Unleash the Adventure: One World Canine Obstacle Run Takes Anniston by Storm

Anniston, AL – Anniston played host to an exhilarating event this past weekend—the One World Canine Obstacle Run at McClellan. What exactly is the One World Canine Obstacle Run? This unique event is all about the incredible bond between dogs and their owners as they navigate through over 30 obstacles across challenging terrain, including natural and man-made hurdles, dense woodlands, dirt, sand, and water.

Held at the expansive 200-acre OneWorld Pet Resort in Anniston, this event was designed to provide participants with the ultimate canine bonding experience. With a course spanning over 4 miles and featuring more than 30 purpose-built obstacles, owners and their dogs were pushed to bring out the best in each other to conquer the challenges.

The One World Canine Obstacle Run welcomed a diverse range of participants, including civilian dog owners, search and rescue dog teams, military working dog teams, and police dog teams. From 10-year-olds to centenarians, individuals of all ages and experience levels were encouraged to take part. Each team’s overall score and time were determined by their course finish time, with additional time reductions based on the age of both the participant and their dog.

Notably, the event also welcomed individual entries and groups of canine teams looking to tackle the course together. Some handlers even brought two dogs and opted to run the course twice, with a special Saturday 2nd Run option available for those seeking an extra challenge. Congratulations go out to all the participants, but especially to Team Pound Puppy. The Calhoun County Animal Control staff participated, showcasing adorable dogs available for adoption.

The race took place at the OneWorld Pet Resort located at 315 Rucker Street in Anniston, Alabama. Results were categorized into various divisions, including youth, search and rescue, law enforcement, military, veterans, international, masters (age 60+), and individual participants.

The action-packed weekend kicked off on Friday, October 20th, with early packet pickup accompanied by music, food, and beverage options. Saturday, October 21st, saw participants tackling the challenging course while enjoying vendor booths, live music, games, demonstrations, and food vendors throughout the day. The evening concluded with an awards ceremony and live entertainment. On Sunday, October 22nd, participants were treated to breakfast and fresh coffee before the course opened for a fun run.

The OneWorld Canine Obstacle Run was founded and designed to bring all areas of the canine community together for a fun packed and challenging weekend, and the ultimate canine bonding experience.

Owner Paul Hammond shared with the Calhoun Journal, “Event participants travelled from 28 States, as well as internationally to take on the Spring 2024 OneWorld Canine Obstacle Run. We had participants across all age groups (7-77), young and old. Including 79 competitors between 55-64 years old, and 23 competitors between 65 – 77 years old. Where else could you find pet owners taking part in a canine challenge, alongside, law enforcement K9, search & rescue K9, military K9, and Special Forces K9 teams, it truly is a unique event bringing the canine loving community together”.

The OneWorld Canine Obstacle run, is held on the third weekend of May and October every year, and continues to grow in popularity, quickly becoming the number one canine obstacle run event in the US today.

Its Founder Paul Hammond served for over 30 years in the working dog industry, operating around the world, as part of the British Military Elite Forces and in Support of the US Dept of Defense and US department of State in Iraq and Afghanistan. He shared, “The tougher I make the course, the more our race participants rise to the challenge”, “I am continually amazed by the variety of dog breeds, ages and fitness levels that complete this course”. “When you see participants cross the finish line, sometimes in tears because they have overcome many course challenges, with their canine partner by their side. It is all worth it”.