OK!
It's been about two months since I ran Warrior Dash for my second time, so it seems about right to finally make my recap post, right?
ALSO! Can we all just agree, this photo right here...
MOST AWESOME RACE PHOTO EVER?
I think so!
So here comes the recap after the break!
It's been about two months since I ran Warrior Dash for my second time, so it seems about right to finally make my recap post, right?
ALSO! Can we all just agree, this photo right here...
MOST AWESOME RACE PHOTO EVER?
I think so!
So here comes the recap after the break!
Anyone who's read my blog or my twitter might have already heard that my primary Michigan running buddy (Coley) and I ran Tough Mudder earlier this year.
It was pretty cool. You can read about it HERE.
So Nicole and I were getting ready for Warrior Dash with the following conversation:
Coley: "So... Only a 5K, huh?"
Me: "Yupp. And no electric shocks."
Coley: "Yeah... And no ice baths..."
IN UNISON: "PIECE OF CAKE!"
It was pretty cool. You can read about it HERE.
So Nicole and I were getting ready for Warrior Dash with the following conversation:
Coley: "So... Only a 5K, huh?"
Me: "Yupp. And no electric shocks."
Coley: "Yeah... And no ice baths..."
IN UNISON: "PIECE OF CAKE!"
So, being seasoned Warrior Dash veterans that we were and knowing that if we could handle Tough Mudder, this Warrior Dash would be a literal walk in the park for us.
So we decided to be "those people."
You know, those obnoxious people who weren't taking the race seriously. We stopped and posed on top of obstacles. We took selfies in the middle of the course. Anytime we saw someone with a camera or a GoPro, we photobombed that like it was our job. There's a race sanctioned photographer on the course? YEAH. We stopped and posed like we were posing for the cover of Cosmo.
We had to find a way to entertain ourselves!
Now, I loved Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). And I love Warrior Dash. But after having taking on the without-a-doubt more challenging Tough Mudder, going back to Warrior Dash was not an issue.
So we decided to be "those people."
You know, those obnoxious people who weren't taking the race seriously. We stopped and posed on top of obstacles. We took selfies in the middle of the course. Anytime we saw someone with a camera or a GoPro, we photobombed that like it was our job. There's a race sanctioned photographer on the course? YEAH. We stopped and posed like we were posing for the cover of Cosmo.
We had to find a way to entertain ourselves!
Now, I loved Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). And I love Warrior Dash. But after having taking on the without-a-doubt more challenging Tough Mudder, going back to Warrior Dash was not an issue.
And besides that, it seemed like the most challenging obstacles we had faced at Warrior Dash in 2012 weren't present on the course in 2013. And it seemed we weren't the only ones who thought that the 2013 course had been less challenging than the 2012 course. And those people hadn't run Tough Mudder, so clearly, it wasn't just our altered perception.
We came up with a couple possible reasons. The weather had been unseasonably cool, and you could tell, it seemed like they had deliberately removed some of the water obstacles for safety reasons. The other thing to take into consideration was that this was also the site for Iron Warrior, Warrior Dash's tougher version, at 15 miles and far more obstacles. Presumably, Warrior Dash's response to Tough Mudder and Spartan Race. That being said, you would need to put some obstacles on that course, which may have removed a few of those challenges from the 5K course.
And I don't blame them for those decisions. That's part of the challenge of designing these courses and sometimes choices have to be made.
And the changes in the course did convince me of one thing for sure: I'm going to run Iron Warrior next year. Hopefully, they come back to Grand Rapids and I can just make the trip home. Or maybe somewhere in a warmer climate!!! Even better!
We came up with a couple possible reasons. The weather had been unseasonably cool, and you could tell, it seemed like they had deliberately removed some of the water obstacles for safety reasons. The other thing to take into consideration was that this was also the site for Iron Warrior, Warrior Dash's tougher version, at 15 miles and far more obstacles. Presumably, Warrior Dash's response to Tough Mudder and Spartan Race. That being said, you would need to put some obstacles on that course, which may have removed a few of those challenges from the 5K course.
And I don't blame them for those decisions. That's part of the challenge of designing these courses and sometimes choices have to be made.
And the changes in the course did convince me of one thing for sure: I'm going to run Iron Warrior next year. Hopefully, they come back to Grand Rapids and I can just make the trip home. Or maybe somewhere in a warmer climate!!! Even better!
Even though the course was not as challenging and the weather was cold, Coley and I still had a lot of fun. We manage to have fun no matter what we do, but when running, mud, and beer are involved, we have EVEN MORE fun!
I will always recommend Warrior Dash, especially to anyone who's interested in getting into OCR and enjoys a more challenging 5K run.
And the random posing and selfies along the course, along with the shameless photo bombing?
Turned out, it all worked out for the best! That photo at the top? Taken by the local newspaper and published online. There's a picture of Coley, too, and also ended up with a photo of two friends of mine who dressed up as Batman and Robin. Check out the link HERE! It was a great article and I was super excited to have gotten such an AWESOME photo!
I will always recommend Warrior Dash, especially to anyone who's interested in getting into OCR and enjoys a more challenging 5K run.
And the random posing and selfies along the course, along with the shameless photo bombing?
Turned out, it all worked out for the best! That photo at the top? Taken by the local newspaper and published online. There's a picture of Coley, too, and also ended up with a photo of two friends of mine who dressed up as Batman and Robin. Check out the link HERE! It was a great article and I was super excited to have gotten such an AWESOME photo!