Last weekend my husband, our oldest son and I joined friends to run the Warrior Dash near our town.
Yes, I’m a little crazy—and I admit it.
I’m definitely a girly girl. I love cute clothes and accessories and usually don’t leave the house without makeup and something other than pajamas or workout clothes. So signing up for a mud run felt like a stretch. It wasn’t my first, though.
Two years ago my husband and I completed a Tough Mudder: 13 miles through mud and water in 50°F weather. That was intense.
Don’t we look fabulous in our fuzzy Viking hat?
Our son was excited to run this year—he’d finally reached the age limit. All the soccer he did over the summer paid off: he found the course easy and even asked if we could do it again. Apparently, adventurous runs run in the family.
People come to these events in all kinds of costumes: wigs, tutus and masks were everywhere. I went simple and wore my Wonder Woman socks.
The course was roped off, so I don’t have many in-course photos, but imagine trails of ankle-deep mud, steep slick hills with pools of muddy water between them, and steep sections where someone at the top had to reach down and pull you up. It was slippery and hilarious.
Obstacles included planks to climb over and through, 15-foot walls with 2×4 grips and ropes, swims around floating piers, uphill and downhill stretches, tight ropes over gullies, and more. With mud caked to your shoes, each step felt heavier, making the course more challenging and strangely fun.
Have I mentioned how much fun it was? It might sound like torture, but it’s one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done. It brings out the kid in you—you stop worrying about being dirty and just have fun with other racers. Everyone helps each other, and the camaraderie is great.
This photo was taken near the end of the course. Yes, we were coated in mud earlier, but they had you swim through a pond right before reaching this A-frame wall, which washed off a lot of the mud.
Near the finish we all grabbed hands and ran through small patches of fire and smoke—more for the thrill than the difficulty.
To finish, we crawled through about 50 feet of mud trenches under barbed wire. I was up front in the picture—there was so much mud in the water you couldn’t sink; you dog-paddled to the other side, then slipped and scrambled out to cross the finish line.
If you ever sign up for one of these races, bring friends. It’s far more fun as a group. The shared laughs and helping hands make the experience memorable.
Most mud runs support charities or organizations. This race benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which made the muddy experience even more rewarding.
Photos are a must. We learned from Tough Mudder that a camera can get too covered in mud, so this time a friend stayed dry and captured shots for us. Pictures make the story real—otherwise no one believes you swam in mud and ran through fire.
We’re already talking about another race next year. Spartan Race, anyone?
