The Vikings Are Coming to Bamburgh This September

With his fitness competition taking inspiration from the Vikings of old, Cameron appreciates that he could not have asked for a better backdrop than the historic Bamburgh Castle. ‘I’m a big history buff and I’ve always liked the Vikings,’ he says. ‘I read The Last Kingdom, the books by Bernard Cornwell, before the television series even came out. Obviously the main character is Uhtred of Bebbanburg which is Bamburgh Castle. Lindisfarne is right next door as well, which is where the Vikings first landed.’ 

Cameron’s connection to the area is personal too. ‘My dad is from the North East  and recently, he traced his genealogy and it came out really strongly Viking, like a lot of people in the North East. It was obviously just the perfect location, and for us that’s a really important part of The Viking Games.’

Qualified as a personal trainer, Cameron has always sought out new and exciting ways to get people moving. ‘I set up Steel Viking [the company behind The Viking Games] because I saw a load of bootcamps that looked really boring to me,’ he explains. ‘It’s just people doing press ups, especially burpees, and I’ve got a visceral hatred of burpees. People were paying good money to just be in the park and not do much.’

To counter this, Cameron began small bootcamps with a twist. ‘Steel Viking in its first iteration started out as bootcamps with axes, swords and shields. It was mainly orientated towards males as an outlet for aggression, but actually I found out that it was really popular with women,’ he says. A keen athlete himself, Cameron knew exactly how to get the best out of people. ‘We had different phases to the workout. We had an aggression phase, a main workout phase and then a competition phase, using a competition at the end of the workout just to get that last bit of energy out, and get the most out of the workout.’

Appreciating the draw of competitions in the world of fitness, The Viking Games was another step up from a traditional workout class or fitness challenge. ‘Essentially, we wanted to do something a bit different and up our game,’ Cameron explains. ‘We wanted to run something that’s a bit more interesting that blends in that immersive experience, and The Viking Games was born out of that.’

The competition itself is comprised of eight gruelling trials inspired by Viking lore, with a range of abilities being put to the test. ‘We didn’t want any one particular type of athlete to come in and absolutely dominate at the games. There will be events where one athlete may find it much easier than other competitors, and we are expecting a broad spectrum of abilities. That’s the point – building the ultimate Viking warrior. What makes a true Viking? It’s not just endurance and it’s not just strength, it’s a blend of everything, and so the events are built around that.

So far the trials include Thor’s Hoist (a log toss testing upper body strength), Vidar’s Pull (a cart pull that challenges lower body strength and stamina), and Heimdall’s Fort (a stone wall build that will see competitors test their coordination and strength). ‘The first event is an endurance event [Njord’s Gambit], which is a run and a swim in the sea. Part of that test is just bravery and a test of fortitude. It goes without saying that there will be an alternative for non-swimmers but they will still be getting in the surf and getting cold,’ Cameron says. 

‘All of our athletes will get a plus one, so if people want to just spectate and come along, great. That’s something that we want to build into it as we grow.’

Of all the challenges he has dreamt up, does Cameron have a personal favourite? ‘I like the spear toss,’ he says. ‘When you give it a go, it’s harder than it looks, especially to get it to actually stick in the target. That’s a challenge and that’s the best part of it. That’s definitely going to be a tough one and it’s hard to even practice as well – not many people have spears at home! That one’s going to be a lot of fun and maybe someone who’s more re-enactment orientated might find they excel in that.’

Of course, no challenge like this would be complete without a champion, but Cameron appreciates that that isn’t everyone’s motivation. ‘There will absolutely be a winner, but I think there’s different motivations to compete as well,’ he says. ‘There are people who are there to win, but I have a feeling there will be some people who will want to compete just to complete all the trials and say they’ve done it.’ 

With registration for the games open, Cameron is already looking towards the future of The Viking Games. ‘This will be the first Viking Games, and hopefully the first annual Viking Games,’ he says. ‘It’s year one and we have to manage expectations, but as we grow we want to create more of a festival feeling and get other local businesses involved.

‘We’re really looking forward to it and we’re trying to build something here. We always look to collaborate with others and we’re always looking for people to come and join in the fun and help us create something special.’

steelviking.co.uk.