Merrell Down & Dirty, 2012

Last week I participated in the Merrell Down & Dirty, a 10K and 5K mud race.  I initially signed up for the 10K, but got sick the week before and decided to change to the 5K.  It was a great run through the Georgia International Horse Park in my beloved Conyers, Georgia.  The Merrell Down & Dirty was not as tough as other mud races like the Spartan and Warrior Dash, but it was fun and had an ample number obstacles.

Muddy Rock'n Run Gladiator

RAGE Racing tackled the Gladiator Rock’n Run today at Bear Creek Farm in Moreland, Georgia.  The Gladiator, hosted by Dan “Nitro” Clark from American Gladiators fame (pictured below), is a 6K with 17 insane obstacles including the Terrible Tires, Monkey Bars, Trenches of Torment, Swamp Stomp, Hamburger Hill, Spider Web, Wall of Fame, Skid Marks, Buddha’s Burden, Ring the Bell, Lake Swim, 10 Foot Wall Climb, Dumpster Dive, Polar Bear Plunge, Cargo Congo Climb, The Beast, and Gladiator BBQ.  Pictures are forthcoming.

 

This was a well ran event and they did a great job of staggering start times, which kept racers from having to wait to conquer obstacles.  I also really liked the fact that Dan “Nitro” Clark did not just host the event from the stage; he actually walked around and talked to fans/participants, and posed for pictures.  Normally, the “celebrity host” introduces the first wave and then disappears.  Nitro was one of my favorite American Gladiators in the 1990’s and getting to meet him took me back to happy middle school years, where I watched the show on television and even got to see it live at the Omni.

Nike Women's Marathon, 2011

Dr. Smiles and I ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco seven months ago.  We were afraid the weather would be cold in October, but it turned out to be a moderate day that was perfect for running.  We went out a few days before the race and toured the city.  We even participated in an occupy San Fransisco event.



To call the race course hilly would be an understatement.  The course was majority uphill with mile 6 being a killer.  Dr. Smiles showed great heart during the race as you get severely sick around mile 20.  Her colitis started acting up, and she literally gutted it out for the rest of race.  Weaker individuals would have quit, but she demanded that we finish and she finished strong.  Reason #256 why she is truly a wonder woman.  Her mental and physical toughness paid off as she received a Tiffany necklace for finishing the race.

Although Dr. Smiles is a bad ass, she runs to be sexy.  Out of the 30,000 women running the race, she was truly the sexiest of the bunch.

Warrior Dash, 2012

RAGE Racing participated in the 2012 Warrior Dash in the north Georgia mountains.  The Warrior Dash is a 5K with the following obstacles (1)Traversing through a lake; (2) Crawling under barbwire and cargo nets; (3) Up and over barrcades; (4) climbing over a 10 foot wall; (5) Jumping into a lake, pulling yourself on to a floating platform, and walking across the platform; (6) Tire climb; (7) Wall climb and pole slide; (8) Tarp slide; (9) Jumping over cars; (10) Jumping over fire; and (11) Crawling through a mud pit.

The Warrior Dash is a great event and I encourage everyone to participate.  You will be muddy, but it will wash off.

We Run Brookhaven

RAGE Racing participated in the 13.1 Atlanta event in Brookhaven.  It was approximately 40 degrees this morning when the race started at Town Brookhaven.  We ran through the picturesque Brookhaven neighborhood.  It was fun for all those who participated.

Peachtree Road Race, 2011

Dr. Smiles, Big Maw Maw, and I walked the Peachtree Road Race for the third consecutive year.  Bean joined in the fun this year as he won entry at the Peachtree Fitness Expo on Saturday.  He gets big ups for participating since he hadn’t trained for or expected to walk six miles today.  This year’s race was 60,000 strong and was definitely the hottest.  Congratulations to all who participated!

Gahuti

The naturally dark canopy of the Gahuti Trail further darkens as clouds roll-in from the east.  Ka-boom goes the thunderclap! Multiple strikes of lightening illuminate the deeming sky as the heavens open and droplets of rainfall pour from the sky.  "Where five miles in and the car's only three miles away", says Dr. Smiles.  "I saw a campsite a half mile back and the park entrance is only two miles back", I replied.  Dr. Smiles asks and answers her own question, "We should hike the three miles to the car."

Dr. Smiles sets the pace, a frantic but controlled jog through the woods alongside the narrow cliffs of Fort Mountain State Park.  Trees sway, then break from wind induced strain.  Visibility decreases as the skies darken and the rain intensifies.  Ka-boom goes the thunderclap, followed by lightening, illuminating our path ever so briefly.  The narrow paths and steep declines of Mother Mountain challenge our balance and courage as we traverse through the storm.

"The path's blocked", yells Dr. Smiles over the wind.  "We can't get over that tree.  We're either going to have climb down the ledge and go 'under' the tree or climb up the mountain and go 'over' the tree", I reply.  Dr. Smiles without hesistation states, "Let's go high."  "Grab my arm", I reply as we start up the incline.  She grabs my wet and slippery arm as we crawl up the muddy and uneven mountain terrain.

We glance at the fallen tree below, as we move through the untamed wildlife.  I state, "Let's climb down to the trail", says I, now that I can see that we've passed the tree. "I'll go first", yells Dr. Smiles as the downpour increases.  Ka-boom goes the thunderclap! "Ahhh", screams Dr. Smiles as her footing gives way and she slides down the mountain.  She regains her balance as both feet hit the trail.  I cautiously climb down.  We're back on the path, Dr. Smiles sets the pace.

