Family Run Ghent 2025 | September 13 & 14

STRONG VIKING FAMILY RUN GHENT

The Strong Viking Family Run is back in Belgium! Ready for the ultimate challenge in Ghent? Take on the 4-kilometer course, where mud, obstacles, and FUN are the main focus! It’s the perfect outing for families who love a bit of action and adventure. Head into nature, splash through puddles, take mud baths, and conquer obstacles together. The only rule here: the dirtier, the better!

Even the youngest Vikings can join in on the fun, as participation starts from age five. Looking for even more challenge? Check out the Strong Viking Obstacle Run in Ghent happening the same weekend, with distances starting from 7 km for participants aged ten and up.

What do you get?

  • 4km original Strong Viking Family Run course
  • Original Strong Viking finisher shirt (worth €19.95)
  • Refreshments during the obstacle run
  • Free photos after the Strong Viking Family Run
  • Free finish photo
  • A drink at the finish
  • Medal for all kids (up to 13 years)

Looking for a fun idea for an active kids’ party? The Family Run in Belgium is perfect for that too! A bunch of little Vikings climbing through the mud and overcoming obstacles together… how fantastic is that? And if you’re bringing ten or more little Vikings, use the code GROUP for an extra €3.50 discount on each Strong Viking ticket.

SPLASHING PICTURES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Verbindingsstraat, 9185 Wachtebeke

Find the directions here!

Are you coming by public transport? Plan your journey via DeLijn.be and enter the address above!

As a participant, you can store your luggage for free at a supervised cloakroom. You will receive a wristband, which allows you to retrieve your luggage after the run. Please note, no lockers are available on-site! Make sure to bring a bag for your belongings, as only bags will be accepted at the cloakroom—no loose items.

Important: Only 1 piece of luggage per participant is allowed.

Storing your luggage is always at your own risk.

Of course, you are very welcome to come and cheer on the participants! Admission is free, and the venue opens at 8:30 AM. In addition to numerous obstacles, there will be various stands, catering, and more around the start and finish area. Please note that parking fees may apply if you use the parking facilities.

Strong Viking is not a race; it’s your own challenge. At each obstacle, there is an option to ‘walk by,’ allowing you to decide your own limits and how far you want to push yourself!

*Different rules apply for the OCR Series (Racewave).

The minimum age varies by distance:

  • 4 km Family Run: minimum 5 years old (or turning 5 in the current calendar year)
  • 4 km Beginning: minimum 12 years old (or turning 12 in the current calendar year)
  • 7 km: minimum 13 years old (or turning 13 in the current calendar year)
  • 13 km: minimum 14 years old (or turning 14 in the current calendar year)
  • 19 km & OCR Series: minimum 16 years old (or turning 16 in the current calendar year)
  • 42 km Iron Viking: minimum 18 years old
  • 60 km Ultra Viking: minimum 18 years old

FEATURED OBSTACLES

  • STORM THE CASTLE

    Are you ready to storm the castle together? Take a run-up and try to conquer the Storm the Castle! Will your little Viking make it to the top without help?

  • WALHALLA WALLS

    The start of your adventure! These walls grant you access to the Strong Viking Family course. Overcome them and take on the challenge together.

  • MUD TRENCHES

    Have fun together in the mud! Climb over tall hills and dive into the best mud ever! This time, getting completely dirty is allowed.

Man in de modder tijdens strong viking obstacle run.
Play Video
Mark Modder Mud Edition 2021

Wow, wat een ervaring! Van het begin tot het eind met een glimlach de obstakels overwonnen. Dit jaar was mijn eerste keer, ik kom zeker terug volgend jaar voor de Water Edition. Organisatie was perfect, alles verliep heel soepeltjes en snel.

CHALLENGES

Haven’t set your goals yet or haven’t dared to take the step? Especially for all those who are unsure, we’ve created an overview of all the Strong Viking challenges to make choosing the right one even easier!

The Strong Viking Family Edition is a great way to get moving as a family, and enjoy every second of it. Take the challenge and make unforgettable memories as a family with lots of mud, laughter and obstacles! It is open to kids from 5 years old and for the inner-kid in all of us.

The Strong Viking Family obstacle run consists of child-friendly/light obstacles that you may also encounter during the regular Strong Viking editions. Prepare yourself and the kids for lots of climbing, scrambling and crawling! The main ingredient for this distance is: FUN!

Are you going for the 4KM – Family distance of Strong Viking? Download your obstacle run training plan now!

Fitlevel: Pleasure athlete (Exercise 1x a week).

Average duration: 90 minutes

Check all 4km – Family events!

 

Ever since the start of Strong Viking in 2013, our editions are not a race but a challenge. It’s all about pushing your limits and overcoming obstacles together. An important part of all Strong Viking editions is having fun together! To also introduce less experienced athletes to Strong Viking, we will introduce a new distance: BEGINNING (4km). The obstacles you will encounter on this course have been carefully selected for this new distance. The obstacles are especially fun and focused on cooperation.

