It’s a rainy Sunday morning. While most people are snuggled under their duvets, there’s us — a brigade that’s up and about, ready to challenge our agility, endurance and fitness. We are the ‘Devil Slayers’, that’s what participants of the Maruti Suzuki Devils Circuit are called. This event has become an annual fixture in the city since 2015.
I participated last year as well and finished the race in 50 minutes. This year I feel I have bettered my record. So, what is the Devils Circuit? It is said to be India’s biggest obstacle course and includes a five kilometre run that’s interspersed with 15 military obstacles — these aren’t easy and really challenge you mentally and physically.
- Its a carnival atmosphere at the Maruti Suzuki Devils Circuit at Hiranandani Parks Oragadam. With the race completed, participants relax at the expo area with food, music and various events. “We received 4,500 participants in Chennai this year,” says Adnan Adeeb, Managing Director and Co-founder of Volano Entertainment that came up with the concept of Devils Circuit. Their idea is to encourage everybody to come out and get their moment of glory in an unconventional sport. “People want to say I did it. These are my battle scars. They have connected with the tribe of Devil Slayers. That’s why this year I noticed so many people had the Devil Circuit logo tattooed on their faces. A couple of guys even got a haircut that showed off the logo at the back of their heads,” says Adeeb amused. The youngest participant in Chennai this year was a 16 year old and the oldest a 62 year old who came sporting reflectors and a handlebar moustache. Even 50 year olds competed in the competitive category, says Adeeb. The course had 12 new obstacles this time.
- The first edition of the race took place in 2012 in Ludhiana. The organisers then planned to make it a multi -city event. Chennai saw the first race happening in 2015, the year the floods took place. “We received 1,800 registrations. The dates had to be postponed and yet we managed 1,350 people. Last year we had 3,000 registrations,” says Adeeb. By the time the eighth race takes place in Delhi in March, Adeeb is sure they will reach 40,000 participants for this edition. (With inputs from Priyadarshini Paitandy)
The 2017 season just started with its first race in Chennai on Sunday. There are seven more races in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali and Delhi. To win the ultimate Devils Circuit challenge one must compete in the race in all the cities. According to me, the Chennai leg is the toughest course because of its terrain and the rain. The slush and water make the run more difficult. Unlike a marathon where the roads are hard, and therefore easy, here, the five kilometre is a challenge as the surface comprises water, mud, grass, big stones...
The toughest obstacle for this year was the Summit. It had a 14 foot C-shaped wall and I had to run fast and reach the half way mark and then pull myself up. The rain made it slippery and it took me nine attempts to clear it. The other challenges included was Brain Freeze which involved jumping into a pool of ice, rope climbing, military crawl and stepping stones. It was great to see the spirit of camaraderie. I got pushed on and encouraged by my fellow contestants and last year’s winners. That also helped me to keep going.
The race has two categories: competitive and non-competitive. In the competitive category we had to battle it out with trained athletes and we got points only on the completion of all the obstacles. At the end of the race I was drenched in water and mud; it was actually fun. Other than the actual race, there were side activities such as maximum pulls ups in a minute, monkey swings with ropes and bars... The after party was entertaining with a live DJ playing peppy music, a packed dance floor, photo ops, food, drinks and more. All the participants were given a medal.
I plan to compete in all the circuits in the other cities. I trained for a month by running five kilometres on different surfaces, working on my upper body, core and grip strength. For a participant what’s most important is the spirit to push yourself through the entire course.
(Twenty-two-year-old Ashwin Ramdas recently finished his engineering degree and is a fitness trainer at F45)
