Teaser Alert: 4 Races in 4 Weeks

Unless you have been living under rock for the past couple years, you have probably noticed the obstacle course run craze has taken over America. From small start-ups like the Rebel Race to huge multi-million dollar race organizations like the Tough Mudder and Spartan Race, there is no shortage of people willing to get down and dirty for these types of races.

My husband is one of those people. He loves obstacle course races because they are more fun for him than your traditional 5k or 10k race. This year, he has over 10 races scheduled from shorter 5k’s to 10-12 mile mud-runs and in the next 4 weeks he has committed to 4 different races. I have asked him to write reviews on the different races he competes in since each organization runs their races differently and offer a new take on the typical mud-run. Here is the list of races he is participating in in the next 4 weeks.

Week 1	Hit and Run 5k	5k
Week 2	Go Ruck Challenge	15-20 miles
Week 3	Spartan Sprint	5 miles
Week 4	Battle Frog	15k

He recently participated in the Savage Race, a 5-mile race in Kennedyville, MD. Here is what he had to say about that race.

Savage Race:  Add to your OCR List!

I completed the Mid-Atlantic Savage Race in May.  This was the fourth race I completed so far this year.  I thoroughly enjoyed this race.  The event was setup and managed well.  Traffic to and from wasn’t an issue.  They had great obstacles and you didn’t finish covered in mud (more on that later).  I’ve completed a dozen or so Obstacle Course Races (OCR) in the past 2 years.  For me, some events can be less than ideal with long lines at the obstacles, excess amount of muddy obstacles just for the sake of making your finish muddy, long lines to hose off after the race, and lame obstacles.  Savage Race was not this at all. 

The morning of the race, I checked their Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/#!/runSavage) and realized the race was a 10k, not 5k like I thought.  Oh well, I’ve been training for some longer races later in the summer, so I felt prepared.  Getting there was easy as there weren’t any traffic delays.  I was running a little late (my own fault) so I had to rush to get my bib and submit my “death waiver”.  I lined up a few minutes before my start time, just in time to stretch.  Once we started, we were faced with some of the regular obstacles I am used to, climbing multiple 4’ – 8’ walls, crawling in the mud in tubes/tunnels or under barbed wire, climbing cargo nets, carrying heavy objects a short distance (pieces of lumber was used for this race), and jumping over fire.  However, in this event they had 3 obstacles I hadn’t faced before; “Shriveled Richard”, “Tazed”, and “Colossus”. 

“Shriveled Richard” is a large dumpster full of ice and water.  I would say the water temperature was around 35 degrees.  Not only did you jump in, but you had to fully submerge to go under a beam in the middle of the dumpster.  This was the second obstacle of the day and yes it was really cold.  I can tell you it earned its name.  In the last mile, I faced 2 more exciting obstacles. 

“Tazed” is an obstacle where you crawl under barbed wire and there are pieces of string hanging down like tentacles, except random ones were electrified.  I crawled on my stomach and kept my head down so I wouldn’t be shocked in the face.  The first one hit me on the top of the head and it felt like I had been punched in the head.  I’m sure it stopped me in my tracks, but I don’t remember.  I kept crawling (probably quicker at this point) and another electrified tentacle hit me in the leg.  Yup, it was a stronger shock than I expected.  

The second to last obstacle is “Colossus”.  Savage Race calls it the “Tallest quarter pipe in obstacle racing.”  I’ve been looking forward to this obstacle and having to work as a team to get up it and help others to the top.  This one had ropes hanging from the top, reaching about 1/3 of the way down of the ramp.  You run half way up the half pipe, and grab the rope to pull you the rest of the way up.  I reached the rope on my first attempt and pulled myself up.  I turned around to help my fellow racers make it to the top, but there were only a few people attempting the pipe at the time and there were more than enough people at the top helping the people up.  Once at the top of Colossus, you slide down into a pool of water (which washed off about 95% of the mud).  The pool is lined with plastic so you don’t get muddy crawling out.  I ran a couple hundred yards, jumped over the fire and crossed the finish line.  I don’t think they even had a hose off area, because you finish wet, not muddy.  For me this was awesome, because I didn’t have to spend the next 30 minutes waiting in line for a hose to clean off the mud.   I dried off using the towels I brought and I had my celebratory beer!

I’d love to hear your feedback, let me know if you’ve completed a Savage Race.  Did you have a similar experience?  How did you like it?  Please let me know if you have any questions regarding mud races.