2. ii
ABSTRACT
ELIMINATING THE RISK: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
RISK MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES
IN EXTREME OBSTACLE RACES
JESSICA N. SOHN
JUNE 2016
Risk management is a vital aspect to any business in order to keep all involved
stakeholders safe. Even after taking every precaution possible for an event, there is
always the possibility of accidents. The purpose of this study was to comparatively
analyze organizational practices and policies involving risk in extreme sport obstacle
races. Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run companies were studied with a comparative
analysis checklist to gather information on efforts to minimize physical risk and discover
what each individual company does in preparation for injury during races. The study
found that training information available prior to the race, concise waivers, properly
trained medical staff, and proper annual maintenance of a racecourse all help prevent risk
and allow event participants to be well educated. To prevent risk effectively,
recommendations include requiring military-trained doctors and continuously update
training information on the companies’ websites so it’s current and accessible.
Keywords: risk management, extreme obstacle race, maintenance, medical care, waiver,
The Wolf Run, Spartan Race, Inc.
3. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................iii
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE.................................... 1
Background of Study ...................................................................................................... 1
Review of Literature....................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of the Study....................................................................................................... 8
Research Questions......................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 2 METHODS......................................................................................................... 9
Description of Organizations.......................................................................................... 9
Description of Instrument............................................................................................. 11
Description of Procedures............................................................................................. 12
Chapter 3 PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS........................................................... 13
Training Guides Available Prior to the Start of the Race............................................. 13
Access to Knowledge of Obstacles and/or Rules ......................................................... 14
Ways of Transfering Risk to Participants..................................................................... 15
Maintenance of Course................................................................................................. 16
Medical Assistance Available During Race ................................................................. 17
Chapter 4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................ 19
Discussion..................................................................................................................... 19
Conclusions................................................................................................................... 22
Recommendations......................................................................................................... 22
5. 1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Background of Study
Risk management is one of the most vital aspects of any business in order to keep
all involved stakeholders safe and protected. This aspect is important to keep in mind
especially when participants are partaking in any form of organized recreation. Everyday
life is surrounded by unforeseeable accidents and it is a recreational facilitator’s duty to
manage the possible risks involved in any event.
Even after taking every precaution possible for an event, there is always a
possibility that an accident may occur. In the summer of 2014 alone, 17 people died at
music festivals around the world from accidental trampling or drug-related activity and
were only predicted to rise throughout the year (Brown, 2014). Many music festivals
exist for recreational activity but most attendees are not expecting any type of injury to
occur, let alone fatalities. Just as music festivals have grown in numbers over the years,
another category of recreational gathering has sparked interest over the last decade or so;
extreme sporting competitions for the athletic individual. These races can range anywhere
from three to more than 26 miles and include challenging obstacles throughout the
course.
In 2013, four million participants in the USA competed in non-traditional running
events (Running USA, 2014). To put this in perspective, only 2.5 million people finished
in half-marathons and marathons combined. Unlike musical festivalgoers, extreme sports
participants in non-traditional running events usually are forewarned about the risk of an
6. 2
athletic event, but there is always a possibility a racing company can be liable for injury.
As the number of non-traditional running events increase there is more potential for
participant injuries. In this study, the researcher performed a comparative analysis
between organizational practices and policies involving risk in extreme sport obstacle
races.
Review of Literature
Research for this review of literature was conducted at Robert E. Kennedy
Library on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In
addition to books and other resources, the following online databases were utilized:
Academic Search Premier, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, and Google Scholar. The
researcher used the literature to support the ideas of financial risk management, risk
management in facilities, and risk management in adventure and extreme sports.
