Just a little background before we begin. I’m a 43-year-old husband and father of three (13-year-old,
8-year-old and 4-month-old). I’m overweight but working on it. And I just
completed Warrior Dash Arkansas.
I’m not really ashamed to say this might be among the
biggest accomplishments in my life. And I would encourage everyone, no matter
what you think your limitations are, to give it a try. The reward is definitely
worth whatever your struggle might be to get there. This is how the lead up to and race day went.
My training had been a complete mess leading up to the
event. I lost about 40 pounds in the past year (and need to lose a lot more). I’ve tried to work out hard, but have Achilles
Tendonitis in both legs/feet. This has really slowed my progress. It pretty
much hurts all the time. Some days are better/worse than others. I’ve had a few
days when I set out to start running and had to quit within minutes. I’ve had
others where I’ve been able to continue quite a bit longer. I have some days
when I can hardly walk from my car to my office.
Last November, I had built up enough stamina to run a 5k.
But this bout with tendon issues had decreased that stamina tremendously. Running
for more than a couple of minutes at a time has become virtually impossible.
So why don’t you go to the doctor? Maybe they can give you a
cortisone shot? I didn’t go for two reasons. I read that cortisone can weaken
the Achilles Tendon and ultimately cause it to snap. That didn’t sound like
fun. I was also afraid a doctor would tell me I couldn’t compete. And I was
determined to complete Warrior Dash one way or another. I’ve invested in braces
(they don’t really work), tape (it doesn’t really help) and stretching
exercises (they work a little) in an effort to get ready for the event. I’ve
played through as much pain as I can stand and done as much as I could.
Saturday morning arrived and I got up really early to start
getting ready. I’ve been sleeping in a plantar fasciitis brace most nights and
it does seem to help. I hopped out of bed and noticed that my feet weren’t in
major pain. That’s a good start.
I showered, got dressed and started taping up my Achilles
tendons. Then I slipped long, blue soccer socks over the top of them to
hopefully hold the tape in place throughout the conditions I was about to face.
I knew the terrain was pretty rough when
we ran it the previous week, so I also wore ankle braces. I grabbed some coffee
and headed out the door to meet up with my group.
We started the trek toward Amity around 6:30 a.m. We weren’t
scheduled to run until 9:15, but we were hoping to meet up with the rest of our
group for a photo around 8. We had a few folks running in the 8:30 a.m.
competitive wave.
Upon arriving near Timber Ranch, we were directed toward the
parking area. And as we pulled in, we snaked around someone’s yard before they
collected our $10. Then we snaked through the woods as the road started to get
muddier. As we came out into an open field, the car in front of us was sliding
all over the place. We joked about hoping we didn’t get stuck. About three minutes later, we were stuck. And we were going
nowhere. Yes, that was our van holding up the entire line of cars trying to
enter the parking area. Sorry about that. The homeowner went and got his
tractor and pulled us out of the mud. If he hadn’t, the van might still be
sitting there.
Whew! First obstacle complete.
The second obstacle
was to find the bathroom. That hour-long drive and parking lot issue wasn’t
working well with the coffee and Gatorade I drank that morning. I wasn’t sure I
was going to make it when we located the port-o-potties.
Whew! Second obstacle complete.
OK. Those aren’t real obstacles. But they certainly felt
good to get past.
We boarded the school bus to head to the race. I know lots
of people had parking issues on Saturday but we really didn’t (except the mud).
We parked, walked to the bus, got on and were standing at the race entrance a
few minutes later.
Stepping off the bus was like rolling up to some sort of
festival back in my grunge days. There were people everywhere. And they were
for the most part clean. The mud was just all over the ground at this point. Check-in
was a breeze. We virtually signed away our rights and got our t-shirts and
Viking hats. Then I checked my bag with my extra clothes (also a breeze). I walked
around for a bit to take in the atmosphere. People were in every inch of the
property. Skinny people, tall people, short people, slightly overweight people.
Even people dressed as Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. Costumes would
have been a nice touch.
Then I saw it staring me down. Right there in front of me
was my goal for the day. It was the
massive slide of Goliath. Somehow, some way, I was going to go down that slide.
But I had to get through almost four miles and at least 10 obstacles to get
there. What I really should have been paying more attention to was the mud
after Goliath. But when the competitive wave rolled through it like it was
nothing I wasn’t concerned. How bad could it be? I’ll get back to you on that.
