Warrior Dash

This was our first Obstacle course race! I must say I expected the worst, so it turned out to be much easier than we thought. I will gladly attribute this to being in better shape! We had the 1:15pm run. We got there at 11:30, had to make a long check in line as well as gear check. We had time to walk around a bit and use the bathroom and then it was time. We ran about a mile before we got to the first obstacle, then they were more closely spread. Some were pretty challenging. They had two points where we could get water, I wish they had a third, as I found myself pretty thirst ad dehydrated from running in the sun for so long. Alot of the running was in wooded area, which gave us a wonderful breeze and exciting run. My favorite obstacle was the last one, the «Goliath». It was fun and exciting and all I can say is close your mouth! After we were done we were able to take a group shot all muddied up. Get sprayed off and best we could, claim our free beer and get a Turkey leg, it was so good! My motivation during the run! I can not wait til our next run! This is such a fun experience! Also happy that Warrior dash raises funds for St. Judes, all in all I def feel it is all worth it!

My experience was similar to those who posted previously. I expected a little more organization and more intensity, but no such luck. Since the three of us traveled in from other States, it was a touch disappointing. The ride there wasn’t great since it’s a bit remote. There was serious traffic getting in and out of the lot. Fortunately, we cabbed it and saved ourselves the trouble. Still, get there early to avoid some of the hassle.
My group signed up for an early time, thank goodness. Still, the lines were a mess, even at 8:30 in the morning. Things weren’t well marked and the staff was overwhelmed. It seemed like the lines never died down. The lines to check-​in and to reclaim our bags took just as long as the initial line. There was zero enforcement, so we dealt with line-​jumpers constantly. That was only tolerable because we watched the majority of said impatient people get sent away when they reached the front because they had crashed the wrong line. Grow up, folks — we all have to wait.
Our wave went off right on time and it was nicely spaced. It didn’t feel like you were running on top of everyone else. There was little shade to be had the first mile or so, and it felt like forever before we saw the first obstacle. I expected more obstacles for some reason. There were a few extended jogs between things — I’d have preferred more to do along the way. Most of the obstacles were easy to navigate, though my lack of height did me zero favors on a few of them.
Unfortunately, the end was my least favorite part. Jumping the fire was near, but the mud pit was awful. It was packed with people, many of them stuck and panicking in the thick, red clay. I managed to get around people who helped others out, but we were getting yelled at by the next wave trying to overtake us. Contrary to what they seemed to believe, everyone was going as fast as possible. The clay was just too thick and oppressive. Some folks snuck out the side. I was lucky enough to have someone help pull me over the ledge at the end. Whew.
Showering off didn’t really happen, either. There wasn’t a decent drainage system and the only way out was the way you walked in. The water pressure from the hoses was inconsistent and they took to spraying us down with the trucks at one point. There was no real way to get all the mud off, so my group gave up and went in search of towels instead. Oh, and we completely clogged the tub at the hotel when we tried to rinse our clothing. Yuck!
The after party was worth the madness. There was plenty of quality beer and food to be had, and I was shocked that the prices weren’t higher. The burgers were good, and I tore thru a tender turkey leg like no one’s business. The lack of shade was a bummer in that we had to drink our beer faster, but we managed. They kept music pumping as well, so we stuck around well into the late afternoon.
Not sure I’d travel there again, but another Warrior Dash might be in my future. Carpool, show up early, and stay for the beer!

