Weekend recap

On Saturday I did a nice tempo type run (10K/4:55 pace) and then spent the rest of the day getting my kids ready for their "MudRun" race the next day.

On Sunday we met up with a group of friends and all drove down to the race site. My kids were excited and when we arrived at the race they really started to feel the emotion of the day. Seeing hundreds of runners all getting ready for a race is a nice experience and I was glad that they could witness it for themselves.

The weather was warm but not too hot/humid. My race started 30 minutes behind schedule. This was not a good sign and I should have realized that this was not going to be one of the better organized races I've attended.

The event was one of the better ones last year but this year the number of participants doubled and it was obvious that the organizers didn't do a good job of planning for this.
The run itself was fine but mostly because I was able to run it with friends. It didn't have the same "feel" to it that it had last year which was very disappointing. Because the race course was poorly marked, we actually did an extra 2KM's.

After running through tires, over bales of hay, river crossings and finally through a mud pit, most of us just wanted to get hydrated, cleaned up and head out. Unfortunately all that they gave us was a cup of an electrolyte replacement drink. Most races give out water, and some type of food (usually fruit and bagels).

My sons' race followed mine after about an hour. This is where the fun really started. Both of my sons took off well and they were supposed to run about 1.5K and finish in the same mudpit that I ran through. After about 20 minutes my youngest son and other little ones came rumbling through the mudpit. My oldest, however, was nowhere to be seen. After about 30-40 minutes a bunch of parents went into the trail to find our children. It turned out that one of the race marshalls sent my son and about 20 others, the wrong way and they ended up having to do another 3-4 KM's. They had to be picked up in a truck and driven back to the start of the race where they could run through the mud.

This capped off an unfortunate and stressful day to say the least. This race was so much fun last year and was such a letdown this year. It's highly unlikely that I would do this race again. My sons were happy with the fact that they were able to get muddy and also happy that they got some prizes and a medal.
I'm happy that my next race is less than 2 weeks away so I can erase the negative feelings I had about this one.