I downed a free Monster energy drink and did some
stretching. The 9 a.m. wave took off and we were up next. There was no turning
back now and I actually felt really good about it. We moved forward into the
cattle call starting area. That 15 minutes seemingly took forever. Finally, the
emcee started counting down the last seconds.
5 – 4 -3 – 2 – 1. Flames shot out of the starting gate and we could feel the
heat despite being 30 or so yards away. We worked our way around the corner and
through the gate. Flames shot off again. It was so hot it felt like the hair on
my body was burning off. The next minutes felt like a scene out of the Hunger Games.
It was mass chaos. I hoped someone wasn’t about to kill me. We ran a bit, walked
briskly a bit, and mostly tried to stay out of the way of the people flying by
us trying to get up front. I stuck by my group I had made a pact with. That was
myself, Tammye, Cheyenne and Angela. After a mile or so, we reached the first
obstacle: Mud Mounds.
Basically, it consists of four large holes dug in the
ground. Jump in and climb out. Except that they were filled with about 18
inches of water. So much for keeping the shoes dry. I wanted to watch some
others do it before I committed. One of my fears was getting stuck in the hole.
Finally, it was my turn and I slid down the mud into the water. Splash. Ugh!
Now I had to get out. With the help of my teammates, I put my right foot on the
side and crawled out. Success. But there were three more to go. I’m not sure if
they were easier or if I just got better at it, but I managed to get in and out
of all four holes. We all high fived and headed back out onto the road for some
more running and walking.
One down, eleven to go.
Next up was Trenches. It’s pretty much what it sounds like.
They dig five trenches into the ground and lay sticks and branches over the top
of them. You hop down in the hole and crawl through on your hands and knees.
And, yes, they are filled with water. My fear here is that I’m going to get
stuck so I’m trying to size up the four holes to see which one looks the
biggest. Then I hear someone talking about a snake in the third one. Surely
they are just kidding. But I’m not taking any chances. I’m going left. As a
side note, I heard there actually was a speckled king snake in one of the
trenches. Probably a good thing I didn’t see him. This one was a breeze.
Crawled through, climbed out. High fived my teammates and we were off again.
Two down, ten to go.
Up a slight hill and we reached the third obstacle: Chaotic
Crossover. Climb up a wood frame. Crawl across four sections of cargo net.
Crawl down the other side of the wood frame. I was really concerned about this
one. No idea if I even have the strength to do it. Then something really cool
happened. The guy right in front of us climbed up the cargo net, laid down, and
rolled across the top all the way to the end. Light bulbs started appearing
above our heads. What a great idea. Still, it wasn’t easy but we did it. And it
definitely sped up the process. I nearly kicked a guy in the head (sorry about that).
But we made it. High fives again and we were down the trail.
Three down, nine to go.
I must not have looked so good during this time. I had
people asking me if I was OK. And I was. The Achilles was on fire, especially
going up hills. But I was making it. Other people were very encouraging,
telling us we were going a great job. That was much appreciated and made me
feel great.
Next up was Storming Normandy. I have to say, this obstacle
is all show. You crawl on the ground under barbed wire, through these
tripod-like stands holding it up. This
one was a piece of cake. We waded through some calf-deep water and were back on
the road.
Four down, eight to go.
Having run/walked this trail a week prior, I knew what was
next was not one of the 12 obstacles. But it was a very challenging part of the
course. Up and down a mountain. No, I wouldn’t really call this a hill. It was
definitely more of a mountain. Every step up the mountain made the pain in my
left heel worse. My trainer Stephanie
was in a wave behind us and caught us right here. We spoke for a minute and her
and her group sped by us. We reached the top and began the descent. Going down
was much better and soon we were back on the trail.
Diesel Dome was up next. This wasn’t difficult. But it was
tricky. Climb up one side, across the flat top and down the other. But the top
wasn’t solid wood. It was narrow boards going across. That made it a bit more
treacherous. I considered standing on the top and letting out a Warrior yell.
But I could just see myself tumbling to my death. So I climbed down. No
problem.
Five down, seven to go.
