New Times Dirty 6 Mud Run is… 13 obstacles, BBQ, beer and, oh yeah, group outdoor showers!
It is a biannual event that has three courses, including:
- a 6 mile, 3 mile and Kids 1K run riddled with obstacles,
- a wall of water,
- two river crossings,
- a down-and-dirty mud crawl,
- obstacle course,
- giant slip ‘n slides and, of course, a dip in a HUGE mud pit on your way to the finish.
At the end of the run, you are encouraged to donate your dirty, muddy shoes to the homeless and shoeless.
My group met at Rawhide at 7 a.m. and hung out until 9 a.m. to begin the race. Our group started in wave 1, which is the ultra competitive group. Of course I am not a runner, but my plan was that the fast guys would be past all the obstacles by the time I got there. It worked. Most of the obstacles had only a few or no people present. Because I do a lot of canyoneering, I felt that the obstacles were fairly easy.
A few aspects of the race were done well, including plenty of parking space, the option to donate your shoes, a nice grassy area to sit and wait, free water and Powerade and a party-like atmosphere with a live band.
However, a couple of things could have been improved, including starting the race on time; it started 10 minutes late, both the 6-mile and the kid’s races. The race also could have offered more obstacles; it was too easy for my 8-year-old son. While the Mud Run could have been organized a bit better, it was still fun and a great workout.
There is another one in September. Visit New Times Dirty 6 Mud Run’s website to register.
[slickr-flickr tag=”mud” items=”10″ type=”sets” sort=”date” direction=”ascending” id=”54615825@N02″]
