Tell me about Mud runs!

any UK people here should consider doing this

www.ratracedirtyweekend.com

i did it as my first one this year and have signed up for next May's event too, it is by far and away the best one to do in the UK

MUD RUNS ARE AWESOME!!!

The "showers" we were supplied with for mine were hoses with holes in them. I ended up rinsing off as much as I could and then just made sure to bring and extra towel or two to sit on in the car.

Bring/wear anything you'd be ok with potentially getting ruined by mud :happy:

Obstacles (for mine) were rope climbs, multiple mud pits, etc. It all depends on your race.

What run are you doing? Usually they have a list of obstacles at least from pass course so you can see what you'll be doing. Check out the website it should give you something :happy:

They have cold outdoor showers after that you have to line up for. People get pretty much naked in them, it's awesome. Bring and wear stuff you don't care about. I wouldn't recommend shorts. Obstacles are hard because of the slippery mud, much easier with gloves. Keep the gloves dry and in a pocket until you need them.

So I now have 5 more days until my mud run! EEEEEEK! I have a question about the difficulty of the obstacles. How hard are they? I don't have much upper body strength. What if I can't do the obstacles?????

It depends on which one you are doing, but typically yes, some obstacles reward climbing/upper body strength. Such as rope climbs, heavy hoist (hoisting a weight with a rope), sand bag carries, or monkey bars. They will typically be something most people can do with effort or people will assist each other.

You can try the obstacle, and it you fail it or can't do it, you can skip it. Sometimes it comes with a penalty, such as burpees for the Spartan Runs.

i don't know if i'm cheap or smart, but i've managed to save most of my clothes, sneakers and towels after a mud race.

i know that one of the pieces of advice is to wear shoes that you'll throw away after the race. Nay, i say... nay. i've worn trail running shoes to these races, and they've always been able to come home with me. they have great grip for slick mud and up hills. they're usually pretty thin so they don't absorb a lot of mud and can be rinsed off easily. for $60 i buy a pair in the beginning of the year, and don't throw them away until the end of the year.

what to wear on race day is your decision, but i would go as minimal as possible. clothes can get heavy and wet, and can get caught on barbwire and stuff like that. i normally do mud runs in shorts and compression shorts underneath so mud and grimy stuff doesn't get all up in my business and cause me to chaff (speaking of chaffing, get some aquaphor and apply that on areas). i normally wear a t-shirt that is water wicking or something like that. i work out a lot and do lots of races, so i always have something to sacrifice. like someone else said, don't wear cotton. the shirt is typically the thing i throw away.

gloves... i've mostly not worn them to races. it depends on the obstacle and the type of gloves. my last tough mudder i wore a really old pair of weight lifting gloves, and they were great for the trail portion of the event when i needed to scramble on all fours up a hill, or grab a tree trunk for support. but when i got to the monkey bars they were super slick and i took them off. it's your decision to make. for a shorter race, i might not wear gloves.

socks... another decision you need to make. i worn them and not worn them. they have been cumbersome and a relief. it depends on the course and how muddy it is. again, if you're doing a short 2 mile race, i might not wear them.

bring a couple of towels, a pair of flip flops, and a couple of plastic bags or garbage bags to throw in wet clothes that you plan on bringing. leave one towel in your car to sit on, just in case you can't get all the mud off in the make shift showers.

and look on the website about bag check. might be free, most likely not. check a bag with the towel and flip flops, and changes of clothes.

enjoy!!

Can I just say....do not give it up just because you can't find someone to run it with! MFP is a great place to find teammates...if that doesn't work, try other social media...and if push comes to shove...show up....game face on and RUN IT! It is a blast!

i don't know if i'm cheap or smart, but i've managed to save most of my clothes, sneakers and towels after a mud race.

i know that one of the pieces of advice is to wear shoes that you'll throw away after the race. Nay, i say... nay. i've worn trail running shoes to these races, and they've always been able to come home with me. they have great grip for slick mud and up hills. they're usually pretty thin so they don't absorb a lot of mud and can be rinsed off easily. for $60 i buy a pair in the beginning of the year, and don't throw them away until the end of the year.

I agree on being able to reuse the shoes and clothes. I usually wear an old pair of running shoes, and I finally threw mine out after my Spartan Beast after they had been through about 6 mud runs. Rinse them off with a hose, run them through the washer, and let them air dry, and they were good to go for another run. My brown shirt and black shorts have made it through just fine as well after a good washing. My socks seemed to suffer the most.

In for the info.

Warrior Dash is one of my goals if I can ever "run" and not collapse on my lawn when I'm done (it's just a fast walk, and I still want to die).