USMC Mud Run in Columbia, SC

I was happy to hear the USMC Mud Run in Columbia, South Carolina has announced a new date for next Spring – April 5, 2011 and registration is now open! I already have my team of 4 signed up and can’t wait to give it another go. My team did the September 25th race and we had a great time. We finished in 1:23. We hope to beat that this time. It is just another great reason to keep training hard.


Compared to the other mud races that I have done, both individual and team, “The Leatherneck” course, as it is called, was definitely the most challenging for me. There were 33 obstacles in all for the over 4 mile course. If you don’t like running long distances, the running is broken up into very short segments in between the obstacles and the course is very well marked. There is plenty of mud! Unlike the Warrior Dash that only had a big mud pit near the finish line, the majority of the obstacles in “The Leatherneck” involve mud- either climbing, crawling, swimming, or slogging through it. They had every type of mud too – from soupy to thick as tar – so be prepared to get really dirty.

If this upcoming April race gets the turnout they received back in September – which made it the largest mud race in North America - make sure you register early and arrive early as well. Visit http://www.usmcmudrun.org/ to register or for more information.

Another Cool Race Series - The Spartan Race

My friend Anthony seems to find all these big endurance challenges and send them to me as he knows I am a sucker for a crazy race with lots of obstacles.  Looks like a growing trend to me.  Perhaps the train of thought is why be in shape if you cannot test your overall level of fitness?  Running is just one aspect.  What about climbing, crawling, jumping, lifting, pulling and pushing in unpredictable environments?

So here is another race series called The Spartan Race -  I love it!  Looks like a variation on the Warrior Dash that I am doing down in Mountain City, GA the weekend of May 22nd.  The nearest one to me will be in Atlanta, GA sometime in 2011. I wish one of these challenge series would come to Charlotte, NC.  I am just glad these things appear to be growing in popularity so maybe one day there will be on in my hometown.  In the meantime, the Marine Mud Race and local trail running series will suffice just fine.