"Interesting" Races I Have Run

Thanks everyone for the ideas for shows that Paul and I could watch together. I believe we are going to try Blacklist, Prison Break, and Broadchurch. We already watched the first episode of Fargo, as suggested by my Momma. Good one, Mom! We are hooked! 

Now, onto today's blog!

I have run my fair share of “normal” races... you know, your standard marathons, half marathons, etc. But I have run a few “interesting” races that I thought I would share with you today!

Hydroworx Underwater Marathon (Hershey PA - 2012)

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Perhaps the most interesting race I have run is an underwater marathon. I did not run the whole thing- I was on a relay team and I believe I ran about 6 miles. Hydroworx is a company that makes underwater treadmills. They teamed up with the Eagle Fund in 2012 and put on this marathon to help raise money for wounded warriors.

The marathon took place in 3 huge above ground “tubs” (I don't know what else to call them- check out the pic) in the parking lot of Troeg's Brewery. Some runners ran the entire marathon but most did the relay.

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I wore a one piece bathing suit and ran in my bare feet. I am sure some people had on fancy water shoes but I didn't feel like there was a point to invest when I was only going to be doing it for an hour!

Hydroworx is doing another underwater marathon in September, 2014 with the location TBD. If it interests you to run it, you can sign up to receive event information. 

Flying Pig Marathon (Cincinnati, Ohio - 2008)


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First of all, let me tell you this was a fun marathon! I remember the crowds were awesome and I had a blast the whole time. Part of the race goes through Kentucky, so that was cool too. Just to give you an example of the “fun” that is had at this race- there is no finish line, but a “Finish Swine” complete with people in pig costumes jumping up and down.

Yup, I wore my race shirt during the race.

The part that made this race so "interesting" is that there was a three alarm fire along the race course an hour and a half before the start and the route had to be redirected! The course ended up being over 26.2 miles. I did not know this until I finished the race. This was before I had a Garmin, but I do remember Mile 22 seeming to go on foreeeeeever. Well, it didn't go on forever but it was definitely more than a mile!

Race officials adjusted our times to reflect what they would have been had the course only been 26.2 miles, so that was fair. Especially for those trying to qualify for Boston!

I would definitely recommend running the Flying Pig- it is a FUN race!

Dark & Dirty 6.66 Mile Trail Race (Reading, PA (2012) 

Pretzel City Sports hosts a bunch of really cool trail races, but my favorite one I ran was the Dark & Dirty. It takes place at night so you must bring your flashlight or headlamp. They always have the most fun disclaimers... you know, the running at your own risk thing.

From their website:

“LEGAL FUNGI: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR HEALTH & WELFARE AT ALL TIMES. We’ll have medics who prefer to wait by the light of the bar so if you run into a tree and damage a limb, get your butt to a place where a volunteer or a psychotic killer can “assist” you.”

Hahahahaha!

The Dark & Dirty is quite the course. I remember towards the end of the race, there was a really steep climb up the mountain. When you reached the top, there was beer and a really cool view of the city lights of Reading, PA.

I can't believe I didn't get injured or fall during this race. I was flying. I'm a pretty experience trail runner (especially at the time- I was doing lots of trail), but I was really running fast and loose, especially considering it was at night. I managed to be the 6^th female to finish and get 3^rd in my age group. Wahoo!

I'd like to go back and PR tomorrow (yup, the race is tomorrow!) but I'm scared of twisting my ankle or something. After this winter, I am DONE with injuries!

Awesome shirt I can't really wear anywhere!

Warrior Dash (PA, 2010 & 2011) 

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I guess obstacle type races aren't super interesting anymore because they are so mainstream, but at the time I did the Warrior Dashes, they were sort of new and fun. Mud pits? Swimming? Jumping over fire? Bring it on!

The first time I did the Warrior Dash, it was me, Paul, and two of our friends. The second time it was just me and Paul. Both times were a lot of fun but it was the second one that I raced. Again, like the Dark & Dirty, I cannot believe I did not injure myself on the trail because I was really running like a mad woman. I will toot my own horn and mention that I got 2nd place in my age group out of 817 women! And first place was only 1 second faster than me! (I realize people don't normally "race" the Warrior Dash, they just run it for fun. I still thought it was cool I did so well... especially since I had already run 6 miles at home before the race. Can you say addicted to running?)

Even though the actual races were fun, I will never run a Warrior Dash again. Everything was very well organized at our first race, but at the second race, the organization was horrible. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. 

Tell me about an "interesting" race you ran!