Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2014

When you were a kid, you explored places you’d never been to before, climbed up trees, hiked in the hills, crawled in the grass and everyday was an adventure. Now all you do every day is get up, go to work, pay bills, go home, take care of the laundry and the cooking and the other tedious daily chores. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Life is far from the adventure of yesteryear—it’s stressful. Why not release yourself from the stress of daily living and have some real fun?

On July 19 the Viking Adventure @ Makuhari Park will let you relive all your childhood dreams.

You may have heard of the Warrior Dash that is held in numerous countries including the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada. With over 1.39 million global participants, it is the No.1 obstacle course race in the world. That event was first held in Japan in June 2013. Now, Viking Adventure is the first Japanese running event of the same—or even higher—level as the Warrior Dash and other obstacle events such as Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race.

Japan’s first “running entertainment” consists of a 5km course that traverses roads, man-made and natural obstacles, beaches and forested trails. There are no rankings or time limits. All of the obstacles are designed not only to challenge your balance and physical strength, but also to require cooperation with your fellow participants. The goal is to have fun, enjoy the time with your friends and, of course, reach the finish line. In fact, in a race with no winners, the biggest highlight is the sense of accomplishment and the Splash Area at the end where all those who complete the course are splashed with water shooters or balloons by the runners that finished before them!

The Viking Adventure @ Makuhari Park is a challenging adventure that is sure to relieve the stress of your humdrum daily life and get you feeling excited again!

Even if you’re not a runner, you can still enjoy the festival area (free admission), where there are stage events, DJs, live performances, food courts (alcohol will also be served) and many other activities for the whole family to enjoy. So dance, eat, drink, go crazy and have fun for an entire day—whether you are racing or not!

Entry fee is ¥6,000 and applications will be accepted until June 27, 2014. About 5,000-6,000 participants are estimated, so apply now to ensure a spot. With that many people taking part, start times are reserved and one race group will begin their adventure every 30 minutes. There will be 10 waves of racers in total.

Reception opens at 8:30am, the race gets underway at 10am and the action finishes around 4pm.

For more information and to register, visit http://vikingadventure01.peatix.com/, or email at: vainfo@officepraia.co.jp