Review of the Warrior Dash

In July, the Warrior Dash made it’s first appearance in the state of Michigan and 26,000 of us showed up for the two-day event, making the biggest event in the history of Warrior Dash.  The Warrior Dash is an extreme obstacle course race which is 3.2 miles in length and has 12  obstacles.  It’s billed as the “Craziest Day of your Frickin’ Life”. Prior to the event, I wasn’t sure what to think since the majority of the ‘chatter’ about the event seemed to be focused on the after race festivities with the beer, bands, and turkey legs. Was this a serious race or just a big party?

The Main Stage area at the Warrior Dash

What I found was that this event could be whatever you wanted it to be; intense or just for fun. The atmosphere was great with live music constantly and everyone was excited or a little nervous but in no way shape or form was this some stuffy, high pressure event. If you were out to compete, there were plenty of experienced runners in the field to challenge you. If you were out to just say you finished it, there were lots of people in that category too. Either way you got your finishers medal, helmet, t-shirt and beer and lots of congratulations from everyone around at the finish.

My good friend Jeff and I showing off our Warrior Dash medals

As far as the Michigan course itself, it was very muddy, very smelly, and very very hot. The course we ran on happens to also be used as a horse riding trail. You can imagine the smell of manure in 93 degree heat with no wind, no clouds, and high humidity. The weather conditions made the course much more difficult than it probably was, for me, since I train indoors. You can see the course I ran in Michigan by clicking HERE. Unless you are way out in front of the other competitors in your wave, you will be around many other runners on the course and have to make adjustments accordingly and possibly wait at obstacles for people to clear. In my race there were 600 people in each wave, but it really wasn’t a big issue on the course. Despite the weather and smells this race was a blast!  I couldn’t help but smile as I was going through each obstacle because I loved the challenge.

My overall impression was that this was a tremendously well run event. We NEVER waited in line for anything with 12,000+ people around. Parking, check- in and bag check were a breeze. Even getting a beer after the race was super fast. The course was very fun, but, I wish I would have been in the first flight of the day because the heat at 1:30 pm was ridiculous.

If you are going to do the Warrior Dash, here are my suggestions.

1.Train. This event is not going to be as fun if you are physically unprepared for the challenge. I used Insanity and Insanity: The Asylum to prepare for the event and never had an issue with any of the obstacles.

2. Get registered early. I registered 6 months early and Saturday was already sold out.

3. Don’t wear anything you want to wear again, including shoes.

4. Hydrate, and bring your own shade. We got to the event early and there was no shade anywhere so we baked in the sun for 2 hours before our race which didn’t help matters.

5. Get someone to take pictures for you if you want to save some money. To purchase 3 digital copies from SportPhoto would have cost me almost $30.

6. Don’t be a hero on the obstacles. Take your time and get through them safely. I saw many people going through obstacles out of control and hurting themselves or banging into other competitors.

7. If you are going to compete and try to get and excellent finishing time, get to the front of the starting gate or else you will be trying to pass hundreds of people during the first mile. We stood at the end of the line for the wave ahead of ours. When they were released on to the course we just walked right up to the starting line to wait for our wave to be sent out.

I would recommend the Warrior Dash highly to anyone who is looking to challenge themselves in a new way. If you are already a  “Warrior” I’d love to hear about your experience! As always if you have questions or would like to talk about training, feel free to contact me. Let’s connect on Facebook or Twitter (gregsiesz)

My First Obstacle Course Race: The Dirty Dog Dash

I finished my first obstacle course race this past Saturday, the Dirty Dog Dash . The event consisted of a 5k run and 10 obstacles all on Boyne Mountain. Staying true to the event’s name, there was plenty of water, mud, barb wire, agility obstacles,  and a seemingly never ending 1/4 mile climb up the mountain just before the finish. It was a smaller event with 4 waves and only about 350 people participating, which made it very nice for a first- timer like myself. The course was well  marked, and there were event staff positioned throughout the course to direct you through any tricky spots. Best part of all was that this event (and most other similar races) was raising funds for the Wounded Warrior Project. At $45.00 for a late registration I though this event was a bargain. I recieved a t-shirt, finishing medal (a dog tag!) and a free beer after the race. Awards were given to the top 2 males and females in each age group and the best individual and group costumes.

I have only discovered this type of race recently and there are many more of these races around than I could have ever expected. Here is a list of just a few of the races out there.

Warrior Dash

Tough Mudder

Metro Dash

Spartan Race

The distances of these races vary greatly, as do the type and number of obstacles, and some require that you run with a team so be sure to do your homework and understand what you are getting yourself into! If you are a first timer you may want to try to find a smaller local event so you can get your feet wet in a much smaller crowd of participants.

If you are looking to do one of these races here are a few suggestions on how to prepare.

1. Be sure to strength train. Many of the obstacles will require you to climb or pull yourself up. You will really be able to cut your time if you can get through the obstacles quickly.

2. Cardiovascular conditioning! A 5k may not sound difficult but when going through over and under obstacles you will putting additional demands on your body beyond just running and you will need to have excellent cardio endurance if you plan to finish runnning. Personnally, I trained with Insanity and Rev Abs as these programs include both cardio and strength training.

3. As for race apparel, I wouldn’t wear anything you want to wear again. Find some light synthetic fibers that won’t hold water. If you have shoes that drain well that would be a plus, as you don’t want to try to run wearing ten pound shoes.

4. Go in with an open mind, get dirty, and have fun!