If you had me rate this event in the past years I have participated in it, I would have given it 5 stars. I do not know what happened this year. In the past, Warrior Dash has been a well organized, high energy, challening and fun event! The check-​in lines were ran smoothly, the course was muddy, fun, and challening, there were volunteers at the finishline to celebrate your finish, hang a medal around your neck, and give you water and snacks, there was a place to wash off, and there was a tent to change in.
This year, we arrived at Warrior Dash, an hour early, as instructed. Then the nightmare started. There were no volunteers to direct parking traffic, so we were left driving through a field hoping we were going in the right direction. We went to the check in tents to only find mass chaos, and a massive. not a line… a massive blob that stretched from the check in tents, through the vendor area, and up to the stage. After 45min of waiting in the very disorganized check-​in blob, we moved over to the equally disorganized bag-​check blob. Everybody was missing their wave times which sweked wave numbers and caused back ups at the obstacles on the course. The course itself changed this year… not fun or challenging. Since there was a heat advisory for the day, it would have been nice to have water on the course, some water stations were unmanned and there were lines for those too. Once you got through this little trail run, you got to the end where you were greeting by another long line to get into the mud pit from hell. This mud pit killed my time, but could have killed me. It was like trying to make your way through a bottemless pit of tar. People were having panic attacks in the mud pit because it was impossible to move through, you would just keep sinking and sinking. I saw people being pulled out of it, and some people didn’t even attempt it.
After you escape death, you go to rinse this drying cement mud off of you, only to find… there is no water! The water trucks ran out of water. So you say, I will just towel off in the changing tents… after circling the event area several times looking for the changing tent we ask a couple of runners if they knew where it was and the responses were «I don’t think there is one.» There was no changing tent and nobody was ever informed of this! So by this time you are caked in dry cement mud and you wait in line to get into a port-​a-​potty to try and scrape this mud off of your body and change. Most people were so fed up they skipped the changing and just left.
I feel sorry for those who had to experience this race for the first time this year. This is how the first timers will know Warrior Dash, and this is why many many peopel will not return. It was a horribly disorganized mess! With all of that said, I still had my friends with me, we still had the «brotherhood» on the course wtih warriors helping each other out, and we still mangaged to have fun. Since this was not my first Warrior Dash, I will give them one more chance to bring back the Warror Dash we once knew, and I will return next year.
I’m sure years and years and years from now, during an acriological dig, they will find the bodies of those we lost in the mud pit!

The Warrior Dash has been on my bucket list for a few years and I finally chose this year to give it a shot after watching my friends participate in the Spartan Race. I figured the Dash would be a good way to ease into becoming a Spartan. I will also echo some of the comments below regarding the organization of this race. The Spartan Race felt like it was much better organized, no long lines and most importantly, there was a place to get properly washed off. The mile long run to start the race was a little hot at 3pm but after accomplishing that, the obstacles were pretty easy. My biggest complaint during the race was the lack of water stations. I think there were only 3. My other complaint was the amount of panic that set in half way through the mud crawl due to the lack of water to mud ratio. There was a point that I attempted to stand up (very bad idea) and then was stuck in the quick sand. If it would not have been for the kind souls that let me cut diagonally across and beg a friend outside of the pit to pull me out, I’m sure I would still be there. I was panicked and scared that I would fall to the bottom of the pit and everyone would then just use me as leverage to get out. I wish I were kidding. I was fortunate enough to have raised enough money for St. Judes to be able to access their food and water station. They also had «hot showers» although at 5:00pm the showers looked more like a slaughterhouse than somewhere to get clean. I’m positive I felt dirtier after taking a shower than I did when I was coated in mud. Overall it was a great experience and will hopefully motivate me to attempt the Spartan Race next year. On another note, the money wasted on stupid warrior hats might have been better utilized for some outdoor shower stations!

Warrior Up!
While I am a fan of the Warrior Dash there are parts of it I enjoyed and that could have been better.
3.1mile run in Huntersville NC started in the sun, wide open, not a tree in site. Not sure if this could have been changed to be placed in a more shady area but the first K was in direct sunlight. Whew, hot! The rest seemed to be tucked in the shade, which was great. You can’t change nature, so keeping your eyes peeled for roots and debris on the trail is must.
The obstacles were good, with a bit of variety. I’d say I’m a pretty athletic person and that the obstacles were not really overly challenging to me, but for the average person, there might be some difficulty.
My review is 4 stars because I came in expecting the obstacles to be a lot more challenging, and even closer together. The most challenging was the mud pit. People loosing shoes, trying to help by pushing others forward, yells rang out «Don’t Stop, You’ll sink», arms reaching out to pull fellow warriors out of the heavy mud. I was glad to have a group, and the fellow Warriors were all more than willing to help you succeed and finish the race.
It’s a great experience, and I thinking everyone should do something like this at least once in a lifetime.
At the end of the battle wear your medal and fuzzy hat proudly, you’ve done it!
I finished, I’m a Warrior

I just wanted to echo the comments that have been made about the mud pit in this year’s race – you can throw your time out the window because it probably took me at least 10 – 15 minutes between the wait to get into the pit and amount of time it took to trudge through it. Literally multiple times I couldn’t move my arms or legs at all… someone mentioned that it was borderline dangerous and I agree. I could tell some people were kind of freaking out because there was a sense that you might not be able to make it out. It felt like what I would imagine quicksand would be like. That, and the insanely long, poorly marked lines to pick up the packets were my only complaints, though. They changed the obstacles up quite a bit from last year, which was nice. It would have been nice to have more water stations on the course, also.

