April 9, 2011

Rugged Maniac 5k: “Run Like Crazy and Try Not to Die”

66 comments

Ohmygod. This morning’s Rugged Maniac 5k race was SO insane! And totally awesome.

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Here I am with Tina and fellow NC blogger Heather just after finishing the race. Yep, we’re totally soaked, ha.

I’ve definitely never been that dirty before in my entire life 😉

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Brrrr it was COLD today! We were freezing before and after the race. Where did you go, sunshine and summery weather?!

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And we’re off! I almost lost a shoe to this mud — it was deep!

Our first obstacle involved crawling through a mud pool with BARBED WIRE above us. Holy crapppp! Ha.

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This obstacle was kind of scary! Higher than it looks 🙂

Yep, we leapt over fire. No big deal.

“Wait, so… you’re gonna give us a leg up… right?!” 🙂

The grand finale was a slide into a massive pool of muddy water! We were all assuming it was going to be about waist deep, but then Tina went down and completely submerged with one enormous splash! Heather and I looked at each other, took a deep breath, and down we went 🙂

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It was DEEP!

Was that seriously my morning?! Best/most ridiculous race ever. We will definitely be doing more… but hopefully the weather will be a little warmer next time 😉

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66 comments

Sana April 9, 2011 · 5:11PM:

You spent your morning bonding with some mud. NBD!

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Katie @ Nourishing Flourishing April 9, 2011 · 5:12PM:

You are the most hard of all the hardcores (wait, that sounded awkward...uhh). Regardless, AWESOME!!! :D

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- Anne P April 9, 2011 · 5:18PM:
  
  Lol!
  
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chandra April 9, 2011 · 5:14PM:

I love it! I would have been freaked out about the barbed wire - I probably would have poked my head or got my hair caught in it! lol

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- Anne P April 9, 2011 · 5:18PM:
  
  Yeah Heather got her hair caught a bit! Eeeek!
  
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Ali April 9, 2011 · 5:15PM:

Haha. You guys are hilarious. I love that you did this. Great photos!

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Hats @ See How She Runs April 9, 2011 · 5:17PM:

Mucky and cold but still looks like great fun! I loved obstacle courses as a kid but nothing as hardcore as this haha.

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Jenny @ FItness Health and Food April 9, 2011 · 5:22PM:

ahh that looks like so much fun. that makes me want to do the muddy 10K we're having here in chicago :)

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Jenny @ Love Eat Run April 9, 2011 · 5:26PM:

So much fun!!!!!

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Ash Bear April 9, 2011 · 5:29PM:

I definitely don't think I could ever do a muddy 10k but a 5k with friends could be fun. I'm glad no one hurt themselves! Have fun showering!

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heidi @ runaroundaroo April 9, 2011 · 5:30PM:

Looks like you had a blast! It never fails that the weather goes down hill for races that involve getting wet and dirty! What kind of camera did you have with you for the race? Did you take a regular digital camera? I've run a few mud races but have been afraid to take my camera with for fear of ruining it! (I'm assuming you had a camera on course...those are some pretty wicked pictures if they were all spectator photos!)

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- Anne P April 9, 2011 · 5:33PM:
  
  We ran with Tina's really old beat up point and shoot in a plastic bag :) And tossed it to the side before the last slide into the water!
  
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  - heidi @ runaroundaroo April 10, 2011 · 9:25AM:
    
    Good idea! I am running the Tough Mudder WI race in July...after reading through the course and obstacles I've decided I NEED a camera!
    
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- Sarah April 10, 2011 · 4:46PM:
  
  I was going to ask the same question! I have a mudder in june and i thought have a camera on the course just wasnt going to happen, but now i think i can make it work because I have an old beat up WATERPROOF CAM! scoorreeee!
  
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  - Anne P April 10, 2011 · 5:59PM:
    
    Ooo even better!
    
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Andrea @ Run, Eat, Date, Sleep April 9, 2011 · 5:47PM:

LOVE this! Although, I would have walked right back to the finish line when I saw that wall. I'm terrible with stuff like that, especially knowing someone has to left my hefty butt.