Risk management is often an important strategy to consider throughout life. With
this, risk management in general can take on many different meanings. When thinking of
general risk management, most immediately think of financial risk. Pai, Hsu, and Lin
(2013) stated that, “the 2007 subprime mortgage distress in the US, have shaken
investors’ confidence in the worldwide capital market as well as in the integrity of global
corporations” (p. 1717). Financial stability is a common worry in business because the
economy is fluid and dynamic. Since the 1960s, businesses have come up with
forecasting models that can better help them predict future changes in economic outlook,
but in no means is it completely accurate. As time passed businesses wanted to find out
more about their financial standings and to predict their future standings with more
7. 3
accuracy. Technological advantages have further improved financial econometrics and
have allowed daily volatility measures to be more accurate (Maheu, Reeves, and Xie,
2010). Forecasting financial models can be difficult to decipher for the average person as
they involve many complex mathematical equations and are created and completed by
professional business analysts. While creating forecast models are important, Shumway
(2001) noted that out of all of the types of forecasting models, forecasting bankruptcy is
one of the most helpful models to any successful business. Unfortunately, researchers
have also been known to inaccurately forecast bankruptcy, which in reality could be an
avoided risk. Shumway has stated the following observation:
Researchers who apply static models to bankruptcy have to select when to
observe each firm’s characteristics. Most forecasters choose to observe each
bankrupt firm’s data in the year before bankruptcy. They ignore data on healthy
firms that eventually go bankrupt. By choosing when to observe each firm’s
characteristics arbitrary, forecasters who use static models introduce an
unnecessary selection bias into their estimates. (p. 101)
Shumway has offered advice in that businesses should constantly be forecasting their
next move to avoid loosing their business. It is crucial to understand the financial
standing of your business at all times and what the possible variance could be for your
return on investment (ROI). Even in the healthiest businesses there is always a chance of
possible failure. Financial instability can result from a force majeure event or a lawsuit
from a stakeholder due to negligence or wrongdoing. These circumstances should be
factored into any type of financial forecasting. Just as financial risk management is an
important factor of business success, diligence in keeping stakeholders safe within or
8. 4
connected to a company should also be a high priority, as this is the safety aspect of the
term risk management.
Risk management of injury unfortunately plays a role in a person’s everyday life.
When one begins participating in organized physical activity, there is always a possibility
of injury, which the organization could potentially be liable for. Actions along the lines of
supervision, instruction, equipment and facilities, and emergency and medical procedures
could bring on claims of negligence (Dougherty, 2010). In order to make sure law
protects a facilitator, it is vital to have the knowledge of four key elements. The presence
of legal duty of care, a breach of duty, proximate cause, and actual damages are four key
elements that must exist for an organization or any one person to be considered negligent
(Teague, 1996). To help keep negligence to a minimum, it is important to have a risk
management team to survey the area of the upcoming recreational activity for any
possible hazards. The recreational provider could also provide mandatory waivers and
warnings that are thorough for participants to sign or agree upon. A written document
with a participant’s signature could either hurt or help a company in a lawsuit depending
on how it is worded.
Within sport-like activities, there are four risk management strategies to consider
in fitness programs and facilities: exposure avoidance, loss prevention, loss reduction,
and contractual transfer (Eickoff-Shemek, 2015). Exposure avoidance strategies in a
facilities setting can include actions such as not offering high intensity exercise programs
or providing free weights. Although reducing high intensity programs and free weights
could potentially eliminate risk, most gym members want these activities for a complete
workout. Athletes require high intensity training and weight lifting to succeed in their
9. 5
sport careers and if they are taught the correct way to push themselves towards success it
will yield less injury over time. The second risk management strategy explained includes
loss prevention techniques. Again the solution provided is to make sure participants are
well educated in the activity they are participating in, such as showing an individual how
to ride a stationary bike or turn on and off equipment properly. The third risk
management strategy is loss reduction. This strategy is designed to make sure the
appropriate professional tends to a participant with an injury right away. Every sport
related company or facility should have an emergency action plan in place. This is meant
to avoid any possible lawsuits from negligence and to prevent an injury from getting
worse. The fourth and final risk management strategy is contractual transfer. Mentioned
in earlier findings, this could either add to your protection against lawsuits or potentially
make matters worse. Eickoff-Shemek mentions that the two types of transfers are
insurance and waivers. It is critical that both of these types of transfers are created with
the help of a lawyer in the state that the facility or event is located. Facility safety risk
management is easily the most manageable type of safety risk management. Most
exercise machines are in a specific place and the facility itself is contained in a specific
location. When reaches the outdoors the risks become harder to manage and area cannot
be secured as well as an indoor facility.
