The much-awaited, one-of-a-kind obstacle race event of the city — 10tackles — is now an annual fixture in Calcutta’s winter calendar. This year, Season 5 of 10tackles was a massive hit as over 400 participants were pushed to their physical and mental limits in a 10-level obstacle course. The immersive military-style challenge was held at a warehouse on Andul Road in Howrah spanning over 1,25,000sq ft.
The Low Crawl was reminiscent of military training as participants had to crawl and hold their balance using their knees and elbows
Participants were required to cross all 10 obstacles in the least possible time. Thirty-two groups of people including women, men, and children of all ages partook in overcoming the strategically planned obstacles. Notably, there were volunteers at every obstacle who verbally assisted participants in crossing the obstacles accurately. The obstacle course was filled with a large amount of sand that would keep participants safe even if they got imbalanced.
Every participant had a timer on their ankle which kept track of the duration taken by each person. The winners of 10tackles were chosen based on this duration that was recorded by the organisers. First, second and third positions were announced in men, women, kids male and kids female categories at the end of the day. Winners among adults got cash prizes of Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 while children received prizes worth Rs 5,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 3,000. However, everyone who completed the challenge was given a medal.
The first step at 10tackles was a long 1km run that looked easy but left participants out of breath as they approached the other obstacles
Animal Flow, MMA, Kykushin Karate, self-defence for women and street defence for men were a handful of workshops that were being held simultaneously with the obstacle race. The live DJ, enthusiastic host and various culinary offerings kept guests engaged even after they had crossed the obstacle course.
The visionary behind 10tackles and founder of 212 degrees, Manju Bangur said, “Fitness is something very close to me. This year, we have seen maximum participation of people from all ages. Every year we make sure of the safety standards of every obstacle by trying it out ourselves. While everything was being set up, I tried my hand at the challenge too. I believe in leading a healthy life. I don’t have cheat days in a week, I have a cheat time every day. A healthy life can be lived even without supplements and strict diets and that is the mantra.
The Balance Log was a tough one for the adults but a fairly simple one for kids who did not seem to give up. The challenge was to cross the log without falling off and restart every time one lost their balance
Piyali Shaw, 36, surpassed all the obstacles in a short span of 9.11 minutes and said, “I have been working out for the last 14 years and I go to sleep at night thinking when will I wake up and hit the gym. These obstacles were not too hard but I am glad I crossed them.” She stood second in the women’s category.
Arko Dasgupta of Combat Clan was present at 10tackles to conduct an MMA workshop.
