Tuesday 20 August 2013

A New Trend in Races



Saturday morning after our 20k run we headed out for breakfast – sometimes the thought of some runny eggs with toast & bacon is the only thing that gets me through those last miles! Our waitress asked us what group we were apart of and when we said a running group she got all excited to tell us that she was thinking of signing up for a mud run with one of her girlfriends. She asked if we did runs like that. No one at our table had ever done any of the Tough Mudder (which is what we assumed she was talking about) races.

After she left we got to talking about this new trend in races/competitions. There seems to be so many popping up such as, The Tough Mudder, Color Me Rad, Zombie Survivor, and Prison Break. A little about these races:

Tough Mudder - Montreal

Tough Mudder takes you through an obstacle course of mud, 10,000 volts of electricity, ice water, & fire. It’s a 10-12 mile course that you only “finish” when you have encouraged/helped your entire team over the finish line. On the Tough Mudder website it states that “marathon running is boring” – Hey I’ll take a “boring marathon” (which I HIGHLY disagree with) to getting electrocuted any day! I was happy to read that part of the fee for the race goes to support the Wounded Warrior Project which Tough Mudder races have raised over $5 million for. The project supports injured veterans.

Color Me Rad

Color Me Rad is a non timed 5k run that has become quite popular around the U.S. and Canada. You start out with a “shirt as pure and white as your granddaddy’s dentures” as the website puts it and the race blasts colored cornstarch at you along the way. The friends that I’ve seen participate in this seem to have a VERY fun time. It’s seems to be a great opportunity to get your girlfriends together and get dirty in a colorful, girly kind of way! This is a run that I MAY be able to get talked into one day. As of late I have not signed up for any 5k runs. Racing as gotten to be so expensive and I find 5k runs to be really crowded especially with new runners. If I’m going to pay an entrance fee for a 5k race I’d like some of the money to go to a cause like cancer research, the homeless, a food bank, or humane society – the Color Me Rad website mentions that this run will “brighten your day. . .and liven up your Facebook page”

Zombie Survivor

I’m not sure if the origin of this run comes from the AMC show The Walking Dead or not, but the thoughts of both the show and run creeps me out. Zombie Survivor run is held in Calgary, Canada and is a 5k run and obstacle course while being chased by – yep! Zombies! This is a timed 5k run, but the ultimate goal is to get to the finish line with at least one “life” (flag) left.  Not only will Zombies be chasing you, but you will also have to get through 10-12 obstacles along the way. This is not something that interests me at all! This is some straight out of one of my nightmares – I hate the idea of being chased by something as gruesome as a Zombie.

“You have been convicted of a crime you did not commit.” Prison Break is a 5k run held in 3 different areas around Ontario (Ottawa, Montreal, & Dumaine De Radar in Montreal). This run sounds similar to the Zombie run. You are given a belt with 3 flags, you run a 5k course with 15 obstacles and prison guards looking to take your flags along the way. If you cross the finish line with at least one of your flags left “you are free and a handsome man or beautiful women will being waiting for you with a cold beer.” If you have lost all your flags “you will be punished and sent to the mud hole.” The only part of this race that I can get my head wrapped around is getting a cold beer at the end from a handsome man – but I will have that at Chicago and that handsome man will be my hubby!
I get why some people might think running long distances is boring and not enough adventure for them. My answer to them is run with a group! I really don’t care to run by myself, but running with the group is fun. We share stories, laugh at ourselves and support each other through those last miles. At the end of most every half marathon and marathon I’ve ran there as been a beer garden and a drink ticket for the racers in our kit. Spectating marathons can be a bit tricky depending upon the course, but whether we have known someone running or not, my husband and I have always gone out to cheer on the runners of the Twin Cities Marathon that runs right through our neighborhood in Minneapolis. Hearing the cheers from anyone while you are running a race makes it fun and motivating.
So while these ultimate/adventure runs are just not for me, they are obviously popular and more and more are being created. Maybe I'll get talked into one some day! Never say never, right?!?!? 

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