MuckFest was Memorial Day weekend in Wampum, PA. It was a 5 mile mud run that was full of obstacles, mud pits, trails & even a mine. While it was INCREDIBLY cold that morning (especially for late May!), my boyfriend & I had an absolute blast at this race. I particularly enjoyed the "thunder storm" obstacle where you had to crawl through a shallow lake with a tarp just about a foot over the water. Underneath, there were strobe lights to look like lightening & they were BLASTING "thunderstruck" by AC/DC. It was hilarious & awesome and totally made you forget that the water was 30 degrees.
I will say that there were a few obstacles that made you say "oh s#it" when you approached them (the main ones being the jump off of the eight foot platform into mystery water & the "spinner" which was a giant contraption with ropes hanging off of it that you had to hang onto for dear life as it spun you over a giant moat), but it wasn't anything too scary or insane. I absolutely love these runs, they're so positive and uplifting and everyone there is so motivational. I will definitely do MuckFest next year & I encourage anyone to participate if its coming to your area. You can learn more about it here.
Luckily they let you jump into a pool almost right at the end so you don't have too much caked on mud after you're done. They also had a pretty efficient clean up station & tents that you could get changed in. Although that tent was one of the top ten weirdest experiences of my life.
p.s. you got two free beers after the race.. not one. two.
incentive.
We just did the recreational wave, which was still timed with a chip timer but you didn't have to worry about any insane hotchos plowing through the obstacles and smacking you in the face. I ended up finishing 75th out of like 500-some women who participated - so I was really happy with that. The race was 5 miles & we ended up finishing in an hour and 22 minutes or so. I think all together there were about 15 obstacles throughout the course.
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The next race that I feel is rather noteworthy from my month off from blogging is the JR Taylor 5k which is held in Bethel Park, PA. I ran this race with two of my dancers (I'm also a dance teacher for those of you who didn't know) & I was happy to be a part of their first 5k.
The race was held on the Montour Trail out that way & it was the first truly STINKIN' HOT race that I ran this year so far. I knew it'd be here sooner or later, so I guess it's good that I got it over with. The course also ended up being over 3.1 miles which is always kind of annoying - especially when you're shooting for a certain time. It ended up being just about 3.6 miles & I finished right around 30 minutes. Some areas were shaded & others were in direct, scorching sunlight.. I told the girls that they should be proud to finish in weather like that, because it was pretty brutal that morning.
While they were not the fastest individuals there (I'll spare them the exact time being posted for all to see), they had a good time & I think I may be able to convince them to get back out there for another one sometime soon. To me, that's what it's all about. Knowing you inspired someone to run for any reason is really great, and I was really proud of them for crossing the finish line. I will say that too many people let the term "race" intimidate them. Sign up for a 5k if you want to be more active. Walk it, run it, jog it - do whatever. These two were really hesitant about the idea at first & I am so happy they trusted me and went.
Although I think they just went for the free bagels afterwards, but whatever :)
My next goal is getting them through a mud run...
wish me luck.
Keep Running,
Kelli
