I'm not even sure where to start.... But I do know the event was just... AMaZING!!
Friday PM: Around 4pm my friend A and I leave for her cousin's place in Barrie. We have a great trip up, see beautiful sunsets and listen to fun music ... great way to start the weekend! We get to her cousin's place in Barrie, RIGHT near the water... of course we would love to take a walk to the waterfront to stretch our legs
We see the water at night, and take the dog for a short walk.Saturday AM: 3 alarms go off to get us up just before 6am. I had set mine, and A's cousin J set 2 others... I think he was worried we wouldn't get up! A quick snack, teeth brushing, and "crummy" clothes put on. We were warned we were going to get dirty, and we came prepared to toss the clothes we wore if needed! J has a work suburban and offered to drive us to the event, instead of using A's new car. So happy he did, since we made quite a mess in it after
We arrive to the parking, well organized, and we knew that buses were shuttling us from the parking area to Horseshoe Valley Resort where the event was being held. I expected 2 or 3 buses, and a wait for a shuttle. WRONG. We saw about 5 school buses waiting, and I'm sure total they had at least 10 of them. Woo hoo! We were told to arrive at least one hour prior to our heat time (our heat was at 8:30am, the 2nd heat to be unleashed). We were there 1.5 hours ahead of time. I'm sure for the later heats arriving early was a must, but we were "in and out" of the race kit pick up in minutes. We hung out, had another snack, went to the porta potty (WOW, there were so many of those there!!), checked out the awesome costumes some people were wearing (there was a prize for best costumes at the end of the event), and finally wandered over to the starting area to stretch. We had J to hold our bag, but the race seemed to have a nice bag check area set up.
We line up with hundreds of others, give a ROAR, feel the fire at the start blazing above us, and "we're off"! We all start running, excitement in the air, and suddenly we STOP!
Ew.
A small mud pit/ravine we have to cross. Smells like manure.
I remember thinking "don't step in the poop"
After we jump the 2 manure ravine areas, we run up a small trail and hear screaming, we all think it must be something scary... is someone going to jump out at us? Those around us are all giving opinions on what is making others scream. We are running in a forested area, turn the corner, and see a HUGE mud pit. I guess we are getting dirty early!
we begin trudging through the mud. I'm 5'1" and the mud came up past my knees. SO AWESOME To push through this mud/sludge..... hahaha! I knew this race was going to be awesome, no doubts! I get caught in the mud, can't move, feel a branch wrapped around my leg then scrrrraaaape I feel my leg getting cut. We get out of the mud and I think "huh, wonder how bad my leg is scratched?" followed by "WOW! My feet are at least 10lbs heavier!" and "hahah the mud is caked on my hands, shirt, legs, shoes etc.... AWESOME!"Now Mini-T or Pho might have to correct me on the order of the obstacles, I feel as though I might be forgetting.....
So, from the Mud Pit, we head up and down more hilly trails until we arrive at the "Trenches" - roof trussles with a tarp over it that you have to crawl under... so we get on our hands & knees, and crawl in the Trench. I realize I'm small enough to stand in there and for the last 2 climb over the wood instead
easier on the knees This was followed by more up and down hilly trails, we make it to the next obstacle, the "GREAT WARRIOR WALL" - it was maybe 7 feet tall? but looked so big for me 
I have a huge fear of falling, I hate that feeling you get in your stomach, and all I could picture was myself falling off this one ... 
2 guys who already made it over are yelling at me to just DO IT, and my friend is calmly trying to tell me where to put my feet etc... Finally I just suck it up, get up, have the 2 guys spot me (aww!), and as soon as they see I'm OK they leave running with me yelling THANK YOU after them.... not a difficult obstacle, just one where I had to face my own fear. WOO HOO! Jazzed!By this point, I am not really tired, but my asthma is acting up. It was my biggest hurdle the entire event, and of course my puffer was left at J's apartment
The course was weaving from Forest/Trail, to beside the golf course, to ski "hills" as phorunner called them (FWIW, I think Black Diamond Ski 'hills' are mountains
)I remember telling A my leg was sort of hurting from the initial mud pit, but through my knee-high mud "socks" I couldn't see the damage done, so I kept going! I think the next event was the "Arachnaphobia" one.... rubber bands were tied from trees in the forested area, making it tricky because if someone stepped off one before you got on it, you might get one in the face
I remember getting one in the cheek & saying "that's ok, I don't need that cheek" as I got smacked A girl running the event yelled out she was Tom Cruise & sang the mission impossible music as she went through them. I was sooo thirsty and remember hoping the water station was near. Up and down more trails, and suddenly, we go up a steep slope and see WATER! They weren't ready for the throng of people they got when we arrived, but everyone was patient and thanking those pouring us water. I drank most of what was in my cup, and off we went. DOWN a steep black diamond ski run, and over the cargo nets for the "Chaotic crossover" ... it was chaotic alright! The way the ropes were tied made it so that we had a trampoline effect. Heavier guys who go on or off the nets really affected my ability to maneuver the nets.... we get off the obstacle, have a little run around and make it to the tires and junkyard obstacle - the one I was looking forward to! Weave and run through the tires, up and over junkyard cars! A turns to me and says "Watch out, this trunk flys up" so I put my foot down on it to keep it steady. I turn to the woman behind me and tell her... she doesn't place her foot behind me so the trunk flies up at her .... can't say I didn't warn her 
