Warrior Dash Race Report!

Wow....been a while since a race report has been posted on the ol' Chasqui blog! Well, here we go...

Chasquis Denise, Warren, Mason, Dennis and I all did the Warrior Dash out at Lake Las Vegas on Saturday. If you've done a triathlon out there before, the Dash took place out in the desert hills just north of where the resorts are. The race is essentially a 5k from Hell on steroids, with about 10 or 11 different obstacles  between the starting and finish lines.  I'll describe all the obstacles I can remember, and perhaps any of the others that ran can fill in any holes.

First let me start with the fact that I ran this race in my Vibram Five Finger Bikilas and they were AWESOME. I was a little nervous about running over rocks and other fun things that a desert run has to offer, but I had nothing to worry about. My feet were protected, safe and pain free the entire way. My feet have been a little sore over the past two days, but I'm attributing that to the fact that they are not used to the uneven surfaces on which I was running.

So, we started the race, which was pretty much either straight up or straight down the entire way. Denise took off and we didn't see her until the finish line. Dennis and I hung back, just in case anybody needed help, ya know? About a half-mile in, we hit our first obstacle - about a 40 yard-long "puddle" of waist-deep muddy water. It wasn't bad at all. We just trudged through it and we were done. I'm sure, however, that the water probably added an extra few pounds to those in running shoes.

The next obstacle sucked. We had to military crawl for probably about 20 yards under barbwire that was only a couple feet off the ground. Crawling through the desert isn't fun for the knees and shins. Mine are still bruised and cut up.

After that, the middle of the race was kind of a blur. We had to straight up and down a few hillsides using ropes and cargo nets, and there was a big half-circle shaped ladder we had to climb over. None of those were bad at all.

The worst part for me was the muck. And when I say muck, I mean like, wet clay. We had to run trudge our way through it and it SUCKED. This stuff was so thick and deep. People were losing their shoes and getting stuck left and right. I went way over to one side where it may have been a bit shallower, but it was no fun. Gross.

After that, obstacles included a balance beam in the shape of an upside down "W," climbing over and down a half-circle of cargo-netting, crawling over tires/under the netting above you, climbing a rope wall, a ladder wall and a cargo net wall, and then two more big old puddles of mud. I was seeing people that had finished and were completely covered in mud from head to toe. I was only dirty up to about my waist, so I splashed around in the mud pool for a bit so I could get a little dirtier.

Not necessary.

After jumping over two burning hurdles (yes, they were on fire), the final obstacle was monkey crawling through about 30 feet of thick, nasty mud, and it felt oh, so good. When I climbed out of it, my clothes probably weighed an additional 40 pounds and my pants fell down as I crossed the finish line and shared a slippery, muddy, slimy hug with Denise. It was hot.

The Warrior Dash was an absolute blast. I don't know that I'd pay the $70 or so that they ask for it, but with another Groupon that got me in for like $30, it was well worth it.

Chasqui Results:

                                  Time                 Pace              Overall                Age Group
Denise                       39:23.45           12:18                118                     6/713
Warren                      40:46.85           12:44                154                     46/623
Mason                       48:41.05           15:13                 473                    121/434
Jordan                       50:01.20           15:38                 555                    147/623
Dennis                       52:12.65           16:19                 675                    182/623