Sports that take place outside can range from water sports to skydiving. A handful
of sports fall under the category of adventure sport that can take on many different
meanings. Most of the time these adventure sports can be explained as sport in which
participants seek a high amount of adrenalin. Most of these adventure sports are far more
dangerous than any “regular” established sports that have been around for decades, as
10. 6
they involve risks that are fatal. As adventure sports have become increasingly popular,
there are now coaches available that specifically study the risks of adventure sport to help
aide participants in making decisions. Collins and Collins (2013) state that:
All adventure sports are characterized by a degree of risk, since they require
specific technical skills, possess an element of physical challenge and occur in a
continually changing, (largely) non-competitive and dynamic environment. One
key characteristic of this challenge is that risk plays a central role in adventure,
has a synergetic relationship with the challenge and is often a major factor in
participation. Indeed, participants may seek out the input from the adventure sport
coach to allow them to better their own experience and develop skills that support
their high pressure, ‘in the field’ decision making. (p. 72)
The harsh reality is that not all adventure sport participants take the needed time to
calculate all of the possible risks that come with the activity that they are participating in.
Even if an adventure sports coach calculates every risk along with an adventure sport
participant or if the participant happens to calculate the risk on their own, there will
always be unforeseen accidents that can take place. If an adventure sport enthusiast is on
their own outside of an organized event or organization, they have little reason to sue or
blame anyone if they suffer an injury. If it is an organized sport through a company and
they get injured, they could potentially file a lawsuit due to negligence, despite the near
impossibility of predicting the injury that occurred. Some athletes that seek adventure and
thrill are satisfied by non-competitive adventure sport to challenge themselves on their
own, but some even seek an even greater thrill that is highly competitive; extreme
obstacle races.
11. 7
Extreme obstacle races incorporate a multitude of themed ideas built into the plan
for the race, including those involving zombies, devils, firemen, and Vikings (Nerve
Rush, 2016). These types of extreme races could take as little as 30 minutes to complete
or as much as four days. They include anything from mud pits to electrical fences and are
set in high-intensity atmospheres. In most of the states that extreme races occur, the
participants sign waivers agreeing that they will be at fault for any injury or even death
that may occur. Lupkin (2014) describes in detail what one can expect from an extreme
obstacle race:
…Doctors say obstacle racers risk serious injuries that are rarely seen in
traditional races for bragging rights. They expect to see sprains, scrapes, and even
an occasional heart attack after marathons and triathlons, but say they see more
acute injuries after obstacle races. (p. 1)
The goal for any obstacle racing organization is to provide a fun and safe event, but they
can take a turn for the worst. Participants have died in drowning accidents, have caught
deadly infections from ingesting muddy water, and have obtained numerous electrical
shocks that have harmed the heart indefinitely (Lupkin, 2014). Without any knowledge of
preparation for most, they enter the race under the impression it will be like traditional
races, but are mistaken. There are a multitude of risks involved with races like this.
Lupkin (2014) suggests that one of the ways to keep injury to a minimum is to encourage
racers to pace themselves safely and finish the race without concern, but some find that
nearly impossible when they have such high adrenalin levels.
12. 8
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine organizational practices and policies
involving risk for extreme obstacle races including Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run
companies.
Research Questions
This comparative analysis attempted to answer the following research questions:
1. Are participants provided with sufficient resources to prepare for the risk
involved in extreme obstacle races?
2. Is the risk transfer clear between the participant and company?
3. How effective is the company’s medical assistance management on event
day?
4. How thorough is the maintenance of the course prior to the race day?
13. 9
Chapter 2
METHODS
The purpose of this study was to examine organizational practices and policies
involving risk for extreme obstacle races including Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run
companies. This study utilized a comparative analysis approach. This chapter includes
the following sections: description of organizations, description of instrument, and
description of procedures.
