My first Rugged Maniac 5k Race

A few months ago my husband and I signed up for the Rugged Maniac race being held in Richmond VA (Really it was Petersburg...but they tagged it Richmond).  I had wanted to participate in the Warrior Dash last year but didn't.  So this event was my first ever of this type.  If you are not sure what type of race I am referring to please check out the www.ruggedmaniac.com website to get an idea.  It is basically a 5k course with twists, turns and great obstacles.

Before the start of our wave which was 11am we observed several waves leave the starting line...many were very crowded much like ours.  After being in a crowded wave of people starting this race we figured we would shoot for a later wave the next time we do this race.  The later waves had fewer people...some as few as 5.  Having fewer people makes sense because by the time we got to our first obstacle we were waiting in line for almost 10 minutes!  That was a bit annoying considering this event promised to not have us waiting in lines for the obstacles (but once I reread the promise it was more like we won't have you waiting in line mid-way through the course...that part was true because the bottle neck at the beginning allowed people to be spread out more!)
Anywho...let's move on...our first obstacle, once we got to it was a series of over/under short walls...no real challenge for most people.
The next set of obstacles were all scattered throughout the wooded trail part of this course.  We had some crisscrossed ropes and pipes that we had to get through.  There was also a brush type ceiling about 3 feet off the ground that we had to crawl under maybe 12 feet long.  And don't let me forget the plastic pipes that we had to scooch through on our bellies.  If you had too much girth on your body you would not be getting through those things!
The trail was a standard wooded trail...roots, downed trees, etc along the way.  We really had to watch our step because of all the natural obstacles along the way.
Coming out of the woods we hit our first really cool obstacle...the MUD PIT!  The people in front of us went along the edge trying to avoid it...we just went straight into it...walked through...trudged out...and then we were amazed that mud caked up to our knees could weigh us down so much!  I later witnessed people diving into the pit and covering their entire bodies!  For some reason I feel that I would have had to crawl the rest of the way through the course if I had done that!
Our first water station was at this point as well...and I imagine that we were two thirds of the way through the course.  There were no distance markers so it was hard to tell.
The next obstacle was a 7-8 foot wall...I hooked myself onto it and hoisted myself up and over...piece of cake! :)
Now we are actually on the motocross track.  If you have never seen one you should google some pics...it is basically up and down hills with lots of twists and turns.  So we are moving right along up and down and around...we come to a short wall...maybe 4-5 feet...easy peasy!
Getting to the cargo net was exciting until I saw the mats that we were to fall onto from the top of the nets.  The mats were questionable as to being safe...but there was someone there to coach us along and he would tell everyone to land in the middle.  I had to wait for several women to get their nerve up to jump down...but finally I got my chance and I have to say...I got to the top and realized how high I was...maybe 12 feet, which to me is scary high...but I just threw my legs out and went for it...did a controlled roll off the mat and kept on trudging along!
The water pits were fun...and the water was cold.  We eventually made our way to the over/under water area...I went over the first "log" but chose to go under the rest as that seemed much easier except when someone was going over the one I was going under and it pressed down on me some.  But no worries...we all made it through just fine.  :)  Getting out of that one was fun...we had to rope climb up the muddy slope.  FUN and much easier than we imagined!
Moving right along we had another 7-8 ft wall...no issues there.  The final "obstacle" was a really cool water slide!  Get up there..sit your butt down...and let 'er rip!  Sliding into the muddy water was rough on the hiney...but no real injuries to speak of.  The fire jump at the finish line just gave us a warm sensation and let us know that we were alive and we made it to the end!

All in all I came out with some scraped up knees and a little bruising on my elbows and knees.  My husband twisted his knee a little on the trail and has had some pain from that.  My overall body pain has been minimal...mainly in my shoulders and arms...nothing in the legs except just a little in the shins.  Maybe all the couch to 5k training I have been doing helped! 

I would rate this race an A minus.  The minus comes from us having to wait at the first obstacle for so long.  Outside of that it was AMAZING and I would recommend it to everyone I know.

We loved this so much that we are signing up for the Warrior Dash in October!  We would love to form a team...so if anyone wants to commit to that race with us we would be honored to have you join us!