Cheltenham Racecourse had no horses, no bookies or beer this weekend, but did have humans scrambling through inflatable tunnels.
Sadly, no bets could be placed, otherwise an accumulator on the group of dads in full lycra and the young child with a large Red Bull at the start line would have been a banker.
The fun-filled event, hosted by ‘Inflatable 5k’, gathered a diverse group ready to get sweaty for charity and fun.
Participants had the opportunity to run in 5k, 10k or 15k distances; each lap being 5k with 10 bouncy obstacles intruding the way.
Upbeat music boomed around the area, channelling people in the zone for their attempt to race around the famous Prestbury Park racetrack, just like a Willie Mullins horse.
Amongst crowds of fitness fanatics and gladiator physiques, there was clear contrast through the aims of each participant.
With some aiming to catch the eye of Team GB or impress their Instagram fitness pages, some imagined the obstacles as balloons that would rise with hot air to carry them the rest of the race.
One of the early obstacles, ‘The Crawler’, consisted of several tight tunnels that had to be crawled through. Many children were nearly lost, claustrophobic runners turned back, and some people just struggled to fit through.
However, this was not a problem for the lady who decided the top of the tunnel was just a walkway to offer her a break from the muddy surface.
Many participant’s favourite obstacle to watch was the final one, suitably named ‘The Boss’. While guarding the finish line, the runners came into this obstacle in all sorts of states.
After dodging through inflatable poles and spiky rolling pins, the slide at the end of the obstacles was the final step of the way.
The 15k runners would practically run down the slide and carry on at the bottom like they had an inflatable 5k pre-season schedule and had a man-made copy of ‘The Boss’ in their back garden they use every night.
On the other hand, others were wishing the slide transcended straight into a bed with an oxygen drip. Backwards, sideways, and face-first runners hit the mud at the bottom.
Many runners helped themselves to a cake at the end of the race from the ‘Drip Drop Bakestop’ bakery to eat with a medal around their neck.
Friends and families stuck around to support their loved ones and soak in the positive atmosphere of what was a great day out for Inflatable 5k and the Cheltenham community.
This weekend marked the end of a busy 2024 season for Inflatable 5k, earning their team a well-deserved break until the next season.
The 2025 tour starts next April, with Ipswich being the first location of many on Saturday, 5th.
With inflatables being dropped off at 22 locations across the UK next summer, check out your closest one and pump yourself up with a ticket for an Inflatable 5k.