Description of Organizations
The Wolf Run (2016) is a series of extreme obstacle races that takes place during
each of the four seasons throughout the year. Wolf is an acronym for woods, obstacles,
lakes, and fields. The Wolf Run first began in 2011 at Welsh Road Farm in
Warwickshire, England. Currently, two of the four races take place in Spring and Autumn
at Welsh Road Farm. Since 2011, they have had around 6,000 people participate in each
event from a year-to-year basis. The Wolf Run fortunately owns this piece of land that
allows them to continuously keep the course maintained and free of any debris or
complications that could cause possible and avoidable risk. The two other races take
place in Summer and Winter at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom. The
Summer Wolf was recently launched in June of 2015. The new Summer location has
allowed competitors to camp and enjoy the weekend. The Winter Wolf has been
described as a “unique challenging beast” as the weather affects the trails and the
14. 10
complexity of the event. The Spring, Summer, and Autumn Wolfs are described nearly as
stepping stones to finish the Winter Wolf.
The Wolf Run (TWR) is a combination of man-made and natural obstacles over a
course roughly ten kilometers long. The Wolf Run strives to combine the best of obstacle,
trail, and mud runs. They depend on volunteers (or marshals) to help run their event with
success. The Wolf Run is committed to keeping participants safe and strives to keep risk
to a minimum.
The other race company chosen for study was Spartan Race, Inc. Spartan holds
more than 130 races around the world annually with primarily three different challenge
levels: The Spartan Sprint (3+ miles/20+ obstacles), The Spartan Super (8+ miles/ 25+
obstacles), and The Spartan Beast (12+ miles/ 30+ obstacles) (Spartan, 2016). There are a
couple of special short courses that are put on for kids and racers with intellectual and/ or
developmental disabilities, and the Ultra Beast that involves more than 26 miles of terrain
with more than 60 obstacles. Some tasks involved in the vast amount of obstacles include
carrying heavy objects, crawling under barbed wire, jumping over fire, and climbing tall
walls. Joe DeSena first created Spartan races in 2010 in an unspecified region of the
mountains of Vermont. Their mission reads:
We believe in changing your frame of reference and transforming your life.
Spartans laugh in the face of failure and continue forward. We welcome
challenges and embrace discomfort. Be active. Be curious. Be Human. We are
unbreakable. We are strong. We are Spartan.
They believe in challenging yourself beyond what you believe you can mentally or
physically do. Although it is not mandatory, Spartan offers assistance in finding a coach
15. 11
to train with in addition to providing self-directed training and healthy diet
recommendations. The Spartan races count on their volunteers similar to The Wolf Run.
Spartan is very detailed in their website and they suggest that all participants sign up for a
race early and use all of the training tools that are provided to them. To put participation
levels in perspective, a combined 300,429 people ran in a total of 91 races over the course
of one year in 2013 (Dario, 2013).
Description of Instrument
The instrument utilized in this study was a best practices checklist developed by
the researcher (see Appendix A). The checklist was developed after collecting and
reviewing information on risk management procedures during the review of literature.
The instrument was developed for the researcher to analyze all aspects and steps to
keeping race participants safe during extreme obstacle races. The instrument was written
in a way to allow quantitative or qualitative data collection in a checklist form. The
researcher did two pilot studies of the instrument on one other extreme obstacle race
company and a marathon on May 3, 2016. From piloting the checklist, the researcher
made changes to the instrument to better analyze the specific niche the comparative
analysis is aiming towards. These changes involved deleting questions that were no
longer relevant and adding a few additional questions that allowed for more comments.
The checklist allows for the researcher to determine if the task was completed or not by
the racing company and all questions have a section for additional comments.
16. 12
Description of Procedures
The Wolf Run (2016) is a series of extreme obstacle races that takes place during
each of the four seasons throughout the year. The instrument utilized in this study was a
best practice checklist developed by the researcher (see Appendix A). A comparative
analysis was conducted on the Wolf Run series and Spartan Race, Inc. The instrument
created for this study was a checklist for both extreme obstacle races developed by the
researcher. Over a two-week period of collecting data, the researcher searched among a
handful of websites to identify the specific data needed to complete the checklist tool.
