Laura Grant makes her way through the obstacle course at the UIPM Obstacle World Championships in China.
When it comes to staying fit, Taupō’s Laura Grant is taking it to the next level – literally.
By Dan Hutchinson
She has just returned from the UIPM Obstacle World Championships in China with gold, silver and bronze medals — adding to an international résumé that includes podium finishes in Costa Rica, Sweden and Belgium.
Laura is a mother of two, a quantity surveyor for HEB Construction and her husband Jamie Grant – the Taupō Harbourmaster - is quite a handy engineer who has built an obstacle course in the backyard out of recycled scaffolding.
At just 157cm (5’ 2”), Laura says the hardest thing is leaping onto the monkey bars and now that she is in her 40’s, there is also the need to battle through a few physical niggles here and there.
But there is no stopping her – she was an active child and her children have inherited that trait – so just as well there’s an obstacle course at home.
"I'm a mum of two in my 40s, so just trying to encourage other mums that can get out there and give it a go, because there's people of all ages that do it."
Her two kids are also keen and are getting plenty of encouragement from Mum.
The backyard setup lets them practise the key elements of the sport — ladder runs, monkey bars and rock holds.
The sport covers distances ranging from a 100-metre sprint — completed by the fastest competitors in around 24 seconds — to a 3km endurance course, each packed with up to 12 obstacles.
Laura competes under the banner of Modern Pentathlon New Zealand and has represented the country at four World Championships since taking up the sport in 2021.
Obstacle course racing is set to feature in the Modern Pentathlon programme at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
She won the China contest last year, but faced fierce competition this year.
She says access to proper training facilities remains a real gap in New Zealand, where only three obstacle course races are held each year.
"The people that are doing really well in this event have the course to train on throughout the year. And that's what we're sort of missing.”
She would love more local people to get involved and is happy for anyone interested in the sport to get in touch, describing it as “fun fitness".
She is a former gymnast and has a background in running but adding obstacles just makes it more fun she says.
With her children now showing interest in competing in China next year, the backyard course looks set for a significant upgrade — including a warped wall - a curved ramp obstacle that often features at the end of competition courses.