Rugged Maniac 2014

May 08, 2014

After spectating at the guys' Tough Mudder event last October, the ladies were feeling inspired. We decided shortly after to register for the Rugged Maniac, a 5k obstacle/mud run. Our hope was that we would be able to train during the months leading up to the run, so that we would be well-prepared for the various obstacles we would face. I can't say that I actually was "well-prepared" (this mama doesn't have a lot of time or energy for a training plan), but I can say that we had a blast, despite the lack of training!

Before the race began, the participants were greeted with a wall to climb over, which then put us at the starting line. We were feeling motivated and accomplished, having successfully made it past our first "obstacle". Danyell (my best friend since middle school), my sister, and my mom started the race with me. About an hour or so into the run, we finally found the rest of our team: Megan, Samantha, and Jenifer. They were delayed by slow moving buses, which transported all participants from parking to the race site. This explains why I don't have any pre-race pictures of our whole group!

It was a very cool and rainy Saturday, not exactly the conditions we'd hoped for. We soon felt the full effects of the weather once we'd waded through cold, muddy water and struggled through the thickest mud ever.

Sean and David (Megan's husband) were both taking pictures throughout the event. It has been lots of fun to look back at them!

There were 25 obstacles and we completed every single one. We didn't always move fast, but we kept a decent pace, stayed safe, and had fun!

I love the above picture of my sister and I, holding hands.

I also love this picture of Megan surfacing from the mud water. And I laugh at Sam's reaction every time I look at it! It was SO much fun doing this with friends and family. We were there to encourage one another, provided help when needed, and laughed a whole lot.

This was all that was left of me after my jump into the water. :)

The final obstacle was this huge 50' slide, which took us right into a pool of muddy water. It was a little scary, hence the expressions of terror on our faces!

The following pictures were taken by the Rugged Maniac event photographers. Between these and those taken by the husbands, we have a couple hundred photos of this adventure!

My mom did such an awesome job! She is a runner, currently preparing for her first half-marathon, but this was a physical challenge like nothing we'd ever done before!