The Spartan home page was utilized and the tabs including: train like a Spartan, workout
of the day, events and free workouts, gyms and coaches, online learning, and the nutrition
lab were used to collect data on training guides Spartan Race, Inc. provides prior to the
start of the race. The Spartan Race, Inc.’s unique search engine embedded in their
website online, provided information about knowledge of obstacles and rules, transferring
risk, maintenance of course, and medical assistance that was available during the race.
The Wolf Run home page, blog tab, and My Wolf Run tab provided similar information
as stated above with the assistance of a peer reviewed journal article about medical
assistance available during the race.
The instrument analyzed the information found specifically on the two extreme
obstacle course companies. The researcher used the instrument to determine the best
practices of the two organization’s risk management techniques. The presentation of the
results follows in chapter three.
17. 13
Chapter 3
PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS
The purpose of this study was to examine organizational practices and policies
involving risk for extreme obstacle races including Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run
companies. A comparative analysis was conducted on The Wolf Run (TWR) and Spartan
Race, Inc. (SRI). This chapter includes the following sections: training guides available
prior to the start of the race, access to knowledge of obstacles and/or rules, ways of
transferring risk to participants, maintenance of course, and medical assistance available
during race.
Training Guides Available Prior to the Start of The Race
The SRI website offers many different types of training guides available to all
participants prior to any race they hold. They suggest to “Train Like a Spartan,” starting
with low-intensity jogging and then gradually escalating into multiple forms of training.
Depending on the participant’s athletic history, there are different types of training for
specific levels. They have a search engine for coaches and classes that help you find local
Spartan Race-certified listings. Participants who have signed up for a race can receive
one free Spartan workout prior to their race and most coaches offer further training at an
additional cost. Other free options they have available include obstacle-training videos,
exercise videos, training routines and information, and free downloads available for
upcoming participants to take advantage of without needing to register online.
18. 14
Spartan believes in helping all of their participants train at maximum effort and
also offers general guides and articles about performance nutrition. They have an option
to be put on an email list to receive daily recipes, tips to eating and living well and
spending efficiently, and a food of the week and explain its benefits to the body.
In comparison, TWR website does offer decent access to training
recommendations and offers a handful of training tips on their online blog. One entry
goes into detail about the importance of stretching quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hips,
and glutes. They include a training and fitness page that organizes information down into
articles, such as one that offers how to perfect your down hill running. The information
presented in this article is presented in paragraph and table form. The article offers
recommendations of how to train and run downhill and follows with a table that breaks
down uphill and downhill problems and their causes. Other articles include a ten-week
training plan for beginners and intermediate trainers as well as a break down of weekly
exercises that are beneficial for the muscles you’d be using in TWR.
Access to Knowledge of Obstacles and/or Rules
Spartan Race, Inc. believes in the element of surprise and does not offer a list of
the obstacles that will be in a participant’s particular race. They do, however, have a list
of 12 standard obstacles that could be in the race without saying with certainty which
obstacles will be in specific races. Additional obstacles not listed for participants could be
a part of the race as well. Each obstacle has notes attached with information including the
description, instructions, failure modes, and failure penalties. Failure modes include not
completing the obstacle correctly or skipping the obstacle completely. Failure penalties
19. 15
can include anything from some type of extraneous exercise to disqualification. They
offer a free obstacle race guide, but you must create an account to access further
information. For all Spartan races, verbal and written instruction is required with the
latter taking precedence. The “burpee zone” is the area where participants perform their
penalty exercise. Course officials and video cameras strictly monitor the completion of
this exercise. Spartan races are rarely canceled or postponed due to conditions or any
other reason. Finally, anyone that is in the range of 14-99 years old is eligible to
participate in a Spartan race.