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Alysa (InspiredRD) April 9, 2011 · 5:47PM:

How fun is that??? I have always wanted to do a race like that. You are a rockstar girlie :)

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Renie April 9, 2011 · 5:58PM:

I love it. I can tell you all had a blast. This is something I would love to watch others do as long as I was on the sidelines.

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Stephanie April 9, 2011 · 6:04PM:

The kid who started rugged maniac was someone a good friend of mine knew in lawschool! Glad you had fun!!

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- Anne P April 9, 2011 · 6:34PM:
  
  No way! That's awesome :)
  
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Evan Thomas April 9, 2011 · 6:10PM:

That race is epic. I would do something like that in a heartbeat, although I hate water so that last part might have killed me.

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chelsey @ clean eating chelsey April 9, 2011 · 6:14PM:

That race is the best thing I've ever seen. I love it.

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Gina April 9, 2011 · 6:15PM:

Looks like so much fun!! Makes the race so much less painless when you're having that much fun :)

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- Gina April 9, 2011 · 6:15PM:
  
  **painful
  
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Caitlyn (The Spoonful of Life) April 9, 2011 · 6:30PM:

That looks insanely fun (minus the cold)! My brother did a mud run and a Tough Mudder race this past month and raves about them. Once I run my 1/2 marathon at the end of April, I'm signing up to get muddy!

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Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete April 9, 2011 · 6:55PM:

I loved this!! I so wish I could have done it with you guys. So much fun!! We are doing a race like this in a couple of months, and this is seriously getting my amped for it!!

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sarah (sarah learns) April 9, 2011 · 7:03PM:

this looks like such a crazy fun race!

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Rose April 9, 2011 · 7:25PM:

Nice run!!!!!! I love mud run!

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Briana April 9, 2011 · 7:58PM:

That looks hysterical!! Kinda like the Warrior Dash I'm dying to do this summer! Glad you had fun! Enjoy getting that mud outta your ears ;)

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Cari April 9, 2011 · 8:42PM:

This looks like so much fun!! I love the pictures!

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Tara April 9, 2011 · 9:32PM:

Looks like fun!

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The Teenage Taste April 9, 2011 · 10:25PM:

That race looks like so much fun! I would love to do a race like that! :-)

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Alexia @ Dimple Snatcher April 9, 2011 · 11:06PM:

gah, best race ever!! how are ya gonna wash those sneakers? machine? :D

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- Anne P April 10, 2011 · 8:38AM:
  
  I'm not! They were SO disgusting and completely salvageable. The race packet told us to wear throw away stuff, so the sneakers I wore were a REALLY old pair I was getting ready to toss, anyway :) The only thing I actually kept that I was wearing was my sports bra!
  
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DHP April 9, 2011 · 11:12PM:

You've got to be kidding! Awesome! Really funny... :-)

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Kristi April 10, 2011 · 12:42AM:

I think this run looks like so much fun! I wish we had something around here like that.

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- Anne P April 10, 2011 · 3:51PM:
  
  I bet you do! They have these Rugged Maniac races all over the country - check out their website and see if there's one near you!
  
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Allie {Cook Read Run} April 10, 2011 · 2:44AM:

This looks like so much fun :) ! Go you!

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Adventurer April 10, 2011 · 3:02AM:

What an awesome race. Kudos to the three of you for doing it. Looks hilarious! Well done! (But when's your next serious 5K; time for a new PR at that distance before it gets too warm!)

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J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) April 10, 2011 · 4:25AM:

That looks awesome! LOL

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Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) April 10, 2011 · 7:30AM:

I love this! It's like being a kid all over again, except it's okay to get dirty and messy in the mud. I could really get into this sort of thing. :D

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Jill K April 10, 2011 · 8:40AM:

Anne, you are so hilarious! This is the funniest Blog I've ever read!!! I LOVE it... :-)

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Natalia - a side of simple April 10, 2011 · 12:40PM:

You should now consider yourself diesel :) This race looks pretty awesome, no lie.

