5K Foam Fest obstacle races, mud run, and OCR information, distance, cost, dates, calendar, discounts, obstacles, reviews, and more

Unfortunately, I was in a similar situation to Erica below. Paid $140 for two people, drove 2 hours from RI, $10 to park off site (which was 15-20 minutes away from the site). We got there an hour early as recommended but still had to wait 45 minutes for the bus resulting in missing our wave and starting 50 minutes after we should have because there was another huge line for bib pickup. The bus situation was the most disorganized mess I've ever seen. The volunteers had no idea what was going on and it wasn't until someone suggested they should let people who have early waves go first to get them on site that they started going by time. After the race, the kid friendly things were not all free and the free fall should have been supervised. 18+ means no kids right? Apparently not, and of course MY kid was sorely disappointed when the volunteer who missed the two 10 year old girls run by him, but wouldn't allow him to go up. The wait for the bus at the end wasn't nearly as long of a wait, but still an annoyance, and I also have the sunburn to prove the wait was too long.

The race itself was fun and aside from being on a farm and trudging through a mud pit that was surely sewage, we had a blast throughout. This review pretty much sums it up: http://relentlessforwardcommotion.com/2014/06/2014-new-england-5k-foam-fest-review/

Disappointing

Paid $70 to register, drove nearly 2 hours from RI, paid $10 to park OFF SITE, waited an hour to get a shuttle to site, missed our wave, they ran out of medals halfway through the day, then we had to wait 90 minutes for a shuttle back to the car. I got a terrible sunburn waiting for the bus AFTER the race was over. Oh yeah, and no outside food or drinks were allowed, so I paid $3 for a cool (not cold) Powerade and $1 for a tiny apple. They also have been deleting negative comments on their Facebook page, and even deleted their OWN post because there were 100 negative comments attached. Save your money!

Good Clean Fun

I have to agree with Matt L. below that this event is well organized! Parking is $10.00 per car and you are within walking distance to the festivities in minutes. The volunteers directed vehicles and it was well organized and well laid out. Washrooms are plentiful and hand sanitizer is provided in each port-o-let. Race kit pick up lines were sorted alphabetically and there were little to no line ups when we arrived 45 minutes prior to our start time of 9 a.m. Volunteers were friendly and very accommodating, we had a team member who could not attend and we were still able to grab her a shirt. The vendor area had some Foam Fest SWAG and the bag check was FREE with your race bib stub. The foam began at the start line and the MC kept racers motivated until their heat began. Energy drink girls wandered around handing out free samples and there were other "pay to play" activities in the main venue area. Medics were available and photographers took photos at the start line however got a bit distracted with a few girls in tutus and ignored the rest of us:) This location is a good spot for keeping racers cardio up as the terrain is subtly hilly and alternates with switch back loops that continue into the woods. The beginning of the course takes you to most of the obstacles and they are fun, but not challenging. Lots of very friendly volunteers along the way and the giant slide was well worth the entry fee! Gloves, long socks and elbow pads are not required at this race. No line ups for us as we were at the beginning of the large 0900 heat. Some obstacles included lily pads, mud pits, spider webs and a sideways cargo net. Overall, a good beginner race and one the whole family could enjoy. We did not pay for the extra tickets for other 'activities' and you get a nice tech shirt and medal upon completion with water and a power bar. The finish line is very uneventful and could have used one more obstacle to complete the course. Wash up centre and change area were good and they were on the ball with their communications throughout the lead up to the event.

Fun and Well Organized

This was the best organized mud runs I've been to so far ... and definately the best one at this venue (Area 51 Motor Cross in Batavia, NY).

The most obvious thing was that they made sure there was staff EVERYWHERE which was nice. They were easy to find and always friendly. The registration tent was well organized and quick to get through with our pre-printed waivers. Bag check was well organized, staffed and felt pretty secure (and free).

The course was pretty good. The obstacles were more fun that challenging (which was a nice change of pace). The only obstacles with any real line(s) to deal with were the cargo net climb and the wall climb ... otherwise everything was quick and orderly without any mentionable waiting. Water was available at mile markets 1 and 2.

The only part that was kinda disappointing was that the finish line just kinda snuck up out of no where. The course went through some woods which saw significant mud and a couple bungee obstacles, then you exited the woods and there was the finish arch. I was expecting some kind of obstacle at the end, but it wasnt the end of the world.

The post race clean-up was well provided. The clean-up hoses were plentiful and changing tents were provided.

Overall this was a very good event. My wife loved it and wants to make sure we sign-up again next year for sure. I was pleased with the event that Round House Racing put on (I had thought 5K Foam Fest was an HMM event, but I was wrong) and will be pleased to do future events with them (the Dirty Dash in July at the same venue).

Worth Doing Because It's Different

Keep in mind, I have done over 16 mud races and know what to expect at a race.

PARKING = F
They wanted you to park 20 minutes away, pay $10 for parking, and take a bus. A week before the event, they change the parking (to 2 minutes further away), and up the price to $15 and decrease the number of buses. 2 days before the race, they send another email changing more stuff.

FESTIVAL = B
Free stuff, DJ, lots of fun activities (that were free) like standing on an inflatable platform and using a big foam wrecking ball to knock 3 opponents off. The event was very family friendly and not as crowded as a Spartan or Warrior Dash.

BAG CHECK = A
Lines were short, they used 2 verifications for security (your name and phone number). I felt that my stuff was safe.

STARTING LINE = B
Arch, banner, DJ, and a foam pit. No real starting obstacle but the foam pit was cool. Bib times were not checked nor enforced.