I went to support my lil bro this time around but ya better believe I’ll be participating (and dominating –rawr!-) at Warrior Dash 2013.
My bro’s wave was Sunday 11:30am. We pulled up @ 10am, sat in the queue of cars waiting to park, walked to the check-​in area, and claimed a bench to sit on by 10:45am. Tip: get there an hour before your registered start time. I had friends w afternoon start times the day before that pulled up to the parking lot 30 minutes before their wave and had to wait for the next one bc by the time they got to check-​in it was past their time.
I’m not sure if the wait time for parking can be helped/​lessened for next year but that’s really my only non-​wonderful thing to say about Warrior Dash.
Oh, wait. The parking thing and also a serious lack of non-​carnivorous food available to purchase. Nothing wrong w the gigantic turkey leg, pulled pork, or chicken sammiches, but the lone veg option (burger or dog I don’t recall) didn’t look appetizing at all. Glad I always pack snacks w me :)
Kudos to the organizers, workers, and volunteers who made this two day event that accommodated over 12,000 participants (plus their supporters) a success. Everything was laid out well — instructions for participants were clearly heard, directions to food/​beverage/​restroom/​etc posted all around, the music kept the energy buzzing, lots of fun photo opportunities, a merchandise area, open area w tables and chairs.

Grace L, I HATE YOU for being first, and I mean that with all the love in the world.
I met Grace L for the first time at this race. We were part of two different groups with mutual friends that just decided to join up to run this race and let me tell you, It’s AMAZING! I’m originally from Atlanta and could’ve ran it there, but I decided to run it in North Carolina because there was a Groupon on it and plus I hear there are cool people up there. So $ 35 instead of the regular $ 55 sign-​up fee at the time, why not?
It’s something I wanted to do because ALL my other friends were doing it, so might as well. But it was definitely worth it. Expect LOTS and LOTS of mud. A lot of challenging obstacles and remember that you did sign your life away with the waiver so whatever you do, try your best not to injure yourself. I do hope everyone that participated in the race completed so safely.
Parking seemed like mayhem when you first see it, but there was some rhyme and reason to it. There will be plenty of people directing you where to go. Parking was $ 10 but that was expected for a large event parking.
Of course any big race like this wouldn’t be complete with a turkey leg. 4 of our friends got turkey leg after the race. Did anyone else think it was ridiculously salty? I tried to finish the whole thing but to no avail.
But the race itself was for a good cause if you needed anymore reason to run it. All for St. Jude’s children hospital. Think of the kids!!!
So overall, it was a fantastic experience, I would totally run it again next year and maybe in Georgia since I hear all courses are different. If you haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor and sign up next year.

This event was the bomb diggity!!! I would recommend everyone to do it at least once in their life. While getting down and dirty on the outside, you’ll feel warm and fuzzy on the inside because this event helps raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
I felt that this event was located in a great place, and the atmosphere was just amazing. Sure, you’ll drive out kinda towards the middle of no where, but that’s where all the fun begins. They have a large area for parking (which is great because there are around 300 warriors in each wave time), tents with noticeable flags for you to spot what is located there, and a rockin stage for the band.
The course was planned out pretty well. My friends and I found ourselves running out in the sun for the first part, but then afterwards, we found ourselves conquering most of the course in the shady trees. Nice! The nice thing about after you get muddy from doing the course, there was a hosing truck for you to wash off. It’s not an individual shower, but more of a fight to the water kind of situation. If you’re a small person, you can easily squeeze your way to the front of crowd and hope the person hosing shoots the water your way.
The food was great here. They had a lovely selection, but I didn’t notice what other food there was because I was mainly drooling over the turkey leg. A little salty, but still delicious!!! When you’re a warrior, you get a free beer after the race, so I got myself a Miller Lite. Even if you’re a spectator cheering on your homies, you can still buy beer, but remember to get tickets first before going in a long line and finding out afterwards! Don’t worry, that didn’t happen to me, but I thought I’d put the warning out there.
All in all, a GREAT event!!!