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Ryan @ Aloha Appetite April 10, 2011 · 3:22PM:

That sounds like SO MUCH FUN! Reminds me of the Swamp Romp they have our military guys do over here. ;) Go girl!

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Marci April 10, 2011 · 3:27PM:

That looks so crazy! How long did that take? You must be finding mud in all sorts of places.

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- Anne P April 10, 2011 · 3:46PM:
  
  We actually have no idea how long it took! Maybe like 35 minutes?!
  
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Maria April 10, 2011 · 4:13PM:

What a fun race!

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Salah (My Healthiest Lifestyle) April 10, 2011 · 4:14PM:

that looks like such a blast!!!

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Kristen April 10, 2011 · 4:37PM:

sounds like so much fun!! races should always be that fun, although Im sure you will be finding mud for a few days haha

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Heather @ Side of Sneakers April 10, 2011 · 5:48PM:

So. much. fun!!

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MegaNerd April 10, 2011 · 9:27PM:

That looks like absolute insanity. So fun!!

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Katherine C April 11, 2011 · 4:49AM:

That looks like so much fun!! Now on the lookout for one in Australia : )

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Jumanah @ Healthy Living in the Middle East April 11, 2011 · 7:49AM:

What a great race! Looks like you guys had such a blast!

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Cate April 11, 2011 · 9:26AM:

Whoa what a crazy fun race! Looks like you had a great time! :)

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Cassie @ Back to Her Roots April 11, 2011 · 10:20AM:

Okay, I am totally fascinated about HOW you took photos? I'm doing one of these in June and am trying to figure out how to document it on the blog without totally ruining my camera. Did you have a camera man tag along?

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- Cassie @ Back to Her Roots April 11, 2011 · 10:22AM:
  
  Oh DUH. Read before commenting. Old point and shoot in a plastic bag. GENIUS.
  
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  - Anne P April 11, 2011 · 10:25AM:
    
    :)
    
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- Anne P April 11, 2011 · 10:23AM:
  
  Tina had a really old beat up point and shoot she wasn't worried about wrecking, so we ran with it in a ziplock bag! She either carried it or had it in her sports bra when we were climbing through/over things. And at the end just before the slide into the water we tossed it off the side. It survived but got SUPER dirty and gross, so I wouldn't recommend bringing a nice camera! Your best bet? Just buy a waterproof disposable :)
  
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Michele April 11, 2011 · 3:57PM:

That is CRAZY! lol Sounds like you had a great time though!

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Lisa @ lists in my pocket April 12, 2011 · 9:03AM:

This looks so fun, I want to do this race!! :) Totally reminds me of the Real World/Road Rules challenges.

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- Anne P April 12, 2011 · 9:22AM:
  
  Ha, yeah! It was totally was.
  
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Elissa April 13, 2011 · 11:20AM:

I'm doing the Runamuck in Md in 2 weeks. Any tips? Were you able to salvage the clothes you wore for the race?

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- Anne P April 13, 2011 · 1:27PM:
  
  Wear clothes and shoes you don't mind throwing away after! Nothing was salvageable! Bring a change of clothes for after and a towel so you can get out of your nasty stuff :) And most of all: have fun!!
  
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Heather C April 13, 2011 · 7:54PM:

Haha, gah I can't wait to do something like this. There's a Boulder-version in August, definitely signing up. Who doesn't want to be the "dirtiest ever"?! ;) lol Best line: "Yep, we leapt over fire. No big deal.". No, Anne P, BIG DEAL.

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brooke April 15, 2011 · 1:29PM:

oh man! i just came across your blog today. i wish i would have found you earlier, i would have come! i also live in ch (i work for UNC and my husband is in grad school here)... that looked like SO much fun.

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- Anne P April 15, 2011 · 2:33PM:
  
  Aw no way! Bummer! It WAS fun :)
  
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Rugged Maniac 5k: “Run Like Crazy and Try Not to Die”

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