COURSE LAYOUT = B
The terrain was good. It had some hills, some forest area, foam, mud, grass. Staff was everywhere – at every obstacle, every turn. If someone got hurt, they would know immediately. The course lacked water (we did no swimming). Obstacle spacing was perfect. This made this race seem so short.

OBSTACLES = B
Keep in mind that this was a family event so the difficulty on a 1-10 scale is about a 2. But some obstacles were completely different (usually the foam related ones). There was 16 obstacles stated on the web site but the course map said 10. The email stated they had to cancel 2 obstacles (leaving 8) but they must have added more because I counted 15 total. The backlog was 0-3 minutes max (This was good because I was reading about tons of backlog online).
Best Obstacle = Lilly Pads (probably the hardest obstacles and the most fun)
Worst Obstacle = Spider Webs (these were cheap and ghetto)

WATER STATIONS = B
They were at every mile marker. Water provided only (no food).

FINISH LINE = F
The race just ended. There was an archway that said FINISH right around a turn and out of nowhere. No final obstacle, no crowd to cheer you.

SHOWERING/CHANGING = B
They had hoses to wash off (you were muddier than expected). The backlog wasn’t bad. They had changing tents for men and women.

SWAG = B
You got a nice tshirt. The men’s shirt was different from the women’s (different neck cut and logo). The medal is good medal. Free protein bars.

CONCLUSION:
I think this was a good race. It’s not the most challenging but definitely fun (and family oriented so you will have a different crowd than the Spartans or Tough Mudders). The foam gimmick made the entire race. Without it and the obstacles, it wouldn’t be that good. This is worth doing (but not for $70 which is what I paid although I don’t regret it).

5k Foam Fest
March 15, 2014
Schept Farms, Queen Creek Arizona

As the name implies, not your typical mud run....... Was a good event overall. Could have used a little more foam honestly, i mean its your name sake, you better bring the FOAM! Parking was a little hectic but only because the event was back away from the main road. Plenty of staff on hand directing traffic though and a good fee of only $5. Make our way to the main entrance and registration, little long and drawn out but understandable given the layout. Plenty of lines open and occupied by staff helping get everyone through in a timely manner. I will admit though, our registration lady was a little rude and seemed to not want to be there, but cant judge it based on just one individual. Good sized bag check, as well as nicely staffed again. Oh and it was free, thats always a good thing. Merchandise tent was great; good size, great people and plenty of products. Vendors...... well that could have been better! I only saw one and honestly i don't remember what it was. i believe it was a gym but not sure, it had a few people there but they didn't really get out there and meet their people. Show their stuff off and really try to pull people in. Foam fest was very family friendly too, had a "festival area" set up. A place where you could buy food, mingle with fellow racers or wait for the of your party. Also had obstacles set up, like mini obstacle course or wrecking ball. Cant forget their famous Skyfall, a two-story fall into an inflatable airbag, like your a stunt person. You did have to pay for tickets to these things but at a great price.
Ok so now on to the course.......
A decent mix of running and obstacles, could have been arranged a little better or closer at some points. But overall a good mix. Had about 18+ obstacles, ranging from hay bails to walls to cargo nets and even threw in a mud pit. A nice long deep mud pit you had to crawl on your hands and knees under rope signifying barb wire. A lot of inflatable obstacles too.....chamber of foam, slip-n-slide, to their signature "Death Drop." Three 40ft high heart stopping water slides. Even had some obstacles I'd never seen before; Lily Pad and uneven balance beam with a twist. Even thinking about talking with a few designers and seeing what they think. Plenty of water stations throughout the course with friendly staff, greeting and cheering you on. Some picture opportunities throughout course and a good pre/post race photo station with race logo.
All and all, a good race and I would recommend people get out and try. I will definitely be putting this one my calendar for next year.

Thanks,
C.Blevens

Nice Fun Run

Though not a mud run, the foam fest was a new experience, with lots of volunteers, the check in was easy and quick. Everything was spread out so there was run to walk around, and the merchandise area was clean and lots of volunteers to help. The course itself was a lot of running, more of a fun run type of course. Few obstacles compared to other events, but the ones that they has were fun and new, the Lilly leap was fun, and the balance beam had a new twist. Though I would like to see more foam the next time, I am going to keep this race on the next year calender as a fun run.

Awesome!

I loved the foam and bubble obstacles mixed in with the mud obstacles. Had the usual mud crawl and cargo net climb but had the great foam ones that were great. Lots of fun and definitely plan on going again next year. Was probably the funnest obstacle 5k I've been to.

Only thing, I wish there was a shower/hose/changing area or something, but there was public restroom but it was just small and really crowded.

This was one of the most fun obstacle course races I have done. The obstacles were def more fun than they were challenging but you felt like a big kid! I mean a 30ft slip n slide with foam?? Cmon that is awesome!! This was a course you could have fun but also push yourself to try new things or conquer some fears. The volunteers were very helpful and fun at each obstacle. While we were waiting in line for the slide (2 slides were down as people had keys in their pockets that punctured them) the volunteers were spraying us with water since New England was in a heat wave and it was about 95-100 degrees that day. A fun obstacle course for people of all levels.

Great time

This was a great event. I went went with my wife and 5 other women. There was a lot of mud. The obstacles were wonderful. We had a huge hill to climb which gave a few people some problems. We loved the Lilly pads. The first 30 foot slip and slide needed a little more foam, but was still nice. The electric crawl was another favorite or our group. The volunteers were great and very helpful at each obstacle.
The only complaint I would have is that it would have been nice to have a water station at the top of the big hill. Many people were commenting about this. It might have helped some of the people that were struggling on the hill.
Overall it was a great day and a wonderful event. We added many people to our group for next year that were there watching us.