Civilian Military Combine

You just finished 90 seconds of thrusters, 90 seconds of burpees, 90 seconds of box jumps, and 90 seconds of kettlebell swings—as your warm-up. Known as The PIT, this circuit begins each of Civilian Military Combine's adventure races. It's there to even the playing field between endurance runners and power athletes, obliterating their areas of strength to purely test each athlete's overall conditioning. With muscles full of lactic acid and humility, individuals and teams then embark on the approximately 5-mile trek, which is strewn with obstacles used to train US soldiers. Competitors might crawl through muddy waters and beneath logs and barbed wire, climb over ladder walls, and evade cars that didn't properly follow their GPS's instructions.

Recognizing that their courses are for those in excellent physical condition, CMC's organizers post training advice to give racers an idea of what to expect. Every event benefits partner charities, such as Team Racing for Veterans and Heroes of Tomorrow.