The obstacles you encounter on this course have been carefully selected for this new distance. The obstacles are especially focused on fun and corporation. You will not encounter any extremely difficult or heavy obstacles. It’s all a bit less technical and has a very high fun factor. Do you not dare an obstacle and/or are you afraid that you will not succeed? No problem! At every obstacle there is a possibility for a by-pass, where you can skip/walk around the obstacle! But… since we always try to push you to your limit, always try to challenge yourself before skipping!

Are you going for the 4KM – Beginning distance of Strong Viking? Download your obstacle run training plan now!

Fitlevel: Starting (rookie/sporadic athlete)

Average duration: 90 minutes.

Check all 4km – Beginning events!

 

Do you find the 4km – BEGINNING distance too short and/or do you think you are ready for the next step? Then the Strong Viking Lightning 7km is your distance! The Lightning distance, like the Beginning distance, is very accessible, even for inexperienced athletes. If you, for example, sporadically engage in sports or do it once a week, then the Lightning distance is the ideal introduction to obstacle runs. 

Prepare yourself for exciting obstacles, mud, and plenty of climbing where strength and endurance aren’t really required yet! The Lightning 7km distance is most enjoyable with friends, family, and/or colleagues, so if you have a fellow Viking who can motivate you, we definitely recommend it!

Ga jij  voor de 7KM – Lightning afstand van Strong Viking? Download your obstacle run training plan now!

Fitlevel: Pleasure athlete (Exercise 1x a week).

Average duration: 90 minutes

Check alle 7km – Lightning events!

 

Vikings are renowned as some of the fiercest warriors from ancient times. You’ll find this legacy reflected in our 13km Warrior distance. During the 13km distance, we’ll push your personal limits and challenge you to take that extra step, which you might not have thought you were capable of taking beforehand! 

Vikings are known as one of the better warriors of the former era. This fact is also reflected in our 13km Warrior distance. During the 13km distance we will test your personal limits and challenge you to take the extra step, you didn’t think you would take before! Besides the physical obstacles/challenges, which sometimes involve some form of technique, there are also several mental obstacles that you need to overcome. Think of height, speed, cold and/or even claustrophobic obstacles! Do you like to challenge yourself and do you like to face the unknown? Then take on the 13km Warrior distance together with your friends! De 13km Warrior distance is the ideal distance to overcome together as a company and/or sports team as teambuilding activity.

Are you going for the 13KM – Warrior distance of Strong Viking? Download your obstacle run training plan now!

Fitlevel: Challenging (Exercise 2x a week).

Average duration: 2,5 hours

Check all 13km – Warrior events!

 

For the more advanced and trained sporters/athletes among us, we have the Beast 19km distance. Prepare yourself for the more heavy and technical obstacles of Strong Viking. During the Beast 19km we test almost all your muscle groups and overall condition. The 19km Beast is an unique route where you will never encounter the same obstacle twice. Where you can sometimes count on the help of your fellow Vikings at the other distances, the Beast 19km obstacles also test the more individual qualities!

OCR Series:
For the more fanatic Vikings, the Beast 19km course also offers a race-possibility! Here it is possible to measure yourself against other runners! This is possible in the OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) Series startwave. In this wave, only the best OCR athletes compete by overcoming our courses as fast as possible (time registration) while overcoming ALL obstacles successfully, which are being judged by marshals. The OCR Series startwave is the only wave at Strong Viking where the final ranking will be published! For more info check the next page!

Are you going for the 19KM – Beast distance of Strong Viking? Download your obstacle run training plan now!

Fitlevel: Advanced (Exercise 3x per week).

Average duration: 3,5 hours (OCR Series starting course: 2h)

Check all 19km – Beast events!

 

For the diehard Vikings among us, we present the Iron Viking! It’s the toughest marathon in the world, where participants must conquer not only 42km but also 100+ obstacles. To make it even more challenging, participants have only 7.5 hours to complete it, and they must reach the finish line within the specified cutoff times at each stage. 

Iron Viking runners are given a green vest, making them recognizable on the course. Through this vest, they receive priority at some obstacles and often an overdose of applause and help from other participants/spectators! The Iron Viking is no joke, so know what you’re getting into! Some may call them crazy, but we call them LEGENDS!

Fitlevel: Expert (Exercise 3x per week or more).

Average duration: 6,5 / 7,5 uur.

Check all 42km – Iron Viking events!

 

Once a year, Strong Viking organizes the most brutal obstacle run on Earth, the ULTRA Viking. For those who have completed the Iron Viking and want to take that extra step in Strong Viking history, we host an annual Ultra Viking: 60km, 135+ obstacles in just 10 hours! Yes, you heard correctly: an ultramarathon with obstacles! 

During the Ultra Viking, a maximum of 600 participants can take on the challenge. The location of the Ultra Viking is kept secret each year and is revealed after the season ends. The Ultra Viking editions in 2018 and 2019 were completely sold out, and only 42% of all participants completed the challenge within the specified requirements! Do you dare to take on the toughest obstacle run challenge in the world?

Fitlevel: Extreme (Exercise 4x per week or more)

Average duration: 9,5 / 10 hours

Check all 60km – Ultra Viking events!