Is Kiviõli’s old ash hill ready for adventures?
The Hero’s Obstacle Race has been held as a series since 2017, with one stage taking place in Narva. The border town enchanted us with its magnificent views and diverse terrain from the first moment. Additionally, we found very helpful assistants and friends there who enthusiastically participated in the organization every year.
In order to provide participants with variety and challenge ourselves with new experiences, we decided to change the competition venue this year. Organizing in a new location always requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone – getting to know the place, crafting new work and course plans, finding new partners and local helpers, and much more. We always like to evolve, offer fresh exciting trails and emotions, which is why we made this move this year. And I believe it’s definitely worth it!
Kiviõli’s old ash hill, now the Adventure Center’s territory, is very diverse, with magnificent views from the top of the hill. Before scouting the course, there was a slight fear that perhaps the area wouldn’t be large enough for an 8-kilometer journey, and we might have to zigzag too much back and forth. However, that fear disappeared as soon as I put on my running shoes and started exploring the hill. To our delight, XCO cyclists have built trails on every side of the hill, which are perfect for us as well. In addition, there is a large cross-country track, small ponds, muddy forest areas, and of course, one majestic hill. This raised the question of how many times should the trail pass through the top of the hill?
When it comes to the Hero’s Obstacle Race, there is always the question of how to achieve a good balance between the difficulty of obstacles and the natural terrain. This means that if the trail itself is on firmer ground and flatter terrain, additional challenges need to be added with obstacles. But if the trail itself is difficult enough to traverse + inclines, then the obstacles should be more forgiving. We certainly enjoy challenges and difficulties, but finding a good balance point is very important.
In addition, we need to find a balance between the front-end competitors and the middle/back-end, or the enthusiasts. This is always a challenge, but I believe we’ve handled it well so far. If five people give feedback that the trail was too easy and five people say the trail was too exhausting, then haven’t we found the middle ground? 🙂
In Kiviõli, you can run on various exciting larger and smaller trails, there are elevation gains and water, along with muddier conditions, exciting obstacles – and hopefully, in collaboration with the adventure center, we’ll set up an exciting new slide! Personally, I had a smile on my face throughout the entire course because the views were stunning, the small trails were very exciting, and the new location was simply perfect for the obstacle course.
Kiviõli Adventure Center has a lot to offer – so everyone, embark on adventure explorations!
