Product Review: Ryte Mojo Plus Pack

I originally started taking the Ryte products in January 2015 when I was mostly working on gaining some muscle, not weight loss. 
I substituted my normal Pre-workout for the Ryte Spark, my normal Post-workout for the Ryte Fuel and added the Ryte Rejuv to my overall program.

Thats my cat. She's really cute, old too. But this gives you a gist of the size of the boxes

I was taking the Spark around 3pm, 2.5 hours before my normal gym time.
Now, I typically get cranked on nasty pink sugary Pre. I normally get this Walmart stuff that I actually really like. It's sweet and gross, but works pretty damn well. So when I cut this and substituted the Ryte, I had some reservations.

But hey!  The Ryte is alright! There was NO hyper-activity from this. No racing heartbeat or sweats or anything. There was however, just a nice feeling of alertness. Ya know, like that feeling you get after a 10-15min run. Nothing over the top, but enough to get you through a 2hr gym session.

The Rejuv stuff however, that knocked me on my ass, as it was marketed to. Now, keep in mind I took this around 930pm, after working out. I normally sleep pretty good anyway, but this stuff really knocked me out. I did however, often wake up at 4am to pee, then stayed awake, entirely alert. This may have something to do with my natural sleep patterns or the horrible cabin fever we're all suffering. Or maybe I only need 6hrs of sleep....dunno. But this stuff will PUT you to sleep in less than 15min.

The Fuel: Not too shabby. Not too shabby. If you keep a mixer ball in your water bottle, it'll mix up all nicey-nice. No chunks. The flavor is pretty decent. No chalky taste, no over the top sweetness. I wouldn't want to drink it while running though. Its got that milky consistency.

In January I was weighing in around 200lbs or so. I was taking all this gear and basically eating anything (vegetarian) that I wanted. There was very little cardio going on.

THEN: Heather signed me up for a Marathon. Weight loss time.
I am now taking a packet of Ryte at noon with lunch, instead of 3pm. This does a pretty good job of curbing my appetite for my typical 3pm snack.
I am also eating a good bit less of dairy. I have tons of veggies for 10am breakfast, and noon lunch. I have a bar of some sort around 5 and try to keep the cheese to a minimum.
I am back taking my normal Pre and doing a boat load of cardio to train for this damn marathon.
In the past 5-6 weeks I've dropped down to about 190lbs. And I feel pretty damn good. I don't get any kind of mid-day crash and I hit the gym motivated.
As I don't really have any trouble falling asleep, I've stopped taking the Rejuv for a while. I do still occasionally take the Fuel, but am also mixing in an Amino Acid bevvy for a Post.

As with most products out there, you need to exercise and eat right to really see any benefits.You can take all the crap in the world, but if you don't put in the effort you shouldn't expect much. I think this Ryte product line up is great if you're putting in the work.

Here's some stats on this stuff: No GMO's. Not Artificial junk. Safe for Glutards and Veggie Caps.
All good. If you want more nitty gritty, go to their site http://www.ryte.com/

Another pic, with my cat. This shows envelope size.

The products absolutely do what they claim to do. They're easy to consume and digest. The little packets are nice to carry in a pocket, although perhaps creating a bit of extra waste as opposed to a bottle of 30caps.
Is a 30 day supply of this gear worth the 200 bones listed on the website?
I say no. This is good product, don't get me wrong. I'd take it year round if I could. But 200 bucks?!?! You know what you could do with that? I mean c'mon, thats 2400 a year!
I feel you'd be better off hiring a Personal Trainer and a Dietician. Take that moolah and do some races or fun-runs. Hell, go by a new gym wardrobe.

Ryte is basically a pyramid scheme concept, simalar to Beach Ball Body. Don't ask me exactly how it works as I am not interested in the actual marketing.

I've really been enjoying In Absentia from Porcupin Tree today. Good music.

The long and the short of Ryte products!!! I'd pay 50$ a month for this gear. Maybe up to 75$ if I really needed to drop some weight. But I could cycle some steroids for 200...

Please remember however, the source of this review. I don't really have any weight issues, I sleep like a baby most nights and I'm already very active and eat a vegetarian diet.

If you are struggling with motivation and weight loss, please try to find some more Ryte reviews written by people of situations similar to your own. This seems like a good company trying to make a product for your average joe, not your anarchist gym rat.

Product Review: Reebok ATV19 Sonic Rush

Heather bought these for me last time she was kicking at Reebok HQ. She wanted to score me new pair of shoes and on a whim, I asked her for these. Because, ya know, they're really weird looking.    

