Most courses at Wheaton College don’t require the ability to race across a balance beam or to master monkey bars—well, unless it’s an obstacle course.

Get ready. On September 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., during Parents and Family Weekend, Grit ‘n Wit obstacle course race will be on campus to test the physical and mental skills of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends.

The goal is to teach how to respond to challenges, which comes in handy to succeed in life. The race is also designed to build community, confidence and creativity as individuals and teams work through the problems.

At Wheaton, there will be 17 checkpoints throughout the three-mile race involving physical  obstacles—from carrying sandbags to maneuvering on monkey bars—as well as mental challenges, such as puzzles and memory games.

The course will take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete, says Judy Allen, assistant director of recreation, intramurals, club sports and fitness who brought the team-building event company, Grit ‘n Wit, to Wheaton’s attention.

“I learned about this event at the National Intramural and Recreation Sports Association conference that I went to a few years ago,” Allen says. “I presented it to our athletic director, John Sutyak ’00, and the Office of the President, and from there it took off. I think this event is just what we need; it provides Wheaton the ability to have a race that isn’t a traditional 5k that requires prior training.”

Race registration is currently open. The cost is $5 per person and you can register as an individual or as a team of up to six.

Register Online