The History of Obstacle Courses for Military Fitness, Sport, and All-Around Toughness

For the past few years, you’d be hard-pressed to scroll through your Facebook feed, especially in the summertime, without seeing some of your friends posting pictures of themselves at the finish line of an obstacle course.Events like the Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, and Tough Mudder have become well-known parts of the modern recreational scene.You might think these mud-filledtests of stamina, agility, and toughness represent a new cultural phenomenon, but their roots actually trace much farther back in history. Before becoming the proving ground for a kind of sport — a challenge for challenge’s sake — obstacle courses were used as training devices, designed tobuild the mental and physical fitness of soldiers, sailors, and marinespreparing themselves for combat, as well as civilians interested in strengthening the whole man.Georges Hebert and the Origins of Obstacle CoursesIllustration from one of Georges Hebert’s physical education books (1913).Obstacle courses, like almost everything e...