The next water stop came just before Shock Top Unfiltered. I
asked the attendants if they had beer. They didn’t seem to think I was funny. For
me, this proved to be the most difficult obstacle on the course. Climb up and
over a wall, crawl under a tarp and climb up and over a taller wall. I helped
make sure my teammates got over and then attempted to go myself. The wall was
muddy. The only place you could hold onto was a 2 x 4 sticking out to brace the
wall and one across the middle of the wall to step on. But you had to get up to
it first. And it was so muddy; I couldn’t get any traction of any kind. I
quickly decided to fight another battle in a different location. I went under
the tarp but around both walls. I was pretty tired at this point and it just seemed like the
right thing to do.
Six down, six to go.
Off into the water we went for Alcatraz. Basically it’s a
square shaped floating dock. You crawl over one side and back into the water.
Then you go over the other side and back into the water. I helped my teammates
go and then they were going to attempt to pull me over. I jumped, they pulled
and I don’t think I was going to make it. Then I got a push from behind. A
total stranger helping me out. I went up and over and did it. The same happened
on the other side. Thanks very much. That boost was just what I needed. Warrior
Dashers are awesome.
Seven down, five to go.
Next up was obstacle Hard Rain, climbing up and over another
wooden obstacle. But this time they pour water onto you just as you go up. I
waited for the person in front of me to get up and over and then went quickly
through the water. Up and over wasn’t much of a problem. Going down wasn’t an
issue either, but I tried to be extra careful not to slip. I touched down and
high fived my teammates.
Eight down, four to go.
As you begin the final hill climb, the ground was a bit
unstable. Last week it was really rocky here. This week, it was red clay mud
and was really slippery. I treaded slowly, not wanting to slip and fall. My
Achilles was hurting more than ever as I climbed to the top of the hill to the
chapel and looked down on the beautiful property. We ran a bit down the hill. Maybe it was the adrenaline of
the finish but I was all the sudden feeling great. Then I saw Warrior Peak.
Crap! I had completely forgotten about it. I really almost threw up when I came
around the corner and saw its giant ramp.
Basically, it’s a long, tall ramp
that you walk up while pulling yourself up with a rope. At the top, you
transfer to the other side and work your way back down using a different rope.
I wasn’t really sure I could do this but I was determined to try. I waited and waited for the person in front of me to reach
the top and let go of the rope. I grabbed the rope, took a deep breath and
started walking and pulling myself up. To my complete shock, I was not only
doing it, I was dominating it. Step, pull, step, pull. I was watching my feet
and not really paying attention to the top of the wall. All the sudden I was
there. Then I realized that the lady in front of me had gotten scared or
something. She should have been long gone but she was still right there at the
top. There was nowhere for me to go. Now what? My muddy shoes were starting to
slip so I just tried to stand there as long as I could. Finally, her husband
coaxed her down. Just as I went to reach for the top of the wall, my feet
slipped out from under me. I grabbed the top of the wall but didn’t have a good
grip and started to slide. I had the rope but couldn’t figure out how to get
myself back up. And down I went. I slid all the way to the bottom. That sucked.
But hey, I had touched the top, made it further than I thought. And there were
still three obstacles to go. So I pushed forward with my teammates with only a
slight bit of shame.
Nine down, three to go.
We knew Warrior Roast was next. I walked a bit leading up to
the fire line. I also took a couple of quick practice jumps just to make sure
my Achilles would allow me to do it. Everything checked out. I picked out a low
spot in the flames, jogged up and jumped over. Success. Again, this obstacle is mostly for show. But
it was fun.
Ten down, two to go.
Up next was Goliath and my personal goal of going down that
slide. You climb up a pretty sizeable cargo net, go over the top and slightly
down a cargo net. Then walk across a balance beam to climb up a slight frame to
the top. Then you slide down into the mud pit.
I was hurting pretty bad but could feel the end in my grasp.
Something was different though on the first step up. This cargo net hung much,
much looser than the others. It took a lot of work to get up each one. I also
felt for the first time the tiredness in my arms as I attempted to pull myself
up for each rung of the ladder. I’m not sure how tall Goliath is, but it’s
pretty tall. And I was just about at the top as my arms started to give out.
Then disaster struck. My right foot missed the cargo net rung and started to
slip through the netting. I probably should have fought a lot harder right then
but didn’t. And my foot (and leg) slid all the way through the cargo net. My
arms were at full extension and my left leg was severely bent at the knee. The
only good thing was that my left foot was still on the ladder. I said an
expletive and started to survey the situation. I remember saying out loud at
least three times, “I’m in trouble.” I looked at the Warrior Dash volunteer at
the top of the obstacle and she looked back at me. “Can you climb down?” she
asked. Uh, no. Definitely not. You see,
in order to go back down I was going to have to get my foot back through the
netting and stand up. And if I could do all of that, I might as well go the
couple of extra feet to the top.