The Wolf Run, in contrast, does not offer any sort of list or guide as to what
obstacles may be present during the race. Unlike Spartan races, TWR participants are
allowed to receive help and are never forced to complete a natural or man-made obstacle
and will never be disqualified. The Wolf Run is presented as a cross-country obstacle
race that is a non-competitive challenge. Everyone who participates must be 18 years of
age or older to participate in the race. Similarly to SRI, TWR will never be canceled
because of weather unless it is too dangerous to allow runners to participate.
Ways of Transferring Risk to Participants
Spartan Race, Inc. has a mandatory waiver that must be signed by all participants,
staff, and volunteers before they proceed with the race. The second paragraph in the
waiver clearly states that the signature of the wavier releases the liability of serious injury
or death. A list of possible serious injuries are identified, with the most relevant injury
possibilities clearly bolded and capitalized. The wavier also allows Spartan to use any
20. 16
images of you as well as a confirmation that you or your family will not sue SRI or any
its stakeholders invested in the company.
The Wolf Run also requires that a waiver be signed before participating in the
event. The waiver is worded more plainly than the SRI’s waiver and can be easily
understood due to simplified wording devoid of any legal terms. The Wolf Run’s waiver
does not include a list of possible injuries, but it is written in a way that a participant can
scan the document and easily find what is important.
Maintenance of Course
Spartan Race, Inc. holds races in more than 45 locations around the United States
and Canada. They do not offer any information to the public confirming that they
perform a safety walk-through for safety concerns, but the job descriptions of the Build
Director and Construction Crew Leader list some of their duties that help keep
contestants safe. These duties include: designing course layout and obstacle placement,
creating detailed action and operations plans for course management, responsibility for
quality control, sourcing water solutions, and oversee several obstacles and aid stations.
As for TWR, it is held in the same two private property locations every year. The
course consists of natural and man-made obstacles over a 10-kilometer long race. Each of
the structures created for the race are stress-tested thoroughly, built to sustain harsh
weather, and built to hold more weight than needed. A test run is conducted a week prior
to each event to expose any issues that may occur.
21. 17
Medical Assistance Available During Race
Medical assistance is available throughout the length of each Spartan Race.
Information is available to the public confirming that they hire multiple volunteer
paramedics and emergency medical technicians to be alert and ready to tend to any
injuries on the course. Extra staff and volunteers are positioned throughout the course
with radios so they are able to notify the closest medical assistance to them. Medical
personnel also have access to the use of ATV’s in case they need assistance in aiding a
participant that is situated in treacherous terrain.
The Wolf Run has provided a detailed document to the public that allows any participant
to have the knowledge of how they plan and implement medical support throughout their
race. The Wolf Run’s current medical team consists of two medical officers, three
paramedics, specialist open water canoe lifeguards, and a full-staffed Red Cross team.
The medical officers hired are considered to be of senior status and some are even
military-trained doctors. Since the race series began in 2013, they have worked
strenuously to perfect overall communication, injury reporting methods, possible injury
patterns, response algorithms, ambulance exchange points, helicopter landing locations,
and the Medical Treatment Facility layout. The Red Cross team provides one off-road
ambulance and one regular ambulance to transfer participants to the hospital if needed.
Their onsite medical facility is equipped with three bays—one for minor injuries and two
for major injures. All three bays are stocked with the highest quality medical supplies
ready to treat any participants that come their way. The course is also full of volunteers
that are spread out around the trail to radio medical assistance at the first sight of an
22. 18
injury. Every individual on the medical team is required to be in good shape physically in
case they need to aid a participant in any type of situation.
The Wolf Run clearly provides extensive medical care, but some participants still
walk home with an injury. The organization usually finds out about these non-critical
injuries through social media posts from the participants in the weeks following the race.
After finding this out, the medical team has taken extra precaution to seek out
participants that may have an injury as well instead of solely addressing participants that
come to them firsthand. The medical team has also realized that even when man-made
obstacles are tested prior to the event, having 1,000 participants run through them in large
groups can cause the structures to destabilize and increase the likelihood of injuries
overall. After the first time this happened, they decided that they would close down
obstacles that caused more acute injures in order to keep the participants running on a
safer course trail. The team made adjustments as necessary and more than likely would
re-open the obstacles if they were considered safe again for all participants. Over time,
this became more difficult to complete in a timely manner because of older radios with
failing signals. After research into options on how to improve the problem, they decided
to invest in a digital radio network and the results have been commendable ever since.
