Post by Rodney on Sept 11, 2011 22:51:44 GMT -5
WD is a cross-country 5k run with obstacles. This event is a lot of fun and very challenging. I ran this with my brother, Derek, and wife, Katy. We had a few other friends supposed to attend with us but had to drop out late. The whole event was a blast.
The race was down in Carollton at Area 330, southeast of Canton, almost a 2 hour drive from Cleveland. There was a lot of traffic getting in and we probably sat in it for close to an hour. It caused us to miss our scheduled start time but that wasn’t a problem. Waves leave every half hour and once you check in, you can hop in any wave you want. Because of the traffic bottleneck, they stopped charging the $10 for parking and added two extra waves. I give the directors a lot of credit for sacrificing some profits to accommodate all the late arrivals. Packet pickup was quick and easy. The $55 registration fee included a good-looking t-shirt, Viking helmet and one free beer. Here we are before the race.
WD is a huge event and had nearly 11,000 participants. Area 330 is a motocross park situated around a lake with lots of hills, a great venue. They had a stage area with a band, beer tents and some food. Lots of people were tailgating in the parking area which was closely situated to the start/finish. It was a motley crew from legit runners and athletes to a few who were quite obviously not having a good time on the course. Many were dressed in costumes (I got passed by a guy racing in a polka-dot dress and crossed the finish line just ahead of Mario and Luigi!) It wasn’t the normal TRI or road race crowd but most people seemed to be having a great time and getting along well.
We started at 4:30p. It had been raining off and on but the sun came out prior to the start and it warmed up into the low 70s. I hadn’t eaten enough during the day, properly hydrated or performed my routine warmup so I wasn’t starting in peak shape. We got towards the front of the pack prior to the start to avoid getting caught in any bottlenecks at the obstacles. We decided to all run at our own pace.
Right out of the gate the race started downhill on a grass path with some gravel. I just tried to get some breathing room and make sure I had good footing. The first ¼ mile was easy and allowed me and Derek to get into a comfortable pace together. The first obstacle was a small hill with a little mud that led us into the woods. Shortly after that was the 2nd obstacle, a trek through about 50 feet of water that was 4-5 feet deep, maneuvering up and over 4-5 large floating logs. Now we were soaked and the mud started. Next was an even larger and longer hill that was complete mud. It was extremely difficult to get a good foothold. I was able to find some traction and keep a slow jogging pace but every step slid back several inches. Derek had a tougher time getting traction and we separated at this point through the rest of the race.
The next mile or so was all trail through the woods in deep mud. Much of the rest of the race was in mud, some stretches 4-5 inches deep. Many people were walking and a few were losing their shoes. I kept my focus on my footing and was able to get enough traction to maintain a good jog. My NB Minimus trail shoes didn't disappoint and, surprisingly, I didn’t fall once. Less than 10 minutes into the race I started passing people from the preceding waves.
At about 1 ½ miles the route came out of the woods and we hit the 3rd obstacle, a 15 foot high wall covered in cargo netting. I just took my time and carefully worked up and over this and the rest of the obstacles. Shortly after the wall we had to navigate through a series of tires followed by large commercial dumpsters – up and in, over and out three times – then more tires. The trail now led along the along the lake and after a short while was a water station. I walked through and hydrated.
The rest of the race was very hilly. The whole course seemed to be either up or down. I jogged most of the time but had to slow to a fast walk at times. The remaining obstacles included a 10-12ft rope wall, a climb up and across cargo netting, a run up and across some thin wood planks, then a series of about 6 barriers where you had to go over one, under the next and repeat. I didn’t find any of the obstacles very difficult but I did slow down and make sure not to lose my balance or footing. As we neared the finish, there was a very steep hill to climb. At the top of the hill there were two lines of fire you had to run and jump over. Then came the final obstacle, a 30-40 foot crawl through a mud pit under barbed wire, and the finish line.
I finished in 42:27, 660th place out of 11,000 and 63rd out of 700 in my AG. My brother wasn’t far behind and Katy did a great job too. The course was supposed to be 5k but I’m pretty sure it was more like 6k. We overheard one of the race directors saying this was the largest and most difficult WD they’ve had. Afterwards, we got some pics, took a dip in the lake to clean off, and had a beer. We are talking about doing it again next year but running together as a group the whole time, maybe wearing costumes. If you are up for something different, give Warrior Dash a shot. Everyone in our group loved it.
