leaning to reach poles to cross gaps, to physically exhausting mud-pits, there was something to challenge everyone. There was even the new Nuclear Helix – a never before seen set of rotating, twisting monkey bars.
There were no normal monkey bars, but hanging rings like in Ninja Warrior, spinning monkey bars, hopes to swing across trenches, spinning rings to make your way across and countless variations of things to make your arms hurt. In terms of different obstacles, this race had so many I’ve never encountered before.
As we got closer to the finish line, the music could be heard and with a few last drops into muddy ditches, we had crossed the finish line… Bruised, cold and exhausted, but also pleasantly surprised at how good Nuclear Rush had been.
You then walk through the warm water. Yes, WARM water showers after being given your medal, which was nothing short of perfect. Unfortunately, we also had a lady noisily reminding everyone that people were getting cold behind us, so the majority of mud stayed on. Either way, warm showers were a real treat and something I’ve never come across at a race before!
After our showers, we were handed a hot cup of tea. Most of my tea went over my GoPro and legs as I was shaking so much that I physically could not hold my cup anywhere near still. Either way, it felt warm on my legs and I’m sure my GoPro (which was now looking a little worse for wear) appreciated it too. The staff at bag collection were also very amused by my inability to hold a cup.
To sum it up, for anybody looking for a real challenge, but a doable distance, get signed up for the next Nuclear Race. A mixture of man-made and natural obstacles, with a great atmosphere and a lot of mud. It might have been a challenge but I have nothing bad to say about the race. The only negative was the fact that my car couldn’t make it back up the slippery hill we’d parked on.
Holly Worthington
I might be only 5'3" but I'm determined to get out there and compete in the most difficult of races.. No matter how high the obstacles may be!
My favourite OCRs to date are Nuclear Rush and Rat Race Dirty weekend, but I'm always trying new races and looking for a bigger challenge!
Latest posts by Holly Worthington (see all)
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