once over the junkyard cars, we run through more tires. Now, I remember we had another large mountain climb, where I had no choice to walk - even if I *wanted* to run, that was just not going to happen! Once on the other side either the Hay Climb or Petrifying plunge was next.... I think it was the plunge (slip & slide). Unfortunately for us, they didn't have water yet, so we ran by it excited to get to the next part of the course - which I believe was the Hay Climb. The hay bales were set up pyramid style, maybe 10 feet tall? It was difficult to not only get my little legs up, but we had to watch for where others slid & broke through the hay bales making holes... We made it and we start cheering excitedly! so fun! We can see around a few bends that they are taking pictures - awesome! We're ready! so A & I run together around the turns, grab each other's hands and raise them up high for our messy Kodak moment! Yeehaw! Around the bend we see the "Cargo Climb" awesome. The wall wasn't terrifying enough for me.... A encourages me and gives me a boost. I begin to climb up, putting my feet on the knots like she tells me too... A woman in a red shirt tells me I can do it, I feel like maybe they are right.. then suddenly I feel the cargo net jump and I grab on to keep from flying off..... The bigger men that were around us most of the run were climbing up behind me... Giving A a terrfied look, I say "I can't" too many people on the nets were creating the 'wave' effect (a la water bed) and I was picturing myself flying away....
So I hop down, go around Even though I am a little bummed I didn't do it, I know that for me at that moment, it was the right choice. When A gets down, we get moving again and make it to the fire walls. WWWWOOOOOO here we go! We jump over those fires "HOT" but AWESOME! We see A's family who came from London & Gravenhurst to cheer us on grinning & waving! WOO HOO!Then I see it.
The mud.
This isn't like the first mud pit up to your knees.
This is crouch and crawl and get dirty baby!
Bring it ON!
I get in, ready to go... and suddenly, I feel my back getting muddy before I even get on my hands & knees...
The woman in the red shirt from the cargo net climb starts covering me in mud!
In I go!
The mud is so thick that I am having trouble going through - and they are dumping more dirt & water into the mudpit as we go!
The gravel in the bottom wasn't the most pleasant feeling, and did scrape my knees a bit, but the thickness of the mud was really slowing me down! The man behind me accidentally grabbed my foot
I turned around and promised him that I was trying to go faster but my foot was stuck. He helped me by giving my foot a gentle push... Finally we get out of the mud pit, cross the finish as our pictures are being snapped and head towards the men giving out medals! WOO HOO ! I survived!
I get a banana from someone else, and ask him if he minds opening it for me since my hands are plastered in mud... Luckily for me he obliges! I get some water, down it, and ask the next man for a refill, thanking him profusely for all he's done
A's mom snapped pictures of us all muddy, then we headed to the "shower" station. Fireman were hosing us down, but it did NOT get me cleaner - only spread the mud & dirt around more
A & I take off our muddy shoes, tie the laces together and throw them into the shoe pit (The shoes were going to be cleaned by the event, and donated - awesome idea!). We throw our socks out, put on flip flops & head to the first aid station where my leg is cleaned off (sort of) by a cute paramedic (though he forgot to ask for my number
) and it's revealed that my cut was only a surface wound. He puts on some polysporin for me, and off we go! We finished in about an hour, and loved every second of it. The first thing I said when we finished was "I wonder if they'd notice if we tried going again?
"The only "complaint" I had was the "showering" after... I would rather have seen a couple of misting tents or something, since the firehose for us was so ineffective. Other than that, I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!
Amazing.
Dirty.
FUN.
We didn't stick around for the festivities after... just said a quick hello to my friend doing the 11:30am heat, brought our race chips to the beer tent (you got a free beer when you turned it in, but the beer garden wasn't open yet so we asked for water instead
), and headed back to Barrie... on our way back to J's apartment, we pass RIB FEST.... soo our post-race meal was ribs/pulled pork and some ice cream Did I say it was amazing? Because it was. ALL of it
And if someone is thinking "Maybe I want to do that?" Why wait for next year? There's one in NY state August 13 and 14 this year
EDIT:
- Results are up: http://www.warriordash.com/results/2011_Ontario_Sat_OA.HTM
Place 8368/9813
Age Group 937/1138 for those 25-29
Total Time 1:00:20.85
Pace 17:14/M
[also, how does someone do that course in under 30 minutes....?? I'm serious.... I can't wrap my head around that!]