The race was down in Carollton at Area 330, southeast of Canton, almost a 2 hour drive from Cleveland. There was a lot of traffic getting in and we probably sat in it for close to an hour. It caused us to miss our scheduled start time but that wasn’t a problem. Waves leave every half hour and once you check in, you can hop in any wave you want. Because of the traffic bottleneck, they stopped charging the $10 for parking and added two extra waves. I give the directors a lot of credit for sacrificing some profits to accommodate all the late arrivals. Packet pickup was quick and easy. The $55 registration fee included a good-looking t-shirt, Viking helmet and one free beer. Here we are before the race.
WD is a huge event and had nearly 11,000 participants. Area 330 is a motocross park situated around a lake with lots of hills, a great venue. They had a stage area with a band, beer tents and some food. Lots of people were tailgating in the parking area which was closely situated to the start/finish. It was a motley crew from legit runners and athletes to a few who were quite obviously not having a good time on the course. Many were dressed in costumes (I got passed by a guy racing in a polka-dot dress and crossed the finish line just ahead of Mario and Luigi!) It wasn’t the normal TRI or road race crowd but most people seemed to be having a great time and getting along well.
We started at 4:30p. It had been raining off and on but the sun came out prior to the start and it warmed up into the low 70s. I hadn’t eaten enough during the day, properly hydrated or performed my routine warmup so I wasn’t starting in peak shape. We got towards the front of the pack prior to the start to avoid getting caught in any bottlenecks at the obstacles. We decided to all run at our own pace.
Right out of the gate the race started downhill on a grass path with some gravel. I just tried to get some breathing room and make sure I had good footing. The first ¼ mile was easy and allowed me and Derek to get into a comfortable pace together. The first obstacle was a small hill with a little mud that led us into the woods. Shortly after that was the 2nd obstacle, a trek through about 50 feet of water that was 4-5 feet deep, maneuvering up and over 4-5 large floating logs. Now we were soaked and the mud started. Next was an even larger and longer hill that was complete mud. It was extremely difficult to get a good foothold. I was able to find some traction and keep a slow jogging pace but every step slid back several inches. Derek had a tougher time getting traction and we separated at this point through the rest of the race.
The next mile or so was all trail through the woods in deep mud. Much of the rest of the race was in mud, some stretches 4-5 inches deep. Many people were walking and a few were losing their shoes. I kept my focus on my footing and was able to get enough traction to maintain a good jog. My NB Minimus trail shoes didn't disappoint and, surprisingly, I didn’t fall once. Less than 10 minutes into the race I started passing people from the preceding waves.
At about 1 ½ miles the route came out of the woods and we hit the 3rd obstacle, a 15 foot high wall covered in cargo netting. I just took my time and carefully worked up and over this and the rest of the obstacles. Shortly after the wall we had to navigate through a series of tires followed by large commercial dumpsters – up and in, over and out three times – then more tires. The trail now led along the along the lake and after a short while was a water station. I walked through and hydrated.
The rest of the race was very hilly. The whole course seemed to be either up or down. I jogged most of the time but had to slow to a fast walk at times. The remaining obstacles included a 10-12ft rope wall, a climb up and across cargo netting, a run up and across some thin wood planks, then a series of about 6 barriers where you had to go over one, under the next and repeat. I didn’t find any of the obstacles very difficult but I did slow down and make sure not to lose my balance or footing. As we neared the finish, there was a very steep hill to climb. At the top of the hill there were two lines of fire you had to run and jump over. Then came the final obstacle, a 30-40 foot crawl through a mud pit under barbed wire, and the finish line.
I finished in 42:27, 660th place out of 11,000 and 63rd out of 700 in my AG. My brother wasn’t far behind and Katy did a great job too. The course was supposed to be 5k but I’m pretty sure it was more like 6k. We overheard one of the race directors saying this was the largest and most difficult WD they’ve had. Afterwards, we got some pics, took a dip in the lake to clean off, and had a beer. We are talking about doing it again next year but running together as a group the whole time, maybe wearing costumes. If you are up for something different, give Warrior Dash a shot. Everyone in our group loved it.
