Before last summer, Rob Riggieri had never run a race, let alone one filled with obstacles he’d have to climb up, jump over and slide down. But when he heard about the WOO Challenge – an obstacle course race through downtown – the Worcester native, and current Rutland resident, knew he wanted to be there.

“I had never done any of these races before; I really didn’t have any training for it, but it looked really cool,” he said.

The WOO Challenge is a downtown urban obstacle course race (OCR) in which participants can run, climb, crawl and jump through the streets and parks of downtown Worcester. The Challenge, held for the first time last July, was part of a series celebrating the Telegram & Gazette’s 150th anniversary. According to Suzanne DeGeorge, marketing and events director at the T&G, the newspaper’s publisher was inspired to make the city healthier after Worcester was low on a list ranking the health and well-being of U.S. counties.

“There are already many races in Worcester and Central Mass., and we really wanted to do something a little different,” said DeGeorge of the decision to host an OCR. “With the popularity of American Ninja Warrior and other OCRs, we knew this style race would intrigue and interest people, and with the urban setting, it would add another exciting element to the race.”

The race, which starts and ends on the Worcester Common, is a 4-plus mile race with 15 obstacles. However, DeGeorge said, the event is designed to be family-friendly and includes a Kiddie Woo Challenge (ages 5-10) on the Worcester Common and a 2½-mile/10-obstacle Family Woo Challenge for kids 11 and older to run with an adult. “This is a race for the whole family at an affordable rate,” she said, adding that the WOO OCR is a lot more affordable than others out there.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the WOO Challenge over other OCRs is the location. “Our race in is an urban environment,” said DeGeorge. “Many of the other OCRs you see are in the woods or open fields, and since we are in the city, we thought it would be great fun to host this type of OCR right in downtown Worcester. We are part of this city, and we want to be part of the development that is happening and bringing people downtown.”

The urban setting was one of the highlights for Riggieri. “That’s something I had never seen,” he said. “Most of these are on muddy tracks and things like that, so for it to be an inner-city event, weaving around cars and certain things that they put in place, was almost like being in a movie. The streets were shut down, and you’re able to just run around the city. When else can you do that?”

Though there were 500 participants last year – and DeGeorge expects about 1,000 this July – Riggieri never thought the course felt overcrowded. He added that while some people are competitive, most people are there to have fun. “This is the type of race that you can run at your own pace,” said Riggieri. “A cool part is that you often find yourself helping strangers get over a wall or get past an obstacle. For me, it’s a super-cool bonding experience. I highly recommend going and staying together with a team.”

Last year’s obstacles included a slip and slide (which DeGeorge said was a fan favorite), a tire course, spider web, army crawl and, much to Riggieri’s dismay, a series of walls (inverted wall, traverse wall, hurdle walls, ladder wall and five over-under-thru walls).

“I’m afraid of heights, so when I found myself at the top of an 8-foot wall and realized that I had to jump down, I swallowed my pride and let myself slowly down the other side,” he said. “However, there is nothing too difficult. And I believe you can go around an obstacle if you really wanted to. If you have even moderate athleticism, you can do this challenge.”

Riggieri plans to do the Challenge again this year, but said he’ll train a little more this time. “I am going to slowly stack things in my living room and jump off them and stack them higher and higher to get ready for the wall again,” he joked. His advice: build up your cardio a little bit, prepare for warm summer weather, stay hydrated and, most important, have fun. “If you aren’t planning on breaking any records, enjoy it, have some laughs, help a stranger and do it at your pace. I don’t care if you come in first or last, you’re going to have a great time. The feeling of accomplishment and euphoric feeling I had when I crossed the finish line I will never forget.”

The WOO Challenge and post-race festival will take place July 22 on the Worcester Common. For more information on registration and pricing, visit www.telegram.com/WooChallenge or www.facebook.com/TheWooChallenge. The WOO Challenge is free to watch, and there will be games, food, vendors and music from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Kimberly Dunbar