The adult leader field guide. Build your team, know the rules, and get ready to run, think, and work together.
October
24
Dry Creek Canyon Oak City
How to describe it to your young men
An obstacle race meets an escape room.
Think of a Spartan or Tough Mudder-style race combined with the mental challenge of an escape room. Canyon Challenge brings strenuous physical effort and serious competition together with puzzles that demand sharp thinking, communication, and teamwork.
For those ready to run hard
Expect high-intensity running on rugged mountain trails, demanding obstacles, and a competitive race against the clock. The Run Team is a chance to put your fitness, stamina, and determination to the test.
For those who prefer to solve
The Solver Team puts your mind to work with puzzles, reasoning, and practical problem solving. There is still some running and physical effort, but the main challenge is finding and sharing the answers your runners need to keep moving.
Both roles matter. Everyone takes part in the Group Course, and neither half can finish the Breakout Course alone.
01 / BUILD YOUR TEAM
Different strengths. One team.
8–14YOUNG MEN PER TEAM
Bringing more than 14?
Split into multiple teams before you arrive. Choose a mix of physical, practical, and problem-solving strengths.
Everyone has a role. Not every young man needs to run the full course. Plan for roughly half runners and half solvers in the Breakout Course.
02 / HOW IT WORKS
One team. Split roles. Shared finish.
Two timed courses, run in either order. One combined result. Teams race against the clock, one team at a time.
A
COURSE A · EVERYONE TOGETHER
Group Course
Your entire team tackles the obstacles as a group. Help every member complete each challenge.
Truck Pull
Stretcher Carry
Wall Scales
Wayfinding
One leader may follow along.
We encourage one leader from your ward to follow the team through the Group Course: make sure things are going well, offer encouragement, and if a problem comes up, encourage the boys to work through it together. Stay in the background. The boys need to do this themselves.
Group Course only. Leaders don’t follow on the Breakout Course.
+
Teams run both courses, in either order. Some start on the Group Course and some on the Breakout Course. Your two time slots from registration tell you which comes first.
B
COURSE B · SPLIT ROUGHLY IN HALF
Breakout Course
Your team separates into runners and solvers. Different jobs—each group needs the other. No leader follows on this course. The boys are on their own.
THE SPARTAN-STYLE RACE PORTION
Run Team
Run a 1–2 mile obstacle course. At designated challenges, stop and wait for the Solver Team’s answers. Use those answers to solve the obstacle, then continue running.
THE ESCAPE-ROOM-STYLE PORTION
Solver Team
Solve puzzles, practical tasks, and knowledge challenges. Send the answers to your runners so they can overcome obstacles and continue. This role also includes some movement.
Solvers find the answer → Share it with runners → Runners get through
The runners cannot pass certain obstacles until their solvers provide the answers. Keep communicating throughout the course.
↓
END OF THE BREAKOUT COURSE · BACK TOGETHER
Reunite at the final obstacle.
Both halves come together and finish the Breakout Course as one team.
GROUP COURSE TIME + BREAKOUT COURSE TIMEFastest combined time wins.
03 / RULES & PENALTIES
Everyone counts. The team shares the cost.
01
Keep times secret.
No team learns how fast the others completed the courses until the end.
02
Keep answers in your team.
Do not share solutions with other teams. Everyone faces the same challenges.
03
Complete group obstacles.
Every member of the designated group must complete each group obstacle.
MISSED AN OBSTACLE?
A shared push-up penalty.
For each obstacle, multiply 10 by the full team size and the number of members who did not complete it.
10push-ups
×
Teamsize
×
Missedmembers
EXAMPLE
10-person team · 2 members miss an obstacle
10 × 10 × 2 = 200 team push-ups
Share the work according to ability. Push-ups are owed by the team as a group, not equally by each boy. If one boy does 1 of a pair’s 20 push-ups, his teammate can do the other 19.
04 / THE SCHEDULE
The afternoon at a glance
3:00–3:30 PM
Helpers arrive
Setup helpers at 3:00. Station helpers by 3:30 to be trained and at their posts.
3:30–3:45 PM
Arrival & registration
Register each team and receive running slots for both courses. Be ready to participate at 4 PM.
Event begins
Team competition and activities get underway.
Dinner
Gather together for a meal.
Fireside
A message around the bonfire.
THE EVENT LINEUP
Rise to the challenge.
Strength, skill, and a little grit. Here’s a look at some of the challenges ahead.
