Hello! Hope you all had a great weekend!
I am proud to say that on Saturday, my boyfriend Oscar and I participated in our first Warrior Dash! And it was awesome!
Warrior Dash is a 5K run that includes extreme obstacles such as: crawling through mud under low overhanging barbed wire, climbing up cargo nets, swimming over logs, jumping over cars and leaping over fire!! As you can see, we got VERY dirty but that was to be expected and is all part of the fun 🙂 Afterwards we celebrated with music, beer and turkey legs. All participants receive a medal, a free t-shirt, a Warrior helmet and a token for a free beer!!
Our friends, Danny and Aja did it with us. They are seasoned veterans with these mud runs and have talked us into doing another one in the spring called Tough Mudder. The Tough Mudder Challenge is a tough, competitive 13 mile run with obstacles built by British Navy Seals. Oscar and I have already started our training but today’s Warrior challenge was all about having fun.
I really enjoyed the Warrior Dash mud run. I thought it was very well organized and the atmosphere was super cool. The event took place at Amelia Earhardt Park in Hialeah, Miami and the weather conditions couldn’t have been more perfect with the sun and the cool breezes. There were even some folks who dressed up in costumes like Batman, Wonder Woman, the Incredible Hulk and some people even used silly props like mustaches and floaties. We will def have to step it up next year and give our team a silly costume theme.
Here are a few tips if you are a first timer:
What to wear? Wear comfortable, old and ratty but functional clothes. I made the mistake of wearing my old cotton capris but when I got wet, they felt like 10 extra pounds during the rest of my run. Also, if you have some running shoes that are on there way out you can wear those and then donate them afterwards.
What to Bring? A towel, some extra clothes and shoes. You can pack a travel bag (those soccer bags with the drawstrings are perfect). You also want to bring some spending cash for food and drinks afterwards. You can keep the bag in your car or bring it to the bag check tent while you race.
Am I fit enough to run in the Warrior Dash? I think if you’ve ran in a 5K before and can finish around 35 minutes, then you are fit enough to run in Warrior Dash and be able to complete the obstacles. Its OK to slow down and walk if you want to, just try and stay to the right hand side (like you would in a race or on the road) so faster runners can pass by easier on the left.
Do I have to complete all of the obstacles? The obstacle areas are monitored but not heavily enforced so it’s up to you. But if you are an able-bodied person who signed up for an “obstacle course race” only to skip out on them, than you are only cheating yourself. Oscar and I saw a few people doing that during the race and we thought they were totally lame and undeserving of their helmet and t-shirt. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
I highly recommend entering a mud run. They are fun way to get a work out, bond with friends, meet new people and challenge yourself. Here are some recommended websites to visit for more information on local mud runs and obstacle races:
www.active.com/running/Articles/Mud-Runs.htm
www.toughmudder.com
www.spartanrace.com
www.greaturbanrace.com
www.beachdash.com
Coffee With Kathleen 