Mud Runners

[5xdisneyfans]

My friend and I have decided to sign up for a mud run next summer. This is a big thing to train for but looking forward to it. Our cruise is in April and the mud run is in July. This will help for both. Anyone else signed up for one? Anyone done one before? Advise or information would be welcomed.

 

[Anisum]

I haven't done one but my cousin has and some friends have. My biggest advice would be to do one from a reputable company. My friends did one that was held by a local organization and they just made mud around the grounds of a local park. After a number of people went through it the glass, trash, and rocks that were there before the mud were in just the state to cut up your hands and knees as you crawled through one of the obstacles. They ended up with blood running down their legs that they didn't notice until the end of the run at which point the cuts were covered in dirt and mud. I don't know if those situations are common but I'd rather have an organization that has to consider the ramifications of not have a safe-ish course. My cousin did the tough mudder and enjoyed it a lot. I'm considering doing one so let me know how you like it.

 

[5xdisneyfans]

I am hoping to sign up for foam fest which is foam and mud. I wanted to do the tough mudder but a bunch of moms want to do it with their sons and you have to be 14 to do that one. Our boys are all going to be 13 and under. Good to know the information. That is aweful.

 

[Anisum]

I am hoping to sign up for foam fest which is foam and mud. I wanted to do the tough mudder but a bunch of moms want to do it with their sons and you have to be 14 to do that one. Our boys are all going to be 13 and under. Good to know the information. That is aweful.

I've heard good things about foam fest but I don't know anyone who's done it because they stopped doing it in my area. It seems like a solid way to get most of the mud off.

 

[Fletch]

I have done several mud runs, including a Tough Mudder, but I've never tried foam fest. As Anisum suggested, whichever one you pick just make sure it is reputable. Many mud runs are more about the obstacles than the actual "run" so you probably want to check those out ahead of time to make sure that they are something that you want to do. Some races, like the Spartan race, have penalties (like a certain number of burpees) for skipping or even failing to complete the obstacles. The Tough Mudder did not have any penalties... their focus was on encouraging teamwork and not on timing and punishment. That being said... the Tough Mudder I did was 12 miles of extremely tough terrain and some pretty extreme obstacles (electric shocks!) so there is a reason you have to be a certain age to participate.

Good luck, and most of all have fun!

 

[5xdisneyfans]

Thank you. Waiting for the dates to come out for next year so I can check out all the details.

 

[Carstairs38]

I started doing mud runs in 2010. I've done multiple mud runs every year since, most of the big names (haven't done Foam Fest or Rugged Maniacs yet) and some small local ones.

I have gotten scrapes at plenty of the mud runs I have done, but that's always been from the rocks in the mud pits. That one with glass and trash in the mud sounds disgusting, and fortunately, I have never see that myself. Believe me, if I did, I would never go back there.

Most of the mud runs do seem to go through growing pains, so I don't know if I would do the very first mud run someone local is putting on, but after two or three, they will quickly be learning from any mistakes. Honestly, some of the small local ones are my favorites. They can be more creative and less crowded.

Tough Mudder is tough. I did it once, and that was enough for me. I can say I did it, but I enjoy the ones that are 5K much more. I still do Camp Pendleton each year, which is a 10K, but that's about it for me length wise.

Here's another secret. I rarely do the burpee penalty. I'm out there to have fun and cross the finish line. I do try the obstacles, and if I can't do it for some reason, I just move on. I'm not competitive, and I know I never will be. I do them late in the day after the winners have been determined. I just have fun.

General advice for any mud run:

Training: Run. Or at least walk. Yes, you can walk the entire course on race day if you want, I see people doing it all the time. If your point is to get moving and cross the finish line, speed doesn't matter at all. Do keep in mind that you will have running breaks for obstacles. In fact, you might even have to wait in line for one or two. The more distance you can cover in your training the better, obviously, but remember on race day those breaks are coming.

Obstacles: You will have to climb over stuff (small and large walls, hay bales). There will probably be a balance obstacle (I so wish my balance were better). There are often monkey bars. There might be some others, but they are pretty much a variation on those basics. If you are lucky, you'll get a slide of some kind as well. Of course, there are the mud pits. How many will depend on the race. Some you will just walk through, but at least one you will have to crawl through so you can get good and muddy. It's why you are out there, right?

What to wear: Do not wear anything you remotely care about. Assume everything you wear will be sacrificed to the mud gods. Having said that, I do find I can wash most of the mud out of things - or at least make it look like that - after a couple of trips through the wash after rinsing it out at the venue and again with an outdoor facet when I get home. Still, I have my mud run clothes (including shoes) that I just wear for mud runs.

As a general rule, you don't want to wear things that will absorb water because they will get heavy. Also, pockets will tend to collect mud. Generally, I wear old running shoes (I really need to replace my mud run shoes), non-cotton (or low cotton) socks (most places sell moisture wicking running socks, including Wal-Mart, which is what I'm talking about), compression shorts under nylon type shorts (I was wearing board shorts for a while), and a white cotton T-shirt. (I know, I know, that last one goes again everything I said, but I like to have something that shows how muddy I got. It slowly turns tan despite my washing and then I replace.)

Clean up: All good mud runs have a way for you to clean up afterward. Usually, it is group showers outside. No matter how much mud I think I've gotten off, I still find plenty more to get off when I get home, but this cleans you up enough to get home without getting your car muddy. They should also have changing tents so bring a change of clothes. You will want a plastic bag to put your muddy clothes in for the drive home.

That's everything I can think of right now. Hope it wasn't too long and rambling for you. By all means, sign up for one. As you can tell, I love them, and they are great motivation to get you outside exercising.

If you have any more questions of specific question, please let me know.

 

[tiki23]

Warrior Dash is probably the most friendly of the mud runs I've done - people like to help each other. The obstacles are challenging, but not life threatening. I trained like crazy for my first mud run 3 years ago, but what helped me the most was agility. I found a place where road construction was going on and climbed dirt and rock piles, jumped from rock to rock, walked on a mile of curb to see how far I could go without falling off, etc. It was what gave me the most confidence. Have fun!