Spear Throw
Focus, aim, and put your accuracy to the test.
Barbed Wire Crawl
Get low and keep moving through the course.
Truck Pull
Bring the team together for a test of combined strength.
Fire Starting
Turn outdoor knowledge into a practical challenge.
Wayfinding
Read the clues, choose your route, and find your way together.
Wall Scales
Help one another up and over. Every teammate counts.
Also on the course
Stretcher Carries
Church Trivia
Fireman’s Carry
Airsoft Shoot
Suspended Rope Traverse
Survival Skills
Mental Challenges
Hatchet Throwing
Puzzle solutions and station instructions will be provided at the event.
05 / GET READY
Ways to prepare
Use these areas and the event lineup above to prepare your young men. Practice working together as well as building individual skills. Puzzle solutions and the details of each challenge will stay under wraps until the event.
Fire starting
Practice preparing materials and building a fire with adult supervision.
Airsoft shooting
Practice focus and accuracy, and review safe handling, eye protection, and range commands.
Axe throwing
Practice safe handling and controlled throws in a supervised setting.
Running & teamwork
Prepare for running, obstacles, and helping teammates through a shared challenge.
Puzzles & gospel trivia
Practice scripture knowledge, gospel trivia, and solving puzzles together.
Mechanical & engineering challenges
Practice figuring out how things work and building or solving something together.
Individual participation · Separate cash challenge
Push-ups & Prayers
Each young man participates individually and completes his own push-ups for an opportunity to earn $50. Push-ups cannot be pooled or shared with teammates. This challenge is separate from the team competition and its shared push-up penalties.
Deacons & Teachers
50 normal push-ups
Complete the requirement for an opportunity to earn $50 in cash.
Priests
50 military-grade push-ups
Complete the requirement for an opportunity to earn $50 in cash.
06 / LEADER CHECKLIST
Before you arrive
Organize your teams.Plan groups of 8–14 and talk through who will run and who will focus on solving puzzles.
Help the young men prepare.Review the activity areas. Come ready to run, think, communicate, and help one another.
Send 1–2 station helpers.Find at least one or two adults from your ward to help run an activity. You can be one of them. Send their names to the organizers before race day so we can assign posts. We train everyone on site.
Plan your arrival.Setup helpers arrive at 3 PM. Station helpers arrive between 3:00 and 3:30 PM. Teams arrive and register from 3:30–3:45 PM, ready to participate at 4 PM. Carpool as a ward wherever you can.
07 / LEADER FAQ
A few things to know.
What ages can the teams be?
We recommend a mix of older and younger boys to give your team a range of strengths and improve performance in the competition. You are free to arrange your team or teams however you would like, keeping each team to 8–14 young men.
There is one competition prize to win, with no separate age divisions.
What time should we arrive?
Arrive and complete registration between 3:30 and 3:45 PM. We suggest arriving at least 15–20 minutes before the 4 PM start. Every team must be present and ready to participate at 4 PM.
Upon arrival, register each team at registration. Each team will receive a running slot for both the Group Course and the Breakout Course.
What do we need to bring with us?
Wear clothing and footwear suitable for running and traversing obstacles. The course follows rugged mountain trails, so come dressed to move on uneven terrain.
Bring warm layers for the fireside that evening.
Each young man should bring a water bottle. There will be drinking water on site for refills, but his own bottle gives him quick access to water throughout the course.
Please carpool. The location isn’t designed for a large amount of through traffic. We will have people directing traffic for safety, but carpooling greatly reduces the number of vehicles on site. Fill your seats and help your families line up rides.
What specifically can we practice?
See Ways to prepare for general practice areas. All members will do some running and physical activity, including the Solver Team. Practice teamwork and communication along with individual skills.
Who are the helpers for the event?
We need help staffing the activity stations, and we’re asking every ward to send at least 1–2 helpers. It can be you or anyone else from your ward who’s willing. It would be a huge help.
The job is short and simple: you’re mostly there to make sure the boys stay safe and complete the obstacle as intended. We’ll do the training and go over the details on site before the race, so no preparation is needed. Station helpers should arrive between 3:00 and 3:30 PM so we can train them and get them to their posts before the start.
Please let us know who is coming ahead of time so we can schedule a location for each helper. Send their names to Jason May, McKay Christensen, or Curtis Peterson. Setup helpers who can come earlier are welcome at 3 PM.