As I hung there, I pondered if this would be the end for me.
A fall would certainly leave me seriously injured. I wondered if they could
pull a fire truck up with a bucket and get me down. How embarrassing that would
be for me? Perhaps a helicopter? I really thought I was in serious trouble.
I’ve heard this quote: “The moment you’re ready to quit is
usually the moment right before a miracle happens. Don’t give up.” I didn’t and it did.
A fellow Warrior Dasher climbed the net to the right side of
me and stopped. He started asking me questions. Then he told me he used to be
370 pounds and didn’t think he could get up that net. But he did. I don’t know
if he was telling the truth or not. But he was speaking directly to me and it
felt like he was me from the future talking to current me. That probably sounds
stupid. But I probably would have done whatever he told me to do at that point.
He talked me through were to put my feet and encouraged me.
I got the right foot out and stood up. My legs and arms were tired and I was
shaking. But I was going up that net. And with this stranger’s encouragement, I
did. He stayed with me all the way to the top of the cargo net and as I climbed
over the top and down the other side. I shook his hand and thanked him. There’s
no possible way I could have gotten over that obstacle without his help. I don’t know his name. I’m not even 100 percent sure what he
looks like. But I am eternally grateful to him for having the compassion to
stop and try to help me. I promise to do the same when I run in next year’s
race.
My other teammates had also been waiting for me and
one-by-one they crossed the balance beam. Even though I was still a bit shaken,
I navigated the beam with no trouble at all. It’s probably a good thing I
didn’t look down. I then climbed the short frame to the top of the slide. It
felt like I was on top of the world.
We were given instructions from the Warrior Dash crew not to
grab the top rail as we slid. And to put our feet up at the bottom to keep them
from getting hung up. I sat down on the slide, got positioned where I wanted to
be and raised my arms as I started to slide.
Those couple of seconds going down that slide were some of
the best of my life. And when I hit the cold water below it felt so awesome. I
stood up and high-fived my teammates.
Eleven down, one to go.
I really didn’t think Mud would be that bad. I thought it
was just to get you looking muddy for the photos. So I thought I had it made.
As I dropped down under the barbed wire, my shirt got hung up. I had to get
lower and I did. At this point, it was more like gravel. A few feet later, I
was face down in the mud and crawling under the barbed wire. It wasn’t bad at
first. I could reach the bottom with my hands and feet and was pulling myself
along. Then it got much, much deeper. And the mud got much thicker.
It was more like quicksand and I had nothing to grab. I just kept trying to
inch myself forward, sapping any remaining strength I had left. As I reached
the last barbed wire I was stuck and going nowhere. That’s when my teammates –
Tammye, Cheyenne and Angela – jumped back in the mud to help me. I had another
problem. I now had a severe cramp in my left calf. They tried to massage it but
I wanted them to stop. I was now clear of the last barbed wire and just wanted
to stand up.
But I couldn’t get my hands on anything solid. And I
couldn’t push my feet into the mud. Finally, with their help, I pushed my feet
down and hit bottom. And I stood right up.
And we walked out of that mud pit together and to the finish line. I remember two things at that point. One, I looked up at the
timer and saw that we were going to finish well under two hours. And two, I saw
my trainer Stephanie standing near the finish line. She was crying. And that
made me want to cry.
Twelve Down.
We crossed the finish line and they put my medal around my
neck. I have to say I was pretty proud. I grabbed two cups of water. My hands
were so muddy I could hardly hold them as I drank. They also had snacks there,
but there was no way with my muddy hands I was even going to attempt that. We walked over to the Warrior Dash sign for a photo. It was
amazing standing there with that medal hanging around my neck. My medal was no
different from anyone else’s, but it was the culmination of a pretty amazing
day for me.
We then headed to the lake to attempt to wash some of the
mud off. Afterward, I changed clothes right in the middle of the field. I’m
pretty self-conscious, but I really didn’t care at that point. Getting on some
dry clothes and shoes made me feel a lot better about everything. I then found the rest of my group and took part in downing
my free beer. It was pretzel beer but it really could have been anything at
that point.
Next year, I’ll do better. But I doubt I’ll have the same
level of satisfaction as I had this year. It was an amazing experience.
