Blog
From Montana, With Mud
08 August 2011 / 01:24 PM
It was 9 AM and I was full of energy and anxious to get dirty. There was a crowd of people hanging out on the field before the race, preparing for their heat. But it was not your usual race day preparation. All I could see was a muddle of tie-dye shirts, neon tutus, cut off jean shorts held by suspenders, and inappropriately short spandex and shorts—worn by males. Some runners even wore head to toe costumes in the dead summer heat. Now that is dedication. Syndey, the Nike+ Challenge winner, and I walked through the circus of racers checking out everyone’s costumes. It was already a blast and we hadn’t even started running!
After making new friends and taking a few pictures of ourselves in our clean Nike gear, we were ready to get muddy.
Sydney and I started off strong, sprinting through the haystack obstacles. I’ve never climbed haystacks so fast in my life. Well, I guess I have never climbed haystacks in my life before the Dirty Dash. The coarse then zig-zagged through dark stables and tire obstacles, around barns, and over creeks where only thin 5inch planks were used as bridges. By the end of the first half-mile I had worked up a sweat. When were we going to get dirty?! Then finally, after running around the corner of the last stable, we saw the reason we had traveled all the way to Billings—our first view of mud.
Now I know why they made us run for a half of a mile in the heat before reaching our first mud obstacle. We had worked up a serious sweat. And by the time we got to the pit, nothing sounded better than a dive into a milk chocolate pool of mud. Go big or go home, right?
After the first mud pit, it was all soggy clothes, heavy sneakers, and sludgy pathways from then on. Every 100 yards we would run into a new muddy adventure. Syndey and I ran through deep ditches, over slimy ladders, and we even had to climb on each other’s backs to jump over slippery wooden fences.
We turned the last corner to find the final two obstacles. We sprinted through the field towards the largest slip in slide I have ever seen, followed by the deepest mud pit yet, and a final dirt mountain to slide down before the finish line. They had saved the best for last! Sydney and I sprinted and dove face first, sliding as far as we could and repeating the method until we reached the end of the slide. Is there any other way to slide down a slip and slide? Feet first would have just been unacceptable. We then sprinted through the last mud pit, up and down the mud mountain, and took our final face first mudslide through the finish line.
After the race I washed off my new Nike Lunar Glide 3’s and added them to the truck full of shoes to be donated to a good cause. Then, Sydney and I headed to the spa to relax after a hard days work. Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t a hard days work. But all that fun was exhausting!
I had an amazing time in Billings. And it is all thanks to you all. From the Dirty Dash race choice to the final mudslide celebration, I couldn’t have planned a better trip. Thank you, everyone, for participating in the Send Steph Running voting polls. And thanks to all Nike+ Challenge participants for planning the perfect relaxing end to a fun filled weekend. I also want to thank the Dirty Dash for creating an amazing obstacle course. And I want to thank the people of Billings and the Dirty Dash staff and racers for showing me a great time. I had the time of my life, and I owe it to all of you. THANK YOU!!!!!
After making new friends and taking a few pictures of ourselves in our clean Nike gear, we were ready to get muddy.
Sydney and I started off strong, sprinting through the haystack obstacles. I’ve never climbed haystacks so fast in my life. Well, I guess I have never climbed haystacks in my life before the Dirty Dash. The coarse then zig-zagged through dark stables and tire obstacles, around barns, and over creeks where only thin 5inch planks were used as bridges. By the end of the first half-mile I had worked up a sweat. When were we going to get dirty?! Then finally, after running around the corner of the last stable, we saw the reason we had traveled all the way to Billings—our first view of mud.
Now I know why they made us run for a half of a mile in the heat before reaching our first mud obstacle. We had worked up a serious sweat. And by the time we got to the pit, nothing sounded better than a dive into a milk chocolate pool of mud. Go big or go home, right?
After the first mud pit, it was all soggy clothes, heavy sneakers, and sludgy pathways from then on. Every 100 yards we would run into a new muddy adventure. Syndey and I ran through deep ditches, over slimy ladders, and we even had to climb on each other’s backs to jump over slippery wooden fences.
We turned the last corner to find the final two obstacles. We sprinted through the field towards the largest slip in slide I have ever seen, followed by the deepest mud pit yet, and a final dirt mountain to slide down before the finish line. They had saved the best for last! Sydney and I sprinted and dove face first, sliding as far as we could and repeating the method until we reached the end of the slide. Is there any other way to slide down a slip and slide? Feet first would have just been unacceptable. We then sprinted through the last mud pit, up and down the mud mountain, and took our final face first mudslide through the finish line.
After the race I washed off my new Nike Lunar Glide 3’s and added them to the truck full of shoes to be donated to a good cause. Then, Sydney and I headed to the spa to relax after a hard days work. Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t a hard days work. But all that fun was exhausting!
I had an amazing time in Billings. And it is all thanks to you all. From the Dirty Dash race choice to the final mudslide celebration, I couldn’t have planned a better trip. Thank you, everyone, for participating in the Send Steph Running voting polls. And thanks to all Nike+ Challenge participants for planning the perfect relaxing end to a fun filled weekend. I also want to thank the Dirty Dash for creating an amazing obstacle course. And I want to thank the people of Billings and the Dirty Dash staff and racers for showing me a great time. I had the time of my life, and I owe it to all of you. THANK YOU!!!!!
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