Obstacle course racing in a fairy-tale forest

TRENDELBURG FITNESS TRAIL BY PLAYPARC

Author Uta Strasser Photos PLAYPARC AllwetterFreizeitAnlagenbau GmbH, DE – 33014 Bad DriburgSiebenstern, www.playparc.de

Outdoor training is high on the agenda. Fitness parks provide opportunities for physical activity at any time. Especially during the pandemic, when gyms and fitness centres have not been allowed to open, this approach has proven particularly effective. Newly developed obstacle stations from PLAYPARC offer greater variety and an opportunity to train all muscle groups.

Trendelburg, a small town in the district of Kassel (located in the German state of Hesse) is a fairy-tale town in the heart of Reinhardswald Nature Park. The town is dominated by Trendelburg Castle built in the 13th century, which overlooks the river Diemel. If you believe the Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel spent her life in Trendelburg Castle.

But Trendelburg is known not only for its fairy tales, but also for its strong encouragement of physical exercise. In addition to hiking, biking and canoeing tours, athletes can also steel themselves in the outdoor fitness park. The trail, about a kilometre long and built in the summer of 2017, leads through a small idyllic forest area with a total of 21 various stations planned on the left and right.

In April 2021, four Obstacle Course Racing (or OCR for short) installations were added. In such race events, participants have to overcome various types of obstacles. Their origins can be found to some extent in military training on assault courses. OCR trains endurance, strength, agility, speed, skill, balance and coordination. In contrast to classic hurdle racing in athletics, there is no regular running pattern, and the obstacles differ considerably in terms of the skills required to overcome them.

The four new obstacles consist of a climbing wall, a pole to shimmy up and ropes and rings to move around. If you negotiate all four obstacles, you will have trained all the muscle groups of your body.

The outdoor fitness park is designed for anyone who wants to exercise. The equipment offers different levels of difficulty and you can also proceed at your own pace. Boards with explanations of each item of equipment provide information on how to use it correctly. There are both natural training devices, e.g. balancing over tree trunks, and professional equipment such as Calisthenics or OCR devices.

Another piece of equipment is planned for the coming summer, a kind of sky ladder, on which the athletes move hand over hand.