Under The Lights
All I could see was my feet in front of me, a huge mud hole, and a 10ft wall in the distance. Scared? You bet. But with a grin on my face, I was determined to kick ass.
Although an ORM first, Under The Lights has been a staple for the Central Florida OCR athlete for multiple years. Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City, Florida hosted the Mud Endeavor: Under The Lights 5k OCR on July 15th, 2017. The race was held on a BMX/Dirtbike track and although the 5k distance seems easy, the dirt hills delivered some pain. The race boasted 30 obstacles from slippery rope climbs, cargo nets, and the always loved warped wall. Under The Lights is not your typical 5k OCR, because it is held at night! With the elite going out of the chute at 6pm, as each wave started it only got darker and darker.
Jamie Stiles (pictured above)- First Place Female Finisher
Jamie Stiles states that she had a few favorite obstacles at the race like the warped wall and the rings. “I wasn’t sure I would make it (warped wall) due to being so overheated and redlining the whole time so when I made it, it was like a big feeling of relief!” She added, “I also enjoy the rings, even when my grip is feeling questionable I love swinging on obstacles!”
Dance Party?!
Mud Endeavor made innovative usage of the empty barns on the course by turning them into a mid race dance party! Strobe lights, disco balls, and loud energizing music welcomed runners as they entered to conquer the ice obstacle. Runners crawled through 10in of ice water on their hands and knees for the entirety of the excruciatingly long ice bath. Lights, music, and shivering to your death in an ice bath?! What’s not to love ? Can’t lie and say I didn’t think about skipping the rest of the race just to hang out with the DJ and dance the rest of the night!
A dozen athletes including second place overall male, Chris Stansel, decided to take on the race for multiple laps. Chris states that he would have been able to make it a total of FOUR laps, but he had to receive his prize for getting second! Good work, Chris! #BecauseOneLapIsNeverEnough.
Ant Crawl
Anthony Gorbas of Iron Ant Fitness made the featured obstacle called The Ant Crawl. First, athletes grabbed a 25lb sandbag and made their way to slide down a dark tube. At the end of tube, racers had to carry the sandbags 100 meters through dirt and mud. The obstacle had me feeling like an insect as I carried my sandbag through the dark earthy tunnel.
Third place female, Danielle Kissel states that the Ant Crawl was her favorite obstacle. “It was so unique and made use of the natural land, but also threw in a test of strength because you had to carry the sandbag as you crawled through the obstacles.”
Check out the full action below via Mud Endeavor’s YouTube video !
Overall, this race was challenging and required me to push myself mentally and physically. Firstly, I enjoyed the added fun factor with the lights and music around the course. Secondly, the BMX track provided a great venue to give Floridians the “hill” terrain experience. Lastly, a good Michelob Ultra at the end of any race provides a job well done in my book.
Although Under The Lights is once a year, Mud Endeavor hosts a total of five races in Central Florida! Click here to find out when the next Mud Endeavor Race will be so you don’t miss the action!
Thank you to Obstacle Racing Media and Mud Endeavor for a kickass race ! Until next time:
Stay Dirty and Stay Fit ???
-Jessika “Popfitness” Poppe
Photo credits to: Mud Endeavor and Anthony Gorbas
Jessika Poppe "Pop Fitness"
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