I've done a few runs, a few hashes and 2 pretty gnarly trail races, and a wimpy OCR in these. (Seven Sisters and Pisgah, thanks to Relentless Forward Commotion for the links)

And I gotta tell ya, I was pleasantly surprised. Well, not wicked surprised. (See my review on the Outdoor Wild.) I knew this shoe'd be good.

First, Reeboks fit me perfectly. A size 9.5 fits. Spot on, fits. Although I supinate, I don't have any kind of goofy shaped foot. No webbed toes, no gross sausage toes, no big ugly toe knuckles. I don't need a stupid large toe box for my flipper to splay in. This shoe gets it.

There is cushion in this shoe folks. It's not a little barefoot thing. 

There's support. 

And there is really freeeeeking strange tread. 
Just look at it!


Well, that tread is awesome. Ya, it's not your typical off road shoe traction, but it works. I ran on everything that Spring in New England can offer. Rocks, roots, rivers, mud, wet leaves, dry leaves, scree, road, cart road, singletrack....all of it. They were great.

Now, I'm not positive if this is what the design originally entailed, but because there are only 19 lugs on the bottom, all the runner's body weight is concentrated into that small lug. This puts a good chunk of pressure from each little lug into the terrain, making them stick and dig a bit into the ground. They are phenomenal on soft terrain, even grassy slopes.

That being said, take them on to pavement. Well, you can def feel the lugs. It's not horrible, but you feel a rolling sensation coming from the lugs. I don't think I'd want to run a 10k in 'em, but if your trail has a bit of pavement....it's all good. This shoe is cumf.

"How's it perform wet?" you ask. Well, the traction is still great. The shoe does get wet inside and it gets spongy. But! The fit never changed and my foot NEVER slides around in the shoe. You are locked in to this thing. It doesn't drain particularly well, but it's a damn trail shoe, not a flip flop. If you want a shoe that drains like a sieve, you may want to look elsewhere. 

I'm trying to get used to running in wet shoes, so I'm fine with this.

The problem however, it that they shrank a bit after washing them. Now, I should know better..ya, ya. I didn't dry them, just washed 'em in cold. They shrank maybe 1\8 of a size, tops. It's been my experience though, that all shoes do this. So it's not really a jab, just something to share.

We all like sharing.

What d'ya think of those colors too? Flash! The colors have held up wonderfully. Even when I have to wear my stupid steel toe shoe covers over them, you can still see the flash.

But really, how do they feel on trail? You will know you are wearing this shoe. It's not stupid light, and it certainly isn't small. 

But it is pretty nimble (at least for my fat ass) and it descends as well as it climbs. 
You won't get every nuance of the trail. Duh. Look at it. But you will still get a nice grounded feeling. 
I'm thinking it's going to be hard to roll and ankle in this shoe. Those lugs...those lugs basically keep your foot where it belongs, even with my supinatation, I never felt nervous about rolling.I didn't even tape up.

Update 9-4-15.
I'm on my second pair. I like this shoe. They last a pretty decent amount of time and are really nice if your run is going to bring you varying terrain. Hell, I've worn them a couple times for The Seven Sisters Trail Race, and they worked pretty well on that slop.


Update 9-21-15
I wore these for my Myrtle Beach GORUCK and they were fine.

Product Review: Saucony Mirage 4

It's a drag I get these cool review shoes in the Winter. I hate Winter in Vermont. I don't run outside when the temp is less than 40, and I won't run outside when you can't see the pavement or sidewalks due to snow. So basically it's treadmill for me for 5months a year here.

Damn I can't wait to move.

 A while back Saucony sent me the Guide7 to check out ( Click this ), but now I get to try the Mirage 4.

I've been trying to pile up the dreadmill mileage in these. I've also been using them for Leg Day at my gym. Before we had the mandatory switch to steel toed frankencloppers at work, I used them there too. 

Have I mentioned I can't wait to move?

I want to get outside and RUN in these! They fit like a dream. (Size 10 for this guy in Saucony sizes) They are light. They are very comfortable, right out of the box even. The Guide took me while to break in, these didn't.

There is a bit of cush in these, a perfect amount for me so far ( I NEED PAVEMENT!) and they feel secure on my feet when I'm Squatting.

They feel pretty light, I'm going to chuck one at Heather later on and we can get her opinion.

Here is Saucony's blurb on the Mirage 4, but let me give you the run down in my own laymen terms: This shoe is going to make me faster. I know it.

