Three weeks ago, I participated in something totally out of my wheelhouse: The Tough Mountain Challenge. This is a 5k adventure race at Sunday River Resort in Maine. This winter, I started running again and have competed in two 5ks but have never done anything like this before! I was interested in this one because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, as some obstacle races do, and I knew I’d be stinking it up, so I didn’t want to make a fool of myself! I’ve been excited to share my experience with you but wanted to wait until I got some photos from during the race.
I raced with two friends and have to admit, I was super nervous at the start. I didn’t know what to expect, though I knew I’d be exhausted at the end!
Photo c/o Chris Stack
Here we are looking pristine in our hula costumes. Miraculously, the grass skirts stayed on the whole time…though it was touch and go there for a while after the mud crawl.
Photo c/o Chris Stack
After the start, we immediately ran through a mudpit, up a hill into snow guns, and across balance beams before coming to the first really big challenge: the mud crawl.
Photo used with permission from SkiPix
This was the point when I was pretty sure I’d be losing the skirt; it weighed about 20 pounds after this because it trapped so much mud! Luckily (?), our next two obstacles were water based, so it got a little cleaned off.
Photo used with permission from SkiPix
This was my favorite obstacle, though I didn’t quite make it…right after this photo was taken, I fell in (see falling sequence here and here…apparently I fall like a ninja).
Photo c/o Chris Stack
Approaching the final obstacle with my team: the slip & slide. This was super fun, though it made us look far less muddy at the end!
Photo c/o Chris Stack
Running for the finish line and….
DONE!
What a fun experience! I can’t wait until next year! When I finished, I wanted to do it all over again, though I was quite sore the next day. Have you ever done a race like this? If so, what was your experience like? One of my favorite parts was how banged up my elbows and knees were; I felt like a kid again after playing outside all day.
~C
Welcome to Oh, She Dabbles! I'm C and I'm so glad you're here. I'm an elementary school teacher and I started this little corner of the internet to share my personal style and fun projects.
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