So, the catalyst for the family get-together was the Warrior Dash. We had a great time last year and wanted to do it again. We were suppose to have 6 of us: Me, Miranda, her hubby, Dad, Andy and his daughter, Katie. Andy dropped out due to a scout camp out conflict, so we were down to 5. But what a 5! A fabulous Five!
We ran in the Jackson, Mississippi Warrior Dash on Saturday April 26. We had originally planned for a cheering squad but my mom didn't feel comfortable ditching Kera with all the kids (who are mostly under the age of 8!), so she abandoned us instead. It was a good thing. The race was great, but the parking situation left a LOT to be desired. We were parked at 8:15, but then had to take a shuttle bus, and we had to walk the last 3/4 mile to the event start. It would not have been good for my mom to try to wrangle a couple small children through that. So it worked out well for everyone that she stayed home.
Due to the hassle of getting to the start, we did not get on course till 9:25, and thus missed out official 9:30 start. This race they did not time. No record keeping at all, which was mildly disappointing. But it also meant they were lax about start times. We slid into the 9:45 group, and off we went!
This race was tougher. More hills, more mud, more slick ground, harder obstacles. I thought. It was great to run it with Dad, Katie, Miranda and Dan though! Partly because Dan ran in full Gladiator costume, and partly because it made good conversation and was nice to have helping hands. The mud was unbelievable! There was lots of it, and the parts where they wanted it, it was thick, deep, and sucked you in. I had a bit of panic when I realized there was a distinct possibility I might not get my leg back.
I have a sad tale as well. Last year, I brought my water proof camera. It was cracked, so it took pictures till I submerged it, and then it died. I got the photos, but lost the camera. This year I thought I was prepared. I wore a skort with a drawstring so I wouldn't lose my pants this year. I made sure I had a good pocket for the camera, and I thought I was good to go. Sadly, I was not. I lost the camera on the 20 foot waterslide. The swoosh into the chest deep mud and water popped the camera out of my pocket and it was lost. Since the water was chest deep and the bottom 3" was mud, I'm pretty sure it will be dug up as a fossil in 300 years. I'm so sad I lost it, because I had taken a lot of pictures. Thank goodness for Dan! He took a bunch of pictures, and his camera had better quality ones. And he shared. So all photos are by Dan and Miranda and I am eternally grateful that they documented this awesome occasion!
For anyone ever planning to run a Dash, be warned, they do NOT provide a cleaning off station. They provide a pond. Possibly a muddy pond. For the pleasure of running, you get muddy. You get an awesome medal. You get a cool warrior hat and shirt. And you get bragging rights, a collection of bruises, and some awesomely sore muscles.
Fresh, clean and ready to run!
Katie, Miranda and Dan. Love these guys!
Me, my dad and Katie.
The first obstacle. Climbing was easy. Getting over the lip at the top put my legs in a stretch they haven't done in decades.
Crawling under barb wire.
Note the thigh deep mud. This is where I nearly couldn't get out. It is thick and feels like cement once you put your foot in it. Note I'm trying to grab Katie, who is trying to grab Miranda, and my dad is just trying to keep his feet moving. It was tough!
MORE mud. And do you see how deep it is?!
This was my favorite one. I felt all cool as I ran up and then pulled myself up with the rope.
I feel victorious! The cameraman asked Dan to go back down and do it again so he could get a photo of him. Everyone loves a gladiator!
Feeling awesome right now!
Rocking the cape. I so want one.
This was nasty. The mud wasn't so horrid. Trying to climb up the 10 foot wall of it was. I'm not sure you could even do that without help. This is when a group comes in handy. We boosted, shoved and pulled each other up, and the last man standing had help from random fellow racers.
When you got to the top, you had to slide back down 10 feet into this, and climb up the other side. This part wasn't quite so bad. Having perpetually muddy hands was. Dan is rinsing his hands off in that water.
Emerging from the mud tunnel. Again, check out the nearly knee deep mud.
Look at me! I'm going up the cargo net! And Dad's bum is photobombing.
This was my nemesis. I'm afraid of heights, so I have been practicing my balancing. Thankfully, this year, they had the ropes to hold onto. If you look, you can see me slow breathing through it.
And then the big slide where I lost my camera. Weeeeeeee!
If you look, you can see Katie catching air. She's in the red/brown shirt. The muddy water was chest deep and kind of cold and there was no escape from the mud.
No pix of the leap over fire, but here we are after the low crawl under barb wire through the mud pit. It was incredibly muddy mud and it coated you quite thoroughly.
Hail the conquering warriors! This is us, pre-pond soak.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Every year if I had a crew like this to do it with!