There isn't a ton of cushion or heel lift, but I don't feel the impact of a barefoot shoe either.

At about 10oz, they're light enough but also sturdy enough to support my fat ass. I have yet to feel any unwanted lateral movements.

The upper is especially comfortable, there has been no chaffing at my ankles.

There's a large built in reflector on the outer side of each shoe, that's a pretty nice perk for us night runner types. (Please supplement with upper body reflective garments!!)

Now, I haven't run long distances in them outside yet, so I cannot honestly confirm or deny the breathablity of the fabric on these. I can tell you however, that mine stink already. I don't necessarily feel my feet sweating, but these shoes smell already. Could just be me, dunno.

These puppies retail for 110$. That's a good chunk of coin. In a couple months when it's nicer outside I'll do a follow up review to see if 110 bones makes sense. Initial assessment says yes, but we'll have to wait and see.

Update 9/4/15
After some mileage, my ankle supination become to pronounced in this shoe and I had to retire it.
I am now running in the Kinvara. And that shoe is AMAZING. I should probably review that.

Product Review: Saucony Guide 7

 

Saucony Guide 7  Size 9.5 or 43.5

So as I’m writing this, it looks like this sneaker isn’t even released yet! Cool. I like to demo stuff, new or old. But there is something special about demo-ing a product not even on the shelves yet. Although maybe by the time I post this, these will be out….

I raced in Saucony waaayyy  back in the late 80’s\early 90’s when I was trying Tri. I was very new to running but I  remember wearing nothing but Saucony for years. I’m hoping these end up performing up to my past experiences.

I take them out of the box. Flash! They are pretty flashy. I like that, not just because Im a show-boater, but if people can see my running shoe, they can see me running! 



Top View, Slick looking eh?



I put them on my feet. They’re a bit snug. Just a bit. Not a huge worry because I know my feet swell and shrink though out the day, and I know I’ll stretch them a bit. The problem is they feel like I’m walking on 2x4s. I clunk as I walk across my apartment floor.  Again not a huge worry, the woman downstairs blatantly refuses my requests to turn down her music (she’s getting evicted soon!! Haha jokes on her), so I’ll clunk around a bit…

I wear them around the house a bit here and there, but they’re still a bit snug and clunky.

This morning however, I wore them to the gym (just to lift). They are definitely starting to break in. They are feeling more comfortable and actually feel good on the gym floor.

I hope to take them for a spin on the road tomorrow.

A quick 2miler on a stereotypical dirt road in New Hampshire and they feel pretty good. That 2x4 feeling is slowly disappearing and the shoe gets more comfortable every day. These really do feel secure on my feet. As mentioned they’re a bit snug (9.5), but not painfully so. I think I’m looking at these as a 10k or less shoe at the moment just due to the size.

I am a Heel Striker. I do run in some barefoots and minimals sometimes. But take those off, and I heel strike. No big. These shoes feel great on my landing and push off. I tried to mid-foot, but it felt very bizarre, uncomfortable even. So I'll continue heel striking. At an 8mil offset this feels fine.

This shoe is specifially designed for nuetral and mild pronater runners. I supinate. But the secure feeling of this shoe didnt bother my ankles in the least. (You should probably check with a qualified running coach or even a doctor if you severely supinate before running in these though I would think)

Here's a link to what Saucony says: http://blog.saucony.com/saucony-lab/product-corner/guide-7/

I'm taking these out for a Hash on Saturday and really putting them through the ringer, so expect a follow up in the next few days.

Not sure what a Hash is? Click it, find out, and try it.

These shoes could not have performed better than they did yesterday. Although not plyo's, the way I run at a Hash is very similar to old school Suicides (remember those?). I make a lot of sudden turns, I'm off and on the sidewalk, sprinting, walking, it's not your standard run. These felt great. No slipping inside the shoe, no slipping on the pavement at my sudden stops. These are my new Urban shoe. (I managed to avoid getting called out for New Shoes somehow)

I also wore these for Leg Day at the gym this same morning. Lots of lifters (myself included) prefer to Squat in flat shoes. So I was a bit apprehensive getting into the Squat Rack with these.
Well, they worked. You can absolutely feel the cushion. You can absolutely feel the 8m drop. But more importantly for me, you can absolutely feel the stability. No one wants a squirrelly shoe squatting, and these were solid.

Conclusion: I'd buy this shoe. But definately check the sizing. If you know your Saucony size, then you're golden. If you're not sure though, get to your local running store and check them out.

