I am a competitive person, shocker right! I am the first to admit I like to compete and I like to race. However, this spring I was offered the opportunity to try out a new event in the summer called Hardcore Mudd Run at their first race in Tussey, Pennsylvania. At first I didn’t know what to think since it wasn’t a race and just a run. I had done a mud run or two in the past and most are simply, lame and boring. Hardcore Mudd Run was neither lame nor boring.

I arrived at the venue in the morning, and was greeted by Kevin who I had been talking with for months. He ensured my registration was all set. Thanks to Kevin for the personal touch. The race over the weekend had about 1200 participants.

As I lined up in the corral to start the run, we cheered and then were led into a series of push-ups, jumping jacks and of course burpees after this little warm-up we were off! Most of the participants came in groups, I suggest coming to this event with at least a partner as I will explain later.

We took off up the hill and were hit with cool water cannons as we headed up the hill, the bonus was shortly we got to slid down a slip and slid. We then turned back up the mountain and the first obstacle of note were the trenches, crawling uphill in the trenches was tough. The race organizers made them large enough to get though but small enough to make it difficult. This is when I knew this would be a different sort of mud run.

The funny part about a mud run are the things in a race that would drive me crazy didn’t seem to matter. We got up to the top of the mountain for the first time and I encountered a line at the cargo net climb, instead of getting annoyed I used the time to talk with other competitors, it was fun to do the obstacles and not have to worry about my time.

Next we headed down the mountain and through a series of up and down sections, definitely a separator of the people. Next up were the walls, 8-feet no problem, 10-feet not a big deal, but the 12-foot wall I was happy for the help from a few other competitors. Next we headed to the sandbag carry, and this one rivaled any of the carries I have done this year. Running around I encountered a few more obstacles that you needed help from a friend or in my case new found friends. I was happy for the help and not afraid to ask either!

A few more steep uphill sections and then a long hill that wasn’t steep but just steep enough to be a pain in the ass. To finish off the race a jump off a high wall into water topped off a run course. I did a cartwheel as I crossed the finish line and was handed my dog tags (the reward for finishing).

With a year full of Spartan Racing it was fun to try something new, try for an untimed mud run. Hardcore Mudd Run is a great way to challenge yourself, work with a team, and push yourself. For my friends who are more competitive and enjoy the racing as much as I do this was a perfect training day!

I highly recommend Hardcore Mudd Run to someone looking to get into Obstacle Course Racing but intimidated by the clock and the competitive nature. As well I highly recommend it to even the most competitive racer as a chance to do something different or use the event as a chance to train for another upcoming race. The obstacles were no joke and the terrain was brutal, all the things that make for a fun event!