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The Colorado Ninja Challenge, created by Brian Arnold and hosted at the historic Bromley Farms in Brighton, was in full swing every weekend in October. The competition drew in competitors from near and far. A few of the notable competitors were Adam Rayl & Melissa Anderson (last year’s winners), Tiana Webberley, Austin Gray, Jon Alexis, Joe Moravsky, Ben Oudi, Jake Murray, and Olivia Vivian.
”We are incredibly pumped to have such amazing athletes from all over the county (an world) show off their craft to our community,” said Nathan Mudd, Bromley Farm Owner and Event Organizer. “The pro ninjas are the most gracious and accessible athletes we have ever met, and they put on an incredible show for the fans out at the farm.”
Here’s Brian Arnold showing us the course he created:
The competitors were allowed to purchase tickets to compete as many times as they wanted throughout the month ($15 for 2 runs on the course, 1st run was complimentary if they had ever been a National Finalist in Vegas), resulting in some highly competitive Ninja runs! Some Ninjas just came for a weekend, but many stayed multiple weeks.
At the end of the month, it was Adam Rayl and Olivia Vivian who ended up on top, winning $5,000 each.
2019 Top 6 Male Finishers:
- Adam Rayl 23.92
- Austin Gray 24.09
- Kyle Soderman 24.57
- Joe Moravsky 27.44
- Brendan Hadden 29.05
- Jake Murray 29.44
2019 Top 6 Female Finishers:
- Olivia Vivian 41.95
- Tiana Webberley 46.40
- Melissa Anderson 48.71
- Calli Spradlin 59.53
- Jen Geiger 59.89
- Britt Holterman 1.05.24
Here are the top two women flying through the challenging course:
We closely relate Ninja with perseverance and a never-give-up attitude, and this competition was the perfect opportunity to showcase that Ninja quality. It may be no coincidence that after running the course too many times to count, Adam Rayl’s last and best time was exactly as he predicted on day 1. What a testament to the hard work and time that the Ninjas put into their sport – they know their skills and their bodies well.
We had a chance to talk with Adam about his Colorado Ninja Challenge experience. “Brian Arnold put together a really challenging speed course. It was a grueling battle, but feels so good to have been able to finish well,” he said.
With the multiple weekend format, we thought the lead would change often. It did, but not as often as we thought. According to Adam, “Austin [Gray] impressively unlocked a beta sequence early on — a continuous lache cliffhanger lateral traverse sequence that takes an elite level of precision body movement that I’ve never seen… Austin was in the lead the entire time.”
Until the very last day...
“I gained the lead for the first time, first thing in the morning on the last day, with Olivia and I securely in first place. Having pre-decided to leave the comp for a pre-determined mental and physical breather, we chilled for a couple of hours. Came back and the impossible happened,” Adam said. “Within three minutes of returning to the comp, Austin stepped it up and reclaimed the lead.”
What’s a Ninja to do? Purchase more tickets, of course!
“I purchased more tickets, but saw that I was 60-plus people down in line with the sun starting to set over the Warped Wall and the distant Rocky Mountains. All I could do was sit, fume that I hadn’t purchased tickets earlier, visualize my run over and over — if I got the chance to run it — and accept the possibility that I might not get to run again. I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give but, after about 90 minutes, they finally called my name. I tossed off my jacket, promptly stepped up to the starting line, gave Brian Arnold a thumbs-up, and proceeded to lay down my best and fastest record-setting time.”
A competition is always especially awesome for the winner, but Adam also enjoyed the fun and exercise he experienced with his fellow Ninjas while he was in Colorado. “We had a Tuesday ninja training session two weeks in a row with the legendary Brian Arnold leading the way up a rock climb up the famous Flatirons in Boulder, with me, Olivia Vivian, Jake Murray, and Jon Alexis Jr. It included a free solo climb up, a grueling trail run down, followed by a 10-minute “cool off” in the 30-plus degree Boulder River. Why? Ninja! #ninjalife.”
Congratulations to Adam, Olivia, and all of the top competitors at the Colorado Ninja Challenge!