N.C. State students can express their inner ninja this June in an obstacle course that covers three miles, swinging ropes, monkey bars and 16-foot-high walls.
With events such as the Krispy Kreme Challenge, a five-mile race during which runners must down a dozen donuts, and the Polar Plunge, a mid-February sprint into icy Lake Raleigh, quirky races are nothing new to Raleigh. The Ninja Challenge, which will take place on June 7 in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., may be just the thing for students looking to participate in another race slightly outside the norm.
Founded by John Wei, a 2006 N.C. State computer and electrical engineering graduate, his brother Mike Wei, a 2008 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, and Tad Anderson, a 2009 Duke alum, the Ninja Challenge benefits the Red Cross and the Triangle Aquatic Center in Raleigh. The trio started the race to honor the memory of their friend Karl Besas, who died in a drowning accident in 2010.
“After the Red Cross helped so much in the search and rescue effort after the accident, we wanted to find a way to raise money for them,” Mike Wei said. “We also wanted to donate to TAC because they teach swim safety.”
The donations to the TAC fund the nonprofit organization’s Make a Splash program, which helps teach underprivileged children how to swim.
“Part of TAC’s mission is to promote water safety,” said Bryttany Curran, a member of TAC’s executive board. “We are almost entirely funded through donations, and without something like the Ninja Challenge, we would really struggle.”
In the two years since the Ninja Challenge’s first race, the Red Cross and TAC have together received $30,000, Mike Wei said. Last year, the group was able to double the funding for the Make a Splash program.
“Because of their donations, we now have one of the largest Make a Splash chapters in the country,” Curran said.
The Ninja Challenge event is open to anyone ages 14 or older. Even though the average age is 30, participants have reached upward of 70 years old in previous races, according to Mike Wei.
“We’ve got a lot of families that come out and do this race, like a father-son thing or a father-daughter thing,” Wei said.
Many of the obstacles are based on the show Ninja Warrior, a Japanese reality show in which participants must complete extremely challenging obstacle courses that require immense feats of physical strength.
“Obviously, though, that’s not ideal for large groups of people,” Mike Wei said. “Our version is easier, but we do name some of the challenges after this show. We call the monkey bars ‘Hanging Assassins.’”
Even though it’s not as tough as Ninja Warrior, the Ninja Challenge is hard enough to take each participant somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes to complete. Racers must sprint across planks placed in water, climb over walls, tip-toe across a narrow ledge and balance on wooden beams. After racing, participants can enjoy food, beer, martial arts vendors and additional physical challenges–that is, if they’re not already too exhausted.
“The vendor area is the most fun for me,” Mike Wei said. “Everyone is together with the music, watching the martial arts vendors and having a good time. The race is very spectator friendly, so we end up having more people in the vendor area than racers.”
There will also be two costume contests during the day.
“People get very into dressing up,” Wei said.
Currently, the race costs $10 to spectate and $50 to participate in. Wei said anyone interested in racing should register at theninjachallenge.com. The entry fee will increase incrementally as the race nears.