Reebok Outdoor Wild OCR Shoe Review

I’ve never felt a pair of shoes that fit both form design and function more perfectly than these. I mean, right out of the box I knew I wanted to race in these.

One of the unwritten but oft spoken rules of running is NOT to race in brand new shoes. Ya….well I did. And there was much rejoicing.

The particular race was the Spartan Charity Sprint held at Killington VT on September 23^rd 2013. (More details\review of that in another post, or hell, read Relentless Forward Commotion's deets ) 

If you’re not familiar with Killington or Vermont as a whole, there are some things you should know: It’s hilly and it’s wet. And this shoe dominated on this terrain. I’ve never felt a pair of shoes that fit both form design and function more perfectly than these. I mean, right out of the box I knew I wanted to race in these.

Photo courtesy of Relentless Forward Commotion.

I’ve trained and raced in a few different shoes. Vibrams, Brooks and InoV8s to name a few. And I like them all for different reasons. But this shoe is perfect for OCR. 

There’s cushion. These are NOT barefoot or minimal or zero drop. This shoe is comfortable without being overbearing. It doesn’t feel like I’m running in pudding, but I definitely get enough protection from the shoe. I don’t feel like I’m 3 inches off the surface either. I supinate quite a bit (big toe rolls up and out) and these shoes felt great on my compromised ankles.

Hey, it fits! I asked for a 9.5, and they fit. I used to wear the big ol’ white Reebok High Tops back in high school so I was familiar with Reeboks sizing (even if they’re VERY different shoes). The fit even stayed true when soaked thru. You’re not going to do a Spartan Race and have dry shoes….

Look at the bottom of these things! That’s some grip, some really good grip actually. The traction was fantastic on the steep slopes, and look at the heels. I was able to jam my foot into the mountain side when descending the steep stuff. I had slid all over the place in my other shoes the day before, not this time. And check out the sides, there is traction there to help on a rope climb if you do need to use your feet.

The laces never slipped during a double knot, the colors are kind of cool and they have pull tabs that you can hang the shoes from.

So there’s the Pros. Cons?? Well, this is tough one. I haven’t found one yet. For a shoe that MSRPs for 85 bones, you can’t really go wrong here. If you’re not a minimalist or a barefooter, this is great off road shoe. I’d love to run in them on Peavine and do a high desert review......

Update 10/25/14

I've since put these through a Rugged Maniac, a few Hashes and many trail runs. They are still holding up excellently. There has been no stretching or misforming of the shoe. Nothing is falling apart. I've pretty much beat the hell out of these.

I'll try to remember to post a Snow update, but I think they'll be excellent. 

Update 9-21-15 

I still have a pair of these. I ran a loop at Infinitus in them and still regularly train in them.

Update 5/816
I still have them. They're pretty much packed out now. My feet have grown or the shoe shrunk, or something. The tread is almost shot and I've run countless trails in them.
I still really dig this shoe and keep putting a new insole into it.

Merrell shoe reviews

I don’t like clunky shoes, and none of these Merrells were clunky. Score!

They all, however, do fit quite differently and not just based on their purpose.

So, maybe my feet are shrinking in my forties, or maybe the sizes of shoes have changed and I missed the memo….but regardless, please note that although I was trying out size Tens, they all felt a good half size larger.

It’s also that lovely time of year in Vermont where going outside to train is highly dependent on our weather. So, lots of indoor experiences here.

Four different shoes, four different fits and experiences:

Proterra Hiker, Mix Master, Run Barefoot, Vapor Glove.

The Proterra Hiker: As stated earlier, felt a half size to big for me, but more importantly, they actually felt a full size too deep.  My toes swim in these shoes. They also felt as if they were pushing me into a more pronated position than my normal stride. I laterally rolled my right ankle a few months ago, so this was actually a welcome feature. I added another insole into these and now my feet feel quite comfortable, and I still get that small bit of pronation.

I’ve worn these to work and the gym many times. I stand for my nine hour shifts and these shoes feel pretty good. They feel good on the gym floor as well. I’ve squatted and dead lifted in them. They do have a bit of ankle on them, but they work just fine.

In my training I don’t need a low drop, low weight hiker. When I hike, I want a big, heavy, mud kicking, trail building boot. Whether in Vermont or Nevada, I need more foot protection for my hiking than this shoe offers. I do like the shoe for day to day use, however.

My shoe was spec’d at a 21mm stack height with a 0mm drop over 8mm of cushion. A unique color green on this shoe earned me quite a few complements.

Mix Master: Same general fit as the Proterra on me, big and deep. So I added a second insole to them and the fit is much better. These shoes do not pronate my stride at all. They have a nice neutral striding feel to them.

