[Obstacle Course Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Add to Your Sports Day
The “obstacle relay,” where teammates pass the baton while overcoming various obstacles, is a super fun event that excites people of all ages!
In this article, we introduce ideas for obstacle relays.
Hurdles and net crawls are classics, but this time we’ve also picked out some quirky, laugh-inducing ideas with a twist.
If you’re thinking, “Obstacle relays are a must, but the same old traditional course is boring!” then take a look for inspiration!
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[Obstacle Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Use at Sports Day (11–20)
Ladder crawl
Ladder-crawling, a classic event in obstacle relays, is a simple yet surprisingly deep competition.
Depending on body type and other factors, it can vary greatly in how easy or difficult it feels.
A useful tip for slipping through smoothly is to place your hands farther along the ladder and move your body as if you’re gliding through without worrying about bumping into it.
In the past, people seemed to use ordinary wooden ladders, but nowadays there are ladders specifically made for ladder-crawling events that you can buy or rent.
Give it a try and have fun!
ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)
It’s also a great idea to incorporate tamaire—usually seen as a standalone event—into an obstacle course! Since it’s part of a relay, instead of competing to see how many balls you can throw into the basket within the usual time limit, we recommend a format where you quickly toss a set number of balls.
Speed matters, but within an obstacle course, accuracy—making sure the balls actually go into the basket—is most important.
Stay calm and composed, and give it your best!
Minomushi Dash
Do you know the sack race? It’s a popular field day staple where you hop toward the finish line while standing inside a burlap sack that comes up to about your waist.
Because factors like jump timing, body spring, and takeoff direction are key, the outcome isn’t decided solely by raw athletic ability—that’s part of what makes the sack race so fun.
Since most of your body is covered, a fall can easily lead to injury.
Be sure to prioritize safety, and consider incorporating it into an obstacle relay.
Crawling through a tunnel
A tunnel crawl that’s perfect for a high-energy sports day obstacle race.
Build a tunnel using cardboard boxes or chairs, and have participants crawl through on all fours.
Set the tunnels along the course and compete to see who can crawl through the fastest.
Both those taking on the tunnel challenge and the spectators cheering on participants who are struggling are sure to have a great time together! When building the tunnel, make safety a priority and ensure there are no protrusions or sharp corners.
Candy hunt
One of the most crowd-pleasing, variety-show-style moments at a sports day is the candy search.
You fill a bat or bowl with powder and hide candies inside.
Since the runners have to find the candy without using their hands, by the time they find it and look up, their faces are completely white! If your policy prohibits using food or using hard candies that could be dangerous if swallowed, it may be difficult to include.
However, if it’s permitted—such as at an adults’ sports day—consider adding it to part of the course.
Obstacle relay on tricycles
Instead of running normally, this is an obstacle race where participants straddle a tricycle and move forward.
If you sit on the saddle, your posture gets quite low, making it hard to move your legs as you want, so it’s pretty challenging for taller people, including adults.
Of course, if you make it a rule that they must pedal to move, the difficulty goes up even more and it’s guaranteed to get everyone hyped.
Because riding a tricycle was so commonplace in early childhood, both participants and spectators will likely burst into laughter at how little progress anyone can make in this obstacle relay.
[Obstacle Relay] Recommended Ideas and Fun Gimmicks to Include in a Sports Day (21–30)
Obstacle relay using balls
When you reach a designated point, you’re given a ball-based mission and can’t proceed until you clear it.
The difficulty varies depending on which ball you use and what kind of mission you assign, so choose appropriate missions.
It can be exciting if a team fails to clear a mission and ends up giving the opposing team a chance to turn the game around.
Because the atmosphere and pressure in the moment might make it hard to complete the mission, it’s a good idea to prepare safety nets—such as allowing member substitutions—just in case.