The day of the Filthy Fun Mud Run started out a cold and rainy October day. I was in the parking lot very early and wondered how many people would show on such an ugly morning. It didn't take long to see that Filthy Fun Mud Run would have a decent showing for what turned out to be a great local event.
Rugged Maniac returned to the Georgia International Horse Park to bring their 5k to one of the most OCR-friendly venues near Atlanta, willing and ready to change the minds of some people who thought their course from the previous year left low expectations compared to other major companies in the industry. I can honestly admit I was one of those people after racing last year, with my best description as “It was alright” this year that changed.
This was my second Tough Mudder so I was very excited to know I would be able to take the Legionnaires loop this time and do the "Fire In Your Hole” obstacle. As I dressed in the parking lot, I was pretty impressed to see the large turnout for a Sunday, the second day of the event.
We ran slow. We took a lot of time. We were afraid that we’d miss the cutoff and be removed from the course, but the folks from Tough Mudder assured us that they were there with us until the triumphant end. As we worked our way toward Electroshock Therapy we were dumbfounded to see a vast array of Staff people, volunteers, and fellow racers who hung around and waited on us so that they could cheer us on and encourage us as we crossed that Finish Line. It was a beautiful and moving experience.
This being my first Merrell Down & Dirty Race, I was not sure what to expect when it came to turn out so I was pretty impressed right from the start. It was sunny, but a little cold with a brisk wind, yet the turnout was well in the thousands. I made my way over to the event area and checked in with registration within minutes. I surveyed the event and saw participants of all ages and gender, Merrell Down & Dirty clearly has built a fan base that covers just about everyone.
I was able to walk around and get a good look at a lot of the obstacles and terrain, and then had the opportunity to practice on the “Platinum Rig”, along with other racers in the dark. The energy even on Friday night was amazing and beyond anything I had experienced to date, including both my Vermont Beast's.
The only easy day was yesterday, this is my life motto/creed which I borrowed from the Navy SEAL's as it is their motto/creed. As I noted in my Bone Frog pre-race article, this event has been one of my most anticipated races all year! The day was just as it should be for a Navy SEAL OCR, it was pouring rain and not exactly warm.
I have been counting the days since participating in my first BattleFrog 15K in NJ (August 2, 2014) and the time was finally here! I volunteered in NJ and had a blast and gained a great deal of respect for BattleFrog, so I decided to take a PTO day from work Friday and drive to down Thursday night to volunteer all day Friday. I was offered a media pass by MRG and didn’t need to volunteer, but I made a commitment to Oscar and Lex and wanted to honor it.
Shortly after my 21st birthday, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus. This blow was hard to handle as I had been very sick for some time and being diagnosed with both at such a young age was a hard pill to swallow. For the next eight years of my life I became very ill and spent a lot of time at the hospital. Lupus and RA were controlling my life. I had numerous surgeries, blood clots, and a detached retina.
The Mega Mud Run Challenge (MMC) took place at Legare Farms, a 300 acre historic site in Charleston founded in 1725. Legare Farms is a working farm. Participants in the MMC literally ran past free roaming herds of cattle, baby pigs, and the occasional water buffalo. At one point in my tour of the course with the race director, Glenn Herring, a volunteer flagged down our all-terrain vehicle and told us that an injured pig was charging at the runners. What other mud run can claim that?!
