Muddy Buddy

Completed our first muddy buddy with my husband. It was surprising difficult. We had such a great time. We are definately going to do this one next year. Lots of hoses to wash off with and very well organized.

I was the runner for my team, and I thought the terrain was great and challenging. The legs that I biked, 2 and 4, were all downhill and super fun. The mud pit was ice cold! Everyone was in costume and there was a great party atmosphere, being the day after Halloween. Obstacles were not challenging, but I saw one girl freeze up at the cargo net/​giant slide obstacle. I guess it was a little high.
What brings this review down is the «showers» that were provided. Apparently the organizers grew up in Rivertucky and took showers in their back yard under a hose, because our showers were… outside, under a hose. WTF. And to make it worse, the hoses were placed at the bottom of a hill next to the lake. So while you are using a dribbly hose to get the mud out of your clothes, your ankles are slowly seeping into mud themselves. And then all of the muddy water is flowing right into the lake. Great way to ruin the water quality. It was actually comical, all of these muddy people standing in the mud trying to clean themselves. If we ever do this race again, we are bringing camping showers!

XC riders and MTB riders, this is your course. I was the biker in this race. The hills aren’t like the monstrous San Jose first mile, but will give you a leg up again the other riders and hopefully your running partner. You’d definitely need to put in some running time before hitting this race if you want to do well. You can’t rely too much on your mountain biker friend, he still needs to wait for you to get the bike back to him. Or the other way around if you are the mountain biker, friend.
This race also had a starting hill, but not right away and not for a whole mile. After the first 200 meters or so, the next ½ mile was a climb, then a short steep descent that winds you down to the beach. Get off your bike at the sand since you’ll need to carry it around a fence that extends down into the water. Hop back on and ride to the 1^st obstacle, which was an over-​under climb.
Leg two was a gradual climb with another short but not so steep descent to obstacle 2, a wall climb.
Leg three was a long climb to probably the highest point of the race, to the balance beam. But if you’re a good climber on the bike, do your passing at this point. It’s wide enough and most of the runners/​bikers are slowing down here… but maybe so is your partner, So don’t go too fast or else you’ll have to wait after the next leg for him anyways.
Leg 4 is the best leg. the easy downhill that takes you back out onto the paved road. Hit 30+ mph here if you can… yeah, you can. Take a nap after completing the big inflatable slide, since your partner hasn’t arrived with the bike yet.
Then ride the last leg with caution. This part is narrow with a short steep climb, and depending on your line, you might have to pop over roots and rocks on your way up. Then there’s the final descent that’s a single track with a steep and tight corner. The mud pit… always muddy, always fun.
So, muddy buddy folks, Dallas in 08 huh? What about my suggestions about holding it in Tahoe, or Marin? Marin would be great. Think about it. I’ll be the first to sign up… with or without a buddy.