The rain intensifies; the sky continues to darken; ka-boom goes the thunderclap; lightening illuminates the sky as we continue through the shadowy canopy of the Gahuti.

Valor of a Spartan

On Saturday, April 30, I (along with Miguel Lebanon and MLT) completed the Spartan Sprint in Conyers, Georgia at the Georgia International Horse Park. The Spartan Sprint is a 3.7 mile trail race with multiple difficult and challenging obstacles.

The first obstacle was a a series of traffic barriers stuck in mud. As you attempted to hurdle the barrier, a group of three men shot you with a high-power fire hose. My vision went white and my nose filled with fire hydrant water. The water was so strong that it knocked me face first into to mud. Muddy and wet is always a good way to start a race.

The second obstacle was going over and under a series of wooden barricades. The over barricades were approximately five feet high and the under barricades left a gap off the ground of approximately two feet. After clearing the barricades, you had to jump threw elevated car tires which were approximately five feet off the ground.

The third obstacle was a 35 yard mud crawl under barbwire positioned two feet off the ground. Honestly, this was one of the hardest obstacles in the race, mainly because I didn't practice crawling on my stomach. Initially, I pick the left course only to find out that the barbwire sagged to approximately one foot above ground, so I had slide horizontally.

The fourth obstacle was a river run. The water was knee high in parts and river bed sand was unstable and filled with holes. Luckily, no ankles were twisted and big up to the guy in front of us called out the forthcoming holes.

The fifth obstacle was a eight foot wall climb. We did our good deed of the day by helping a team of women clear the wall. I hate to brag, but I "beasted" up the wall.

The sixth obstacle was a ten foot cargo net climb. After the mud climb and wall jump, this was welcome obstacle. The only potential issue was missing the net and falling through holes. I'm sure that never happens.

The seventh obstacle was walking a multi-segment balance beam. My balance was horrible abs I fell early. As a result, I had to do 30 burpies, a kind of jump push up.

The eight obstacle almost broke my spirits, a 100 plus yard hill climb carrying a ten gallon bucket filled with black dirt. You had fill your bucket with dirt, carry the bucket and dirt up the hill and the walk back down the hill with your bucket and dump your dirt. Big up to MLT who "beasted" up and down the hill.

The ninth obstacle was pulling a cider block around a circle with a diameter of approximately 25 feet. This obstacle was easier than it looked.

The tenth obstacle was another crawling event. This time we crawled through a dark and hot plastic tent.

The eleventh obstacle was climbing another cargo net. This time the net was approximately twenty five feet. I wish I'd taken the time to take in the view.

The twelfth obstacle was another mud crawl under barbwire and through a fire ant colony. Luckily, I didn't encounter the fire ants. The major difference between this crawl and the previous one was that it was in front of the gallery, so your family and friends could see you wallow in the mud.

The thirteenth obstacle was an incline rope climb, which was really easy.

The fourteenth obstacle was a horizontal wall climb. I fell off the wall before I even got on good. As a result, 30 more burpies.

The fifteenth obstacle was a spear throw into a spartan dummy. I hit the dummy, but my spear didn't stick. As a result, 30 more burpies.

The sixteenth and final obstacle was combat with two spartan warriors with giant joust sticks. As there were three of us and two of them, we served our battle with the spartans.

Overall, the race was a ton of fun and I'm glad I was able to participate. I'm definitely interested in doing a Super Spartan, an 8 plus mile trail race. I've never been one to play in the mud, but this was definitely worth the extra dirt, loose of running shoes and extra laundry.

Fire, Barbwire, Water, Mud - Race like a Spartan

Dr. Smiles has it in for me, and April 30, 2011 may be my expiration date. The "good" doctor signed me up for the Spartan Sprint, a muddy 3+ mile race with 10+ obstacles, including but not limited to trail runs, jumping over fire, crawling under barbwire, swimming, mental puzzles, and crawling through mud. The event takes place at the Georgia International Horse Park. Let the death march begin!

Publix Georgia Half Marathon

Dr. Smiles and I ran the Publix Georgia Half Marathon last Sunday. We finished the 13.1 miles in a little under three hours. The race started and ended at Centennial Olympic Park and the course featured some of Atlanta's most historic areas including Inman Park, Ansley Park, Sweet Auburn Avenue, Little 5 Points, Virginia Highlands, the Carter Center, and the campus of Georgia Tech. The course was surprisingly hilly, but the weather was beautiful - a comfortable 61 degrees.

Men's Health Urbanathlon (Chicago)

The 2010 Men's Health Urbanathlon took place in the heart of downtown Chicago, where you run 9 plus miles and navigate through 6 challenging obstacles. You start at Upper Hutchinson Field and run north to Navy Pier. After running down the pier, you encounter obstacle #1, balancing on jersey concrete barriers, climbing over monster truck tires, and run through tires (not pictured). Next, you continue running south along the lake front until you get to obstacle #2, where you have to go up and under police barricades (pictured). You continue running south pass the aquarium and Soldier Field until you reach obstacles #3, the marine hurdles, which are easily six feet tall (pictured). You continue running south pass the museum campus until you reach obstacle #4, where you have to go under a series of cargo nets and transverse a long series of monkey bars (not pictured). You loop back around and head north until you reach obstacle #5, Soldier Field, where you run a large number of stadium stairs (not pictured). After leaving the stadium, you run back toward Upper Hutchinson Field, where obstacle #6 awaits, jumping over a series of cabs, a bus, and climbing a 10 foot wall.