Lothian to host Total Warrior Challenge

Fire, brimstone and plenty of mud are set to rain on North Berwick when 10,000 athletes convene on the seaside town for a brand-new assault course.
Total Warrior challenges are not for the faint-hearted. Picture: compTotal Warrior challenges are not for the faint-hearted. Picture: comp
Total Warrior challenges are not for the faint-hearted. Picture: comp

The Total Warrior challenge will toss thousands of adrenaline junkies into sub-zero waters, shock them with dangling wires and test their stamina through some 30 obstacles that will be sprinkled across a 10km course.

This is the first time Total Warrior, now in its fifth year, has ventured north into Scotland – and organisers are already predicting their North Berwick assault course will help establish East Lothian as a new capital for extreme sports.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Total Warrior has been described by enthusiasts as “Britain’s toughest assault course”, and the group’s first sortie into Scotland next September should also help raise an estimated £50,000 for charity. The two-day event will see a 10km course constructed across the Balgone Estate.

Total Warrior director David Gaffney said: “We’ve spent the last four months scouring the central belt for the right location, and we are very excited about the prospect of bringing our event to North Berwick next autumn.

“The locations we choose to host our events are every bit as important as the obstacle course we build and Balgone is a hidden gem – an amazing location with views to the Law and the Firth of Forth beyond.”

North Berwick Community Council vice chair Elma Danks said the park was perfectly suited to host Total Warrior, but warned the town of just 6,600 may struggle to cope when it is flooded by almost twice as many athletes. Previous Total Warrior events in Leeds and the Lakes District have attracted over 12,500 participants.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There will be some issues that need to be addressed – namely, finding enough beds for people to stay in before and after the event,” she said.

“Also traffic will be a problem. But overall, I think it will be wonderful for the area.”

Pete Rees, the editor of specialist extreme sports magazine Mudstacle, said he expects organisers to deliver “something special” at the North Berwick event.

“Hundreds of new obstacle courses have launched in the past few years, but an overwhelming majority of those are concentrated in the south – there are hardly any options for Scottish athletes, and I think they’ve been crying out for an event like this for quite some time,” he said.

“If Total Warrior pulls this off, I think it’s really going to be something special.”

Total Warrior will hit North Berwick on September 12, 2015.