We came, we saw, we got really, really dirty.
This is going to be a looong post and split into 2 parts; be forewarned.
Friday, 3 PM – Seth and I stalled as long as possible. The bags are packed with race clothes, post race clothes, toiletries, games and entertainment, and petty cash. We were the first to arrive so we got checked in and went up to setup the PlayStation and scope out the surrounding area. Somewhat ominously our hotel was right across a parking lot from an Urgent Care clinic and a hospital which gave everyone a pretty good chuckle.
Isaac was the next team member to arrive. Isaac is a big guy but has been working his ass off for well over a year and was absolutely psyched to run the race. It didn’t take long for him to mention the Urgent Care center across the street. He also brought some swag from a recent event for his IAMO Brand clothing line so Seth and I grabbed some bracelets and decided we should head out and pick up some food for the night and the next morning.
We came back to the hotel with:
- Bananas
- Protein granola bars
- a loaf of bread
- Sliced turkey
- Sliced cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese-Its
- Hot Pockets
- and some other snacks.
This is actually a better selection than it may at first blush appears. Tons of carbs, some fats and protein but most importantly enough to make sure no one went to bed hungry. The nerves on race day can make it tough to eat (see: the Half Marathon I ran on half a cup of black coffee and a cheese stick. It did not end well.) so making sure there’s at least some fuel in the tank is important.
We snacked, we played video games, and we generally avoided thinking about what we were about to put ourselves through.
Around 8 PM Ryan showed up. I’m not sure if Ryan is just really prone to injury or if he makes consistently poor decisions or what but he would be running the race on bionic legs (a knee brace and two ankle braces). He noticed and pointed out the Urgent Care center with a hollow laugh. We packed the team bag with post race clothes, a first aid kit, and the race cash. More snacks and video games took place, more topic avoidance until around 11 PM.
Bedtime. Alarm set for 7 AM.
Saturday, Race Day, 6:35 AM – Wide awake. I noticed the blue-white glow of a phone across the room and looked over toward Ryan’s bed; he was also wide awake. I looked over across the suite toward Isaac. He was laying totally still, but was also wearing the wide-eyed panic that I felt. I looked over at Seth and he was just blinking awake. I turned the alarm off. We were all up for the day.
Seth decided to take a shower, which was weird.
7 AM – Breakfast.
- Me: Coffee and a bagel.
- Isaac: Eggs, sausage, English muffin, etc.
- Seth: Bagel (this proved to be a mistake).
- Ryan: Cereal.
I sent a text message to our 5th member Tonya just to make sure she’s up and ready to go. She is going to meet us at the venue. We pace around, make small talk and jokes like “oh god, we’re going to die” etc.
9 AM – we leave the hotel to head for the venue. To save on parking we decided to take one car (mine). Just before we left the hotel we snagged a few towels from the hotel pool to save my upholstery. We also packed a cooler with some Gatorade, tea, water, and beer. All the essentials.
9:30 AM – we arrive at the venue pay $20 and get parked. Tonya says she’s at the check in so we decide to grab the bag and follow the groups of people. About 1/4 mile from the parking we find the edge of the event area. Ryan and Isaac decide to take the last clean picture of the day.
9:45 AM – we find Tonya at the entry and go through check in. Emails are shown, photo IDs are displayed, bibs and wristbands are acquired. Sunblock is applied by Ryan and ignored by all others (This is also a mistake). Bibs are pinned on and 3 wrist bands are applied by everyone (Legal drinking age, finisher beer, and bag check bands). Tonya and I hand over $10 each to put our bags in the check tent and pace around waiting for our start wave at 10:30 AM. I would say this is probably the biggest failing of the event coordinators; the start corral was CHAOS. People who should have been in the most recent wave were still wandering around thinking they had been delayed, people from the wave after ours were already in the corral waiting to go for their wave, people who are running the half-mudder are mixed in with the full-mudder crowd trying to find their start lane. It was generally disorganized and uncomfortable and it was starting to get warm.
10:15 AM – an amalgam of the 9:30, 10, and 10:30 full and half runners are set loose from the corral. Our little cluster moves up toward the front of the corral and waits in the humid, sticky start mob. We’re slowly and haltingly shuffling toward the actual corral until we finally actually make it in.
10:50 AM – twenty minutes after our scheduled start and we’re all starting to feel the effects of the sun. Right around this point I’m regretting ignoring the sunblock and I’m getting a bit thirsty and nervous. As we had filed cattle-like into the start corral we got a bit separated but are all still able to see one another and see the nervous looks on each other’s faces. I saw several girls in ‘tacocat’ tee shirts. Our EmCee is pretty low-key, making jokes and trying to keep the crowd in a good mood as the delay stretches on. It felt like we were in the corral for hours, but honestly it was about 10 minutes.
11 AM – the corral is released and we all jog down a little hill, past the rinse station, past a first aid tent, and down around a corner behind the mini-mudder course and are pulled up short behind a pole shed and told to wait. Through the trees we can hear some loud dancey hype up music and see a group of people jumping and bouncing just around a bend in the track.
11:05 AM – our group is allowed to trot up around the bend in the road and we finally get a look at the start gate with our ‘Coach’ waiting on the platform to get us warmed up.
11:10 AM – Coach ‘Mudhoney’ gets the crowd laughing and stretching before leading our wave through the The Pledge. Throughout the day as we doubled back around and around this course we could hear him inducting wave after wave of Mudders. We started nearly 45 minutes late, but after a round of the national anthem and a quick reminder of the fact the Tough Mudder is designed by and a fundraiser to benefit veterans, we have our countdown from 10 (9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) and are through the gate into the dust and heat of the day.
Tough Mudder Pledge
“As a Tough Mudder
I pledge that:
I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race
but a challenge.
I put teamwork and camaraderie
before my course time.
I do not whine –
kids whine.
I help my fellow Mudders
complete the course.
I overcome all fears.”