I wear these to work, to the gym and run in them. They are nice and light and offer just enough cushion for about anything. Although not specifically designed for trail, if I could have gotten them tighter on my foot, I would have loved to take them off road. They feel good on the treadmill and work well for box jumps.

This is definitely an athletic shoe. When I happen to wear them with a pair of jeans, everyone knows I’m a runner. Not a bad thing, but worth noting as there is nothing casual looking with this shoe. No pull tab on the back makes lashing these to my bag a bit more of a project than shoes with a pull tab.

My treads are spec’d with a 19mm stack height, 4mm drop over 8mm cushion. The bright red color on my model stands out like a fire truck.

Run Barefoot: These fit differently than the two previous. Still at a size ten, my second toe actually hits the front of the shoe a bit. However, they are not deep like the others, no need at all for me to add an insole. This shoe has a very neutral stride to it, but has a large arch in it. In fact I can only wear these for a few hours at a time as my feet start to hurt. These are very lightweight and make an excellent gym shoe. Because my toes hit, I don’t run in them, but I have done squats, jumps and olympic lifts in them. They meld with my gym floor nicely.

The Run Barefoot is spec’d at a 9.5 stack height and 0mm drop. A very nice looking shoe, it’s easy to wear this model going out when I don’t feel like being over the top flashy.

Vapor Glove: Zero everything, or close enough to it. This is a minimal shoe in almost every sense. If this shoe had been my size, it would never leave my foot.

I’ve been running in Vibrams for years and love the barefoot running concept and this shoe captures it, only without the potential of ripping a toe off in the deep woods. I have not run in this shoe, much to my chagrin, as they’re not sized right for me. I have worn them to work and the gym and they are excellent minimal shoes. Walking on concrete for long periods of time is uncomfortable, but they are excellent gym shoes. They feel great around the house and wearing them out is fine. It’s a shame its winter in Vermont, because I would wear these twenty four seven.

The color of mine though….Peach? Orange? Porange? I’m not sure what it is, but it is unique, and rather ugly.

Summary of my Merrell shoe samples: Credit where Credit is due, but also criticism where criticism is due. I provided the wrong shoe size to Merrell and it’s winter time in VT. So this makes a true fitting impossible, and also makes trying all shoes for their designed purpose challenging.

With that said though, all four shoes fit differently. The Vapor should obviously feel different, but the sizes and fits of the other three shoes, all tens, should feel the same I think. The arch in the Run Barefoot is too pronounced for my liking, but I appreciate the pronation in the Proterra. Every shoe on the market these days seems to come with a huge toe box, and these do too. I’ve never thought I had shrinking narrow feet…..but there it is.

The Proterra will definitely be a solid work shoe for me. I look forward to doing long road miles in my Mix Masters. The Run Barefoot is my gym shoe, hands down. And I hope to get a nine and a half pair of Vapors for summertime trail running. A few different purposes than what Merrell had in mind, but still functional. 

9/4/2015 Update.
 The Mix Masters lasted about 6months before they were too shot to run in. 
I had to unload the Proterra as the forced pronation was getting too uncomfortable. 
The Run Barefoots are still in good shape, I never run in them.
The Vapors are finally starting to show signs of wear. This shoe has been fantastic. It's great for wearing on road trips due to its very minimal design, it packs nice and small, it makes a decent water shoe.

Race Review: Warrior Dash September 15th 2012

Warrior Dash September 15^th 2012 

An obstacle race at a ski resort…I guess I should have figured on some elevation gain, huh?

Well, elevation gain I wanted, elevation gain I got. And most of that was in the mile and a half before the first obstacle.

You could tell lining up in the starter corral that there was a nasty hill first thing. What you could not tell, however, was that the hill kept going…and going…and going…and going.

So when the flames shot over the top of the corral and we started uphill, I was figuring it’d be piece of cake.(And I really enjoy cake.) Because I’ve been running Wintastaquit so often lately, I am afraid of no mountain. But man…this just kept on going!! Fortunately the course’s terrain wasn’t too bad. Nice enough grass, no mud, no slippery slope, just up. Some pretty steep parts, but nothing requiring a scramble.

