mud run

Last weekend I paid $37 to be scratched and bruised by tree stumps and covered from head to toe with mud.  Perhaps not one of the wisest uses of funds for me personally, but at least it went to a great cause.  The reason for the insanity was to participate in the US Marine Corp bi-annual mud run.

I wasn't alone in this crazy endeavor.  I was joined by 9,600 other daring people who also participated in the race which consisted of 5.2 miles and 36 obstacles.  You participate in this particular race in teams of four.  It's very much a team activity where you cannot complete the obstacles without your whole team.

Course Map

Our team's start time was 12:23PM Saturday afternoon.  It was a flawless day boasting a beautiful blue sky with scattered puffy clouds.  The sun was shining making it a comfortably warm temperature.  The conditions were perfect.  As we waited in line for our start I felt nervous, anxious at what was ahead and in store for me on the course, and was dreading my inevitable meeting with mud.  The announcer signaled our team's go-ahead and we began with a slow jog so as not to tire ourselves too quickly.

I approached the first obstacle with wide-eyed fear.  There were eight logs lined up in a row atop a murky mud hole.  It was more like mud water than thick and sticky mud.  The task was to duck under each log.  The catch was the only way to get under was crouching down low on all fours and for two or three of the logs you actually had to submerge your head under the muddy water.  My teammates were already halfway through the obstacle when I took a deep breath, closed my eyes tight and prayed I would come up on the other side without swallowing any of the gross liquid.  I'm not sure what is more challenging... running 5.2 miles, completing the difficult obstacles or running and completing the obstacles while weighted down with mud that clings to clothes, hair, skin and shoes...

Click here to see list and description of obstacles

Our team lumbered on through the challenges which included more logs that we had to boost each other over, a 15 foot wall we had boost and pull each other over, rope swings, mud trenches, rope ladders to climb 15 feet up and then down the other side, a creek we waded through, and my very least favorite obstacle the ultimate mud pit.  The pit was one of the obstacles near the end of the race.  I would be remiss if I said this was just a 20 yard mud pool we all had to wade or "swim" across.  This mud was thick, clumpy, had a stench I tried to ignore and was downright gross! At 5'8'' tall, the mud came up to my neck.  There was even one section where my feet unsuccessfully searched for the bottom and I was forced to hurl myself forward just to make progress through the obstacle.  We all emerged out the other side looking like swamp monsters from a comic book.  It took me days to clean the viscous stuff from my ears and fingernails.

Our team tromped across the finish line an hour and half after starting the race.  I was asked if I would participate in the mud run again, as they host the event twice a year in the Columbia area.  I paused, contemplated the question while running through the obstacles in my head, my thoughtful and careful response was "I'm not really sure... I don't think so."  In truth I'll probably sign up again in the future.  It's one of those quite masochistic endeavors that you only partially enjoy while doing, is painful to complete but rewarding in the memories and stories that emerge from partaking in the event.

If nothing else, the money raised is used to support the men and women Marines and their families in the Columbia area who have been wounded or killed while on active duty. The money also goes towards several active scholarships in the Columbia area that were named after Marines who were killed.  That is most definitely a cause I am happy to get muddy again and again for.