What to do when your sister can't meet you as soon as you thought?
(Confession: I forgot about that time difference thing in Indiana.)
I went and "crashed" a Mudathlon. It was a first for me.
What is a Mudathlon? Basically, it's a race in the mud with obstacles. Participants have a microchip they wear on their shoes which, if not lost, track their time on the course. But a Mudathlon is also something most do just for the experience, for fun even. A portion of the registration fees go to support a local charity. If you want more info on the event I attended check out this link: Mudathlon Valparaiso 2015 (it's the FAQ's page)
A friend I grew up with has hosted this event on his farm for the past several years.
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| True fact: Georgie Molchan, aka Little Oscar, was my relative. |
You know it's going to be a fun day, when the Wiener Mobile is around!
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There has been so much rain in Indiana this summer, that I'm pretty sure most of the pools of mud were natural...or didn't take much extra help.
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| The starting pen |
Every fifteen minutes, groups of between 100-150 participants go through the pen and start their race.
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| Billy the kid officially started each heat. |
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| You can see one of the obstacles in the background. |
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| If you build it, they will come, and climb over it. Field of Obstacles! |
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| Pretty sure this was a mute point. |
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| I was lucky enough to witness my longtime friend's children completing this race. The three in pink, Jared, Elizabeth and Caleigh, standing at the top of the slide were my connection... |
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| ...and so were these two! Christian and Chad started with the others, but ran the course a tad faster. They came back to cheer on their sibs/in-laws. |
Did I mention this was held at a farm?
The mud did have a wonderful, ripe, farm smell to it.
Growing up in the area, I definitely knew I was home!
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| Participants certainly needed to keep their mouths shut when entering the muddy waters. |
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| Additional obstacles were just walking from one area to the next! |
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| Almost finished! Next stop...the finish line. |
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| My friend, and farm owner, Dale let me know he was 'kind of a big deal around here'. |
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| Dale pulled the water trucks through the muck so they could deposit more clean water for the make-shift showers. |
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| No caption really needed... ...but showers. |
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| As a spectator, I was not immune from the mud this year. I was told that in years past, spectators actually stayed clean. I noted that people pay good money to get a mud wrap at the spa. It was just mud...it did wash off |
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| For the most part, I did stay clean. I also found my girl friend! Clearly she is a farm girl, and knew to wear her boots. My river sandals held up fine, but wow had I realized I'd be this muddy, I would have waited a day on that pedicure! |
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| Mr. Kind-of-a-Big-Deal, Dale. He let me check out his radio! :) |
It was so fun to see my old friend Dale. He was a wonderful host, was on the go constantly, and was still smiling long after the event ended. I was told the numbers for this year's event topped 2,000 participants. Not bad! That meant $10,000 was raised for local charity: Girls on the Run.
Kudos to all the participants.
I walked away from the event thinking...could I do this next year?
Yep. But I'd have to be on a team, and I'd do it just for fun. I'm not about breaking any times...
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| Jared sporting Angel Wings! |
...and I'd definitely need Angel Wings!
~Lisa
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