First obstacle is a barbed wire crawl. Nothing too nasty here. The ground wasn’t beaten to a pulp, so no major dirt. The wire wasn’t set so low that I had to crawl like a snake. Under the wire I go, thru a net and on to the next. (Pictures are mostly of my girl)

The second obstacle was a real fun Over\Under thing. Over a waist high wall, then under a beam. I gotta tell you, this would have been super fun if I wasn’t carrying the camera. Trying to clear these walls quickly with a camera in your hand is a pain. Doing them slowly however, is easy. And that’s what I did. You could get into a nice rhythm on this obstacle. Jump and duck, jump and duck…

Downhill run. Down a skis slope run in fact. The terrain here still not too bad. It’s a bit slippery just from the grass itself, and a bit steep in places, but not horrible if you’ve been running trails.

Obstacle 3! A kick ass dirt crawl, under barbed wire. Through a rough trench with barbed wire overhead. I half expected to see tracers…. No mud in the trench, but some good sized rocks to beat up your hands and knees a bit.

Some more running, then Obstacle 4, a really cool balance board type object. This would have been quite treacherous if we were muddy or wet, but hitting it dry wasn’t too awful. The planks to the top had nice rungs on them for secure footing, but the top center beams were smooth.

The views from Gunstock are striking. My camera cannot do them justice so I won’t post pictures.

Uphill again, this time on a beat up fire road, to Obstacle 5. I really liked 5. It was interesting to see people second guessing themselves on this one. Grab the knotted rope and scale the wall. Coming down the other side was a basic ladder descent. Pretty fun stuff! The whole time I couldn’t help but wonder how cool it would be if this obstacle was surrounded by flames…I know, logistical nightmare. But the thought entertained me for a bit.

Obstacle Six, after some more fire road, is a really cool net obstacle. You first climb up a bit, onto a net, then you must traverse the net across, oh I don’t know, maybe 20ft? Then climb down the other side. I did see a hero or two start to run across the net. Hell, they probably could have made it if it were clear of other competitors.

A short run takes us to Ob #7 (I don’t feel like typing Obstacle anymore so I’m going to abbrev.)

Ob7 is this cool Up and Over kinda thing. The way up was a sloped ladder climb, but once you got a leg over the top, there was one step about a quarter of the way down, then a drop to the ground. I’d guess 12-15 feet maybe total height, So maybe a ten foot drop?

  
Some more down hill. And no here’s the pisser about my day…I’d been cruising thru this. I’m out here to just take pictures for the girly, I’m not racing, I’m strolling most of the stuff and breezing the obstacles because I’m not winded. I’m having a grand ol’ tyme! Until….and Heather even heard it…until…POP! I roll my damn ankle. Yep, I’m walking down a grassy slope. WALKING!! And I roll an ankle. Sheeeeet. Thank god, no pain, just that sudden nausea that you get cause you know your out of the game for a while…and you know it’s gonna hurt later…

So Ob Eight is a fun kind of slide doo-dad. A big black tarp with a snowmaker blowing water onto it. There are trenches under the tarp big enough for set of buttocks to slide down. There’s also a pretty rainbow from the sno-gun. I cant slide down this. I have no idea why. I tried a few times but instead stood up and hobbled my way down.

A short run to the next obstacle, which is actually being broadcast live to a monster TV down in the festival area. Neat idea! Very spectator friendly.

Number Niner is a standard Cargo Net up and over. No biggy, although I did feel a little bad when I got on the net next to Heather and the net started bending to my weight…fat Geoffrey…

 

Ten is a Fire jump. Over some burning wood, in fact I think this was Dura-Flame brand wood. Was there 4? Four fire jumps I think.

MUD! The first mud in the race in fact! Under barbed wire thru nasty mud. It almost seemed like thin concrete mix. It was a very interesting color and nice smooth consistency. I mean, I wouldn’t wanna eat it, but it was smooth.

DONE! 

I have not done any other Warrior Dash events, but I feel pretty strong that this particular one would have been a great first time OCR for anyone not sure about OCRing. Although the hill climbs were challenging, if you can walk, you can make it up a hill, and with only 11 obstacles… Not being soaked to the bone for an entire race also has a nice beginner appeal too.

All of the obstacles were very well built. Solid frames on the wooden obstacles etc. The addition of the snowmaker on Ob8 was pretty cool. All the fun signs on the course were great motivators. The mud at the end was great for the spectators.

We did get some cool swag from the event. The free Tshirt is of very nice quality. The finisher medal is pretty cool. The funny little hat makes a very nice addition to any Hash. (See other posts if you aren’t familiar with Hashing)

 I was also able to buy a fun little Kilt Beer Cozy thingy and a bottle opener.

I look forward to trying another Warrior Dash to compare the Gunstock event to rumors of other Dashes I have heard of.