This is an annual event that takes place just across the Wisconsin border and may be the most fun run I have ever particpated in. The website intructs people to duct tape their shoes on and that you will get wet.
The race takes place on a large farm area with every type of terrain you can imagine. Runners pick up their number and t-shirt in a huge barn.
The weather was about 25 degrees. Before the race start about 500 runners walk a half mile or so to the start which is a very large wide field with tall grass. It would be a nice place to live if you were a pheasant.
The start is cross country style with runners stretched out very wide and no path or specific route, everyone just aims for the large hill about 1/4 mile ahead.
I started near the front and in the middle. There is about a 2 foot drop that we eventually had to run over which was a sign of things to come. Everyone's feet got soaked within the first couple blocks of running.
As we ran up the first of many steep hills, everyone started to string out some but were still about 4-5 wide going into a woods type area. There were a bunch of ups and downs and turns followed by a large downhill. By this point we reached some single track and people had to run single file. This made the race interesting and similar to a bike race. You could rest behind people during the single track and then pass in between.
Along the way we ran over and across several streams varying from knee high to waist high water. The race directors chopped the ice ahead of time in some places to open up the water. I did notice a runner at the finish bleeding from the upper thigh area that looked like he might have been sliced by the ice.
I felt good running and was having fun. So much fun that I didn't notice my pack of about 8 was all by itself. I realized this fact when a man with a British accent yelled from behind- hey are we still on the right path? After the leaders did not respond, he became agitated and with his British Accent yelled again, "Hey you motherf****ing C**t, I'm talking to you-do you see any runners in front of you. Still no response. At this point several people behind me started yelling that we were lost and no one was in front or behind us. Someone noticed a large pack way off to our right. The people we were following never broke stride and took us thorough a bunch of water, high weeds, over logs and we got back in behind the main pack.
As I was pondering how odd it was to be racing with multiple routes, I noticed a runner two in front of me trip and fall forward. Then the person one in front of me tripped on the same thing which was ankle high. Turns out it was just a little barbed wire.
After our adventures crossing multple streams and other obstacles, (the best was when a runner stopped at the edge to contemplate the best way across and a man from behind yelled stop thinking about it and just cross you pansy)we made our way to another large field and eventually to the gravel road leading to the finish.
It was an interesting finish to say the least. I have never seen so many muddy and bloody people from a run. As I was standing around, I heard someone say, "hey did you guys hit the barbed wire?" and heard the response "Oh yeah" no other comment-like it was normal. Also saw a few people with mud on faces, and heard of two people falling face first into the streams and getting soaked from head to toe. Also saw several people lose their shoes it the mud. Unfortunately one of our runners sprained her ankle 20 mins in and had to walk the rest of the race including through the water.
This race was a serous blast. Imagine running with 500 friends thorough knee high grass with pot holes, up hills, down hills, single track, barbed wire, water crossings, slippery logs, and ice. I forgot to mention one of the more amazing stories that would have made a really cool video. Turns out one runner slipped on some ice flew backward in the air landed on the ice breaking it and fell into some shallow water.
This is a fun race! I finished at 34:30 which put me in 35 place of 583 although my chip didn't register because I duct taped it onto my ankle as instructed by the race directors.
P.S. Large Metal Spikes help a lot on ice but narrow track shoes are not good for this type of course because of uneven footing.