23. 19
Chapter 4
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Over the years, risk management has increasingly become an important piece of
making any athletic event successful and safe. Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run have
successfully implemented an arrangement of risk management strategies into their
operations. This concluding chapter includes the following: a discussion of the major
findings, limitations, conclusions based on research questions, and recommendations for
future research.
Discussion
The Wolf Run’s website is very difficult to navigate, making it difficult to find
information about training obstacles, while Spartan Race, Inc. (SRI) provides numerous
easily accessible sources for training ideas and obstacle explanations. Collins and Collins
(2013) noted that participants of extreme adventure sport commonly seek input from
experienced coaches to develop skills needed in a high-pressure atmosphere. The Wolf
Run provides better specific preventative techniques for common injuries in their races
compared to SRI. In order to minimize risk, the researcher recommends that both
companies provide quick, easy access to trained professionals. It could reduce injury
because all of the participants would be able to gain knowledge on how to train for an
extreme obstacle race.
The Wolf Run has created a better-structured and readable release of liability
waiver for participants than SRI. The document is untraditional as it is written in a bullet-
24. 20
point like format, but it provides the important information needed to protect their
company from a lawsuit. Their waiver clearly transfers the liability in the case of injury
or death, from the company to the participant. A successful contractual transfer is a
critical risk management strategy that should be created with a lawyer present to oversee
the final waiver and or release created (Eickoff-Shemek, 2015). The current study
discovered that the Spartan Race, Inc. has a very detailed form, but is printed with small
text and is hard to understand. Most participants sign quickly and do not read important
information because of this reason. The simplistic Wolf Run waiver is a great example of
what the athletic events industry should model.
The Wolf Run provides superior medical aid at their four races over the course of
the year and allows the public to have access to their medical management plan. Doctors
have provided insight to say that obstacle race participants are usually more competitive
and are more likely to have acute injuries compared to traditional “running-only” races
(Lupkin, 2014). Having sufficient medical personnel at an event like an extreme obstacle
race is crucial as some participants receive life-threatening injuries. The Wolf Run has
highly trained military doctors that are ready to tend to the types of injuries that may
occur at their event, while SRI only mentions that they provide a few medical staff and
volunteers.
The Wolf Run has exceptional control of maintaining their two private locations
to make sure the course is safe for participants year round. On the other hand, Spartan
races are held at over 45 public and private locations that hold other events throughout
the year. Teague (1996) mentions that legal duty of care, a breach of duty, proximate
cause, and actual damages must all be present in order for an organization or person to be
25. 21
considered negligent. The Wolf Run has shown excellence in putting the safety of their
participants above all else. If courses for extreme obstacle races are maintained on a
regular basis and documented, negligence can be kept at a minimum to guarantee that
participants will be running on a course that is as safe as the environment will permit.
Although the research has resulted in many key findings, there were limitations to
the study. The research conducted for this comparative analysis on two companies was
strictly limited to mostly online sources due to time constraints. An observational study
of both companies, as well as relevant employee interviews would have improved the
data collected. Another limitation was that the researcher of this study has participated in
an extreme obstacle race and may have personal bias that numerous weeks and months of
training for a race are unnecessary to prevent injury. Since only two companies were
selected for the analysis, the study may not be representative of the whole industry.
Although the research had a few limitations, the information gathered is satisfactory and
relevant to the study.
Through this study the researcher found that not only should risk be managed on
the day of an extreme obstacle race, but also prior to the event as well. Participants
should be informed and well aware of the risks they will be taking whether that be by
providing them with a clear release of liability waiver, training guidance, or informing
them with a course description. The Wolf Run and Spartan Race, Inc. are uniquely
different, and utilize respectable risk management techniques to keep risk to a minimum.
