Aaron's Backstage Pass: Mudman 5K Race

This past weekend I did something that I never thought I could do.  I conquered the Mudman “Extreme” 5k run at Powder Ridge by Kimball, MN.  This had to be one of the most challenging things I had ever done physically.   

The Mudman is a 3.2 mile run in some of the most rugged and difficult terrain and had 18 challenging obstacles.   The course was designed, built and created by Bill Corcoran along with athletes, trainers and people in the military.  The course took about three weeks to build and construct and it tested your strength, stamina and endurance.

When I got to Powder Ridge there were hundreds of people.  Some of the people were already completely covered in mud because they had run already.  My race was at 1pm and I was in a team called “The Sludge Monsters.”   There were a total of five of us.  Keri Hall, Erin and Brian Boeckman, and Jenny Fitzpatrick.  You could run the race by yourself or you could be in a team.  There was also a kid Mudman and that started at 12pm.  The course was only one mile and featured a few of the obstacles in the adult Mudman.  The age limit for the Mudman was ages 13 and up.  For the kids Mudman the age limit was 6-12 years.  I was really surprised to see how many kids ran the race and they all completed it.

People also dressed up in costumes and there was an award for the best costume.  People were dressed up in all kinds of crazy and fun outfits.  I saw a couple of guys dressed like Mortal Kombat characters.  There was also a bride and groom that were dressed up.  This was a great and fun idea.

There were ten heats of races and I’m not sure how many people were in a heat, but there was a lot.  My team was in heat 8.  At about 12:40 or so we lined up with all of the other people and eagerly waited for the race to start.  The first thing that you had to do is run up one of the ski hills and that was very challenging, so by the time you got to the top you were already tired.  I talked to a lot of people and the one thing everyone agreed on, is that the hardest part of the Mudman was the hills.  There were lots and you either had to go up them or down them and they were very steep.

The obstacles were spread out and you never knew what you were going to encounter.  The one thing that was guaranteed was that you were going to get dirty and muddy and there was no way around it.  I really thought the obstacles were great and very challenging.  One of my favorite obstacles was the snake pit/swamp.  You had to slide through a black tube and land in the swamp.  You had to then make your way through this deep and stinky body of water and the whole time you are sinking in the soft mud under your feet.  They had a rope stretched across and you could guide yourself across with that.  Then right after that you had to crawl under barb wire.  Some of the other obstacles were, a wall you had to scale, go through a dumpster filled with ice cold water, climb a mountain of tires, go up a hill with a snow machine spraying you with snow and cold water, and a huge water slide.  Plus at the end of the race you had to fight your way through three gladiators and then jump over three fire pits.

It was tough and I’m glad that I did it.  I managed to do the whole thing in 59 minutes.  The other people on my team did it a lot faster and they did an amazing job.

One surprising thing is that there were not many injuries.  Even though the course was tough and there was a lot of slippery mud, not many people got hurt.  My knees are the only thing that got injured.  They are all bruised and scrapped up, but what can you do.  It was bound to happen.

Everyone I talked to at the Mudman had a great time and would do it again.  I know that I had a great time and I would do it again.  It is such a great feeling accomplishing something like that.  There is going to be another Mudman next year at Powder Ridge and I can’t wait to do it again.

For more information about the Mudman 5K go to http://www.mudmanrace.com/

 Aaron Chalich is a columnist for KSTP.com blogging about the latest entertainment news.