Warrior Dash - North Carolina

I'm back from Warrior Dash!

Man, it was a hot one! It was 90 degrees and sunny... luckily I brought a bunch of water and took advantage of all the water stations. I'm also glad I came prepared with sunscreen because I am very prone to sunburns!

 Yesterday morning I made the drive to North Carolina and arrived at the Rural Hill park 2 hours early. But not before snapping this picture of the course from my car window (stuck in traffic) I was kind of irked at the sight of this, because of how DRY everybody was! And I figured it had to be at least a mile in because there was a water station in this segment. Anywho. Good thing I got there so early because this event was not very well organized. Now, this isn't my first foray into racing, so I know to come early and be prepared to wait. I didn't complain loudly like some others did, but it was kind of a mess. I'd say it took me at least an hour and a half to pick up my packet. They had tried to form lines for gender and name, but the line was so far back that nobody could see the signs and it was essentially one giant clusterfuck. Somehow I happened to walk right into the correct line for my gender and name, so at least I didn't have to lose my place and move. 

One great thing was, I did not have to check my bag. The parking was literally right next to the race grounds and I got a really good spot, so I just kept my stuff in there. I brought my Spi belt just in case, and had a plastic bag to put my key in so it wouldn't get muddy. I made it right on time for my 2pm heat. And off we went!The first mile was really just running through a field - a very hot field. Then we started to see the obstacles. Alot of climbing obstacles here. My overall feeling of them is, they weren't super easy but most of them were not too challenging for me. About medium I'd say. 

The two that gave me the hardest time were - an A frame ladder where the rungs were loose hanging chains. This one was simply awkward to maneuver because the chains made me shake and wobble. But my strategy here was to keep my center of gravity low and use my butt as a support if need be. The other one was a ladder that had an overhanging board at the top that jutted outward, so you had to figure out how to get up and over that. I hoisted my leg over rather than relying on my upper body to push myself over, because I didn't want to end up hanging off of it with my legs dangling. 

I pretty much jumped into the obstacles with no fear. Spartan Race taught me not to think - just do it. I "chicked" quite a few guys out there yesterday!

The second half of the race was a woods trail. It felt good to get out of the sun, but I was pretty tired at this point. I can't say I ran the whole thing - I definitely stopped for walk breaks. But the majority of the people were walking by this point, and I was one of the few still running at all. It was at this point that I realized all the mud would be at the end. After I jumped over the fires - was really looking forward to that part, my Spartan Race had no fire! - there was the mud. Oh, such mud there was ....

This mud. Was like peanut butter. Let me put it this way... it was a bottomless mud pit, yet I was floating in it. That's how THICK this crap was. Nobody was moving. When I finally got a chance to try and move forward, it took all my strength just to move one inch. Most people were crawling out to the side, and unfortunately I did the same. I'm normally not one to opt out of obstacles, but this was just ridiculous and I only would have frustrated myself. So, over the finish line I went, looking like a mud monster. I have no idea what time I finished (I would have had to wait around to find out) but I estimate somewhere between 50 and 55 based on the announcer calling out the next heats to start. 

And, my medal! I love the fact that it's a bottle opener too. I really do love mud... it felt great and cooled me off after that very hot run. This mud was literally about an inch thick on my skin. I felt like a frosted cake! So it was time to find the showers, because I still had to drive back to Georgia. The "Warrior Wash" was just a guy with a fire hose who kept running out of water. It didn't do the job very well and there was no changing tent, so I had to get creative in the back of my Jeep. Good thing I brought dry towels and baby wipes! Unfortunately I did lose my free beer ticket, prolly from that fire hose. But it's ok - I got to stop at Chipotle, a place I absolutely love and haven't had in almost a year! The food was way more filling than I remember, but maybe that's because I don't eat like I did last summer...lol.  So all in all, a great day of muddy racing. Feel like I conquered the course pretty successfully!

My thoughts on Warrior Dash

Pros

• I love the warrior/viking theme of this race. The atmosphere is fun and laid back, they always had music going and alot of people were just hanging out and enjoying themselves. It's not "elitist" or "hardcore" by any means.
• There are alot of people who run in costume which adds to the "fun run" element. They have contests for the best costume and best beard
• The pricing is pretty modest compared to other races
• The fact that they let me transfer to the North Carolina race due to my back problems that started a week before I was supposed to run the Georgia race. The deadline to change registrations had passed, but after explaining my situation they allowed me to transfer anyway. There was a $10 fee but I didn't care. It's nice to know that not all people are robots, and some do have sympathy.

Cons

• Not managed well. For how big this racing series is and how long it's been around, I'm surprised they still struggle here. Lines are disorganized and long. My race also could have used a better washing system and a changing tent. Definitely show up early, expect to wait, and bring plenty of wipes, towels, and clean clothes - also, you may be changing in your car.
• Lack of mud. This might be a pro to some people. Not everyone wants to get muddy right off the bat, then have to run their entire race covered in mud. It also makes the obstacles harder as they get covered in it. I guess most people just want to splash in it at the end of the race and spend less time getting dirty. Not me. I love mud. Spartan Race had mud throughout, and it's not just obstacles and running. I think what this does is shifts your mindset for a moment, from "holy crap I have to complete all these crazy obstacles" to more of a mindset of playtime and carefree wading in the mud. Kind of calms your nerves and distracts you a little, which I personally like. 
• Here's my beef with the obstacles of this race. It's not so much that they aren't challenging, it's that they lack variety. WD has alot of climbing and crawling oriented obstacles. At Spartan Race you had plenty of that, but you also had to push, pull, lift, and throw. 

I had fun at Warrior Dash and I'm glad I finally got to go! It's a great race for people who are just starting out in obstacle racing, or for those who just want to do something a little more laid back. That being said I do prefer Spartan Race - it's a hell of alot harder, but is better organized and the obstacles have more variety. 

And of course, I love my viking helmet!

More pictures and official results to come when I get them