26. 22
Conclusions
Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. Spartan Race, Inc. and The Wolf Run could both improve upon the information
that is available to participants such as training, obstacles, and injury prevention
techniques in a more organized manner.
2. The Wolf Run provides a clear and concise transfer of risk by using a readable
template for all ages, while Spartan, Race, Inc. could benefit from a simple layout
of their current waiver and release form.
3. The Wolf Run company is prepared for an influx of participant injury for the
type of environment that an extreme obstacle race takes place in, while Spartan
Race, Inc. only indicates they have medical volunteers placed throughout the
course.
4. The Wolf Run is able to maintain their course year round and provides a safer
environment than a traveling extreme obstacle race that travels city to city similar
to Spartan races.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions of this study, the following recommendations are made:
1. Spartan Race, Inc. should provide a guide for participants with specific tips to
on how to execute certain obstacles to avoid injury.
2. The Wolf Run should offer training guides from trained coaches to better the
participant’s preparation before the extreme obstacle event.
27. 23
3. Waivers should be plainly written and require participants to initial every
couple lines and require a minimum time period in which to read them onsite.
4. Spartan Race, Inc. should require event-day doctors to be military trained so
they are better prepared for the type of injuries that will occur.
5. Future research should involve an observational study to take a closer look at
risk management practices used by The Wolf Run and Spartan Race, Inc.
29. 25
REFERENCES
Brown, H. (2014). 17 deaths and counting: Festival fatalities on the rise. Billboard,
126(24), 11-12. Retrieved from http://www.billboard.com/
Collins, L., & Collins, D. (2013). Decision making and risk management in adventure
sports coaching. Quest, 65(1), 72-82. Retrieved from
http://www.questjournals.org/
Dario (2013). 2013 Spartan race in review. Retrieved from
http://www.dirtymiles.com/2013-spartan-race-year-review/
Dougherty, N. J. (2010). Legal responsibility for safety in physical education and sport.
Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED289867.pdf#page=23
Eickhoff-Shemek, J. M. (January/February 2015). Legal management + risk liability.
American Fitness, 33(1) 20-28. Retrievedhttps://www.nasm.org/american-fitness-
magazine
Lupkin, S. (2014, May 8). The hidden cost of extreme obstacle races. ABC News.
Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hidden-cost-extreme-obstacle-
races/story?id=23625173
Maheu, J. M., Reeves, J. J., & Xie, X. (2010). Forecasting volatility in the presence of
model instability. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics, 52(2), 221-
237. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-842X.2010.00576.x
Nerve Rush. (n.d.). 2015 Obstacle race list & guide. Retrieved from
http://www.nerverush.com/obstacle-races/
30. 26
Pai, P., Hsu, M., & Lin, L. (2014). Enhancing decisions with the life cycle analysis for
risk management. Neural Computing & Applications, 24(7/8), 1717-1724.
doi:10.1007/s00521-013-1411-1
Running USA. (2014, April). 2014 State of the sport – Part I: Non-traditional running
event. Retrieved from http://www.runningusa.org/state-of-sport-
nontraditional?returnTo=annual-reports
Shumway, T. (2001). Forecasting bankruptcy more accurately: A simple hazard
model.The Journal of Business, 74(1), 101–124. doi:/10.1086/209665
Spartan. (2016). company profile. Retrieved from http://www.spartan.com/en
Teague, T. L. (Ed.). (1996). An examination of negligence, assumption of risk, and risk
management in outdoor recreation. Wingate, NC; Wingate University.
The Wolf Run. (2016). company profile. Retrieved from http://thewolfrun.com/
33. 29
INSTRUMENT
Activity/Hazard Completed? Yes Completed? No / NA Additional comments
Training before event is
mandatory
Safety walk through before
event
Wavier is thorough
All volunteer have been
through proper training
Medical assistance is available
throughout the course
Assistance or guidance for
training prior to event
Specific obstacles in the race
are listed
Race is canceled because of
weather
Age minimum and maximum
to enter race
What type of medical staff is
present at the event
Updated website for rules and
regulations
