I felt a combination of fear and excitement as the weeks led up to something that I never envisioned myself doing in a lifetime. I participated in one of the muddiest and messiest, yet delightfully challenging and fun races: the Warrior Dash! The Warrior Dash is a mud run that involves 3.5 miles of running, swimming slithering, rugged terrain, off-road climbing, and a variety of obstacle courses (12) like Alcatraz and Goliath that are built to challenge athletes and non-athletes alike.
My initial fear of participating in the race melted away at the moment that I arrived at the Warrior Dash in Crawfordsville, IN since there were competitors from different walks of life. My husband and I regularly hike, but running is a different story for us. This is why I was pleasantly surprised that some participants were walking, while others were running at varying speeds. I was even more surprised that some courses could be skipped. These attributes made the Warrior Dash even more non-athlete friendly, especially for those who don’t know how to swim or have conquered the fear of heights.
The course was muddier than usual and was covered with thick mud since it had rained throughout Friday night and Saturday morning. This made the course even more challenging. This is always expected at the location it was held since the course was near riverbanks. Rain can cause changes in elevation and the hills there are some of the steepest. This was one of the most challenging aspects of the race, yet I endured! The most challenging obstacle for me was the Pipeline. This is where acrophobia and claustrophobia mingle together. Imagine someone like myself being petrified of heights and having to climb up, over, and through a tube of kinked cargo nets 12 feet in the air. You’re basically crawling through a tight, enclosed rope bridge.
One of the obstacles that I didn’t think I could have the courage to do was jumping over the fire, but I did. That was one of my shining moments! Near the end of the race, there’s an obstacle where you can wade through a lake that’s rumored to run deep as 40 ft. – this gave me a moment of pause since I can’t swim for the life of me. This is why I was thankful that I was able to forgo this obstacle.
The grand finale of the race is crawling underneath barbed wire through a 100-foot-long mud pit that reeked with an unpleasant odor. I came out caked in mud and smelled like a farm animal, but at least this was the moment I could give myself a muddy pat on the back since I had made it that far! The perk of it was receiving a Viking helmet medal that doubles as a bottle opener. I was so relieved to cool off while showering off most of the mud that was on me at the outdoor shower station. It was such a pampering experience since I used a shower head like the one I have at home.
I’ll admit that a mud run like the Warrior Dash isn’t a walk in the park, but it can all be conquered with a positive attitude and preparation. It may be something you can’t see yourself doing again after it’s over and done with, but you’ll be glad that you did it for the experience like I did! You’re not only given the opportunity to conquer battleground, but you can also help raise money for the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The money fundraised by St. Jude Warriors go directly towards the St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center.
My daughter did the Warrior Dash and loved it, but I’ve never done it and if I did, I imagine I’d be skipping some of the obstacles and I’d definitely walk since I’m not a runner. Congrats to you on completing the race.
I’ve done plenty of 5Ks but I’ve never done an obstacle run. I want to, but I’m scared to try it. I will do it one day, maybe when my kids are older and they can do it with me.
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Good for you! I never heard of this run, but it sounds like a good run! Congrats to you!
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My daughter is getting into doing 5k’s. She’s going to be doing an inflatable 5k soon and is looking forward to it. She prefers to do obstacle one’s, not just a straight 5k run. As messy as this is, looks like a great run!
warrior dash is such a an accomplishment! congrats on finishing it! i’m not the warrior dash type but it really does sound fun
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Wow! Congrats! Haven’t heard of Warrior Dash but we have something similar in our city! Maybe I’ll try it one day!
I have never had the guts to actually do a mud run. I should do one just because dirt doesn’t bother me exercise is my enemy LOL. I need a goal this would be a good way to get that goal to exercise.
I never knew that you could skip some of the obstacles in the Warrior Dash. That’s great for people who are scared of heights or can’t swim.
Congrats on completing the run! Sounds like quite the muddy experience. I have run a few 5K’s but they have always been traditional ones!
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I have always wanted to do something like this. I have done color runs and regular 5ks but never anything muddy. I am a germaphobe so I don’t know that I could crawl in the mud. The thought of bacteria just makes my skin crawl.
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This sounds like so much fun! My family loves to watch Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge. I’d love to try it, but I’m not there yet. Kudos to you!
I had not heard of this till now… sounds like fun, probably a little intimidating, but fun none the less.
I had not heard of this till now… sounds like fun, probably a little intimidating, but fun none the less.
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Way to go that is wonderful! I am so proud you were able to conquer this! I don’t think I could 😉
Great job girl!! Proud of you for doing this and for conquering it!
That medal looks so cool! I’ve done a few 5Ks, and last weekend I did my first triathlon!!! Working on my race recap now. Most fun 5K was the color run 🙂
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Congrats on the race! I have never done an obstacle race. It looks like so much fun though. Great job!
Congrats! That is awesome. I love love mud/obstacle runs. And it’s the only race I can get my son to run with me.
Hey – major congrats on achieving this messy and muddy goal! I’ve had some friends do it and was crazy impressed! I dont see this in my future … but wow to you for this!!
I envy anyone who can finish one of these!! Even at my most fit this would have been a challenge. Congratulations on earning your medal! I love that you did this for St. Jude- one of my favorite charities.
That terrifies me! I run races all the time but I am just not brave enough to tackle a warrior dash. Good for you!
I think the only way I would participate in a race like this is for charity. I love the outdoors, but I’m not sure I could deal with being caked in mind. I applaud you for going for it.
5k is one of my favorite distances although I am working on half marathon distance at the moment, never done a mud run though definitely on the bucket list!
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Oooo sounds like a great race!!! I’m not a runner but my step mom is! I bet she would love this race
WOW! You are amazing to have completed the Warrior Dash! I am so impressed. I bet my kids would love to do something like this one day. It might be a fun family activity.
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I’ve always wanted to do a warrior run. I run a lot of 5ks but nothing with obstacles. I’m glad to know you can skip
Something if it makes you uncomfortable.
Congratulations on completing it. The run looks so fun. I admire people who race. I don’t think I could do this.
I think it’s awesome that you went for this marathon. I’m glad that the trail is not that tough got beginners and newcomers. That will encourage more people to try it. Congratulations on finishing it!
I think it’s awesome that you went for this marathon. I’m glad that the trail is not that tough got beginners and newcomers. That will encourage more people to try it. Congratulations on finishing it!
My brother did something similar to this, and he loved it. I am not a race kind of gal – slow and steady for me…walking 🙂
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What a great challenge! I’ve thought about doing this dash with friends, but never followed through! Good for you!
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I’ve never done any race before, but this looks like fun! I was going to do the Spartan, but I decided against it (at least for the time being – mostly because I lost interest haha)
I would love to do a Warrior Dash — this looks so much fun and I’m always up for a good challenge!
wow thats amazing! Well done you, sounds like hard but fun work! I don’t think I would have the guts to do it but bet I would love it once I got stuck in, well done