Mud Run Obstacle Events

oncearound

Good Morning All,
My son (he's 16) and I have decided to do a Warrior Run this summer. For those of you that have never heard of this, it is an long distance obstacle course through all different types of environmental changes (water, mud, wall climbs, under wires, etc.) I have always wanted to do one but have been too heavy, and let's face it, lazy to do it. I took the plunge yesterday and signed us up for one in July. Is there anyone out there that have done one and is there any advice to doing it? I am not doing it to compete so much as to prove to myself that I can do this and have fun with my son.

xampx

No advice, but awesome! Good for you! I was just looking at the Tough Mudder site and think that could be my ultimate goal! To be fit enough to do that!

chuckyp

I have done many, from some basic 5k ones (Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac, Devil Dash, Survivor Mud Run), to the longer and more difficult Spartan Race and Tough Mudder. They are a blast.

My advice is to be at least somewhat conditioned to run so you don't have to walk the whole thing, but a lot of people do walk them so don't worry if you're not a big runner either. Maybe practice some skills like climbing over walls and doing monkey bars and balance beams. Most other obstacles don't require any special skills beyond basic climbing and crawling. Your event will probably post their more common obstacles on their website so you will have some idea what you are going to encounter.

People run in all kinds of costumes, but if you want to remain somewhat comfortable you should wear very light synthetic clothes that are quick drying and tight fitting so they don't chafe. I run in a compression fit short-sleeve Under Armour shirt and GoLite running shorts. Depending on the soil where you do it, you may opt for longer stretch pants and a long sleeve shirt because any rocks in the mud when you are crawling will play hell with your shins, knees, and elbows. My shins are always torn up to some degree after these events, but that's the price I pay for wearing shorts.

You can run in any kind of shoe, but if you have some that are pretty good at draining water, you'll probably be happier. I have run every race in a pair of Salomon Tech Amphibians. Some people duct tape their shoes to try to keep crud out, but I'm not sure it does any good and probably wrecks any traction you have. Make sure to lace your shoes tight because when the mud gets sticky and deep it will try to pull your shoes off with every step. My last race was so rainy and muddy that I stopped counting the number of shoes I saw in the mud and the number of half-barefoot runners I saw on the course.

Most of all, don't be intimidated by it. People of all fitness levels are there. If there's an obstacle you think you can't do, do yourself a favor and give it a try or two. If you absolutely can't, you can skip it, but if you don't at least try you'll be missing out on the best part of the race: challenging yourself to conquer the obstacles. You'll have a great time and so will your son!