Today's Friday 5 theme is Fitness (per the rules of the Friday 5 Link Up), so I thought I'd share with you 5 of the strangest races I have run.
Meg's Strange Races...
1. Hydroworx Underwater Marathon. Hydroworx is a company that makes underwater treadmills. This race raised money for the Eagle Fund, which helps wounded warriors. I ran a relay leg of this race in a huge tank of water in the parking lot of Troeg's Brewery in Hershey. Talk about a strange experience!
2. Dark & Dirty 6.66 mile nighttime trail run. I never ran a race at night before I did this one. It was strange but SO FREEING to run in the dark and up and down a mountain. Actually I can't believe I came out of this unscathed!
3. Last Man Standing. This trail race was a 1.6 mile loop. The first loop had to be completed in 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the second loop started and you had 19 minutes to complete it. And so on, and so on. I was able to complete 8 laps. I ran this race with my dad, which made it super fun! Recap here.
4. Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. The reason this marathon was so strange was because it was actually longer than a marathon! 26.45 miles, to be exact. (My first ultra!?) There was a fire on the course very early in the morning so they had to divert the runners. This was in the days before everyone had a Garmin, and I certainly didn't have one. I remember Mile 22 seemed to go on foreeeever. We learned after the race what had happened and everyone ended up getting their times adjusted.
5. HARRC in the Park. This trail race was around 9 miles. The reason this race was so strange was because it was the only time another runner was outright nasty to me. Let me tell you the story...
At the time, I was a pretty decent trail runner, so I was flying through the course. I wasn't sure what place I was in and didn't really care, I was just there for a challenging run. With about 2 miles left, I passed a woman who had stopped and walked for a minute. She had blood on her knees so it looked like at some point she had taken a topple. I asked her if she was okay and she said yes. I could tell she was annoyed.
I ended up being the 2nd woman and the lady I passed was the 3rd woman. After she finished, she walked over to me and in a very irritated voice said, "If this was a road race I would've beat you."
WTF????????
I did not even know how to respond to this woman. I had never (nor have I since) experienced another runner being so nasty! I can't remember what I said back... something like, "You did a good job." I just didn't have something sassy to retort because I couldn't believe she was so rude!
Tell me about the strangest race you ever ran!
Today, I'm linking up with the DC girls for Friday 5!
I sprinted the finish at a ten mile race here in nova scotia once and a lady in an older age category than mine came up to me after and said, "if that meant the difference in AG award I'd be angry!" WTF!!! I thought you were supposed to do your best?! I was so irritated.
ReplyDeleteWow! Yes, do your best and be happy for each other! Sorry that happened to you. :(
DeleteFun post! I had never heard of that water race before. One of our local race series does something similar to that "last man standing" race.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure it's not the same thing because it was up your way at RB winter.
DeleteThe underwater race does sound strange. The "last man" sounds like a cool concept. Pfft to the angry runner!
ReplyDeleteLast Man was soooo fun!
DeleteThat's the weirdest thing to say to someone! I don't think I would even know what to say to that. People get way too overly competitive.
ReplyDeleteThat underwater marathon sounds pretty weird. Is it really hard to run in? I think I would have a lot of trouble.
From what I remember it wasn't hard to run under water, but I couldn't imagine running 26.2 miles underwater... or on a treadmill for that mater!
DeleteYou most certainly have some fantastic races that you have experienced. Running in the dark is freeing. I do all my workouts in the dark--except my swims. I can't believe how rude that lady was to you. Whenever people are rude to me like that, it just stuns me and so I never have a good comeback. And a good comeback might not have been the right thing to do, but how good would that have felt?!?
ReplyDeleteOh it would have felt awesome! But I agree, prob not the right thing to do. I figure out the comebacks later on, I never have a good one right away! Although the older and sassier I get, the better I am at comebacks! :)
DeleteOh wow!! I had to read that twice, a Marathon on a treadmill, underwater? That is a very different concept! since there would be no water stops, were there volunteers handing water? Or because you were in water, you didn't need it?
ReplyDeleteThat's a bitchy comment to make at a race! How rude! And I bet that if it was a road race, you would still have beat her!
I think that the strangest race I've participated in was the Ninja 10K in Harrisburg. It was small, nobody knew it was happening and there were no water stops.
I am pretty sure you would have needed water (I only ran like 6 miles so I didn't) but there were so many people around that I'm pretty sure if someone needed their water bottle filled up there would be someone who would do it.
DeleteActually, I creeped on the women's race times and she definitely would have beat me on the road! :)
Who sponsored the Ninja 10k?
Ninja 10K was sponsored by the same group who did your Movie Madness Half, US Road Running.
DeleteNO wonder it was weird.
DeleteHA HA HA! Okay first of all, that 666 race looks AWESOME. Now THAT is marketing. I guarantee my 15 year old son would run that race, and he hates running.
ReplyDeleteAnd omg about that woman. That's actually hilarious. I never think of things to say to people in the moment, unless it has to do with my kids. Then something takes over, and I end up giving the speech of my life and people around me are like holy shit Suzy, was that really you? Cuz usually I'm nauseatingly nice. Like if I'm ever mean, it's passive aggressive manipulative shit.
I would have turned around and given her a moon.
"Like if I'm ever mean, it's passive aggressive manipulative shit. " <----- lol I love this!!! :)
DeleteA marathon under water?
ReplyDeleteAnd last man standing?
What fun concepts.
I don't think I've ever run any strange races, but this makes me want to seek some out!
Whatever, good for you with 2nd place. Not your problem she fell, especially after you stopped to see if she was okay. I would have had some choice words for her. Things like that get to me.
It was pretty mean and I still remember it to this day!
DeleteI really haven't run strange races, although some of yours sound interesting!
ReplyDeleteI think one of the strangest things that have happened to me in a race was the time a woman asked if I wanted her to run me in. WTF -- did I look like I was dying or something? I wasn't!
I think you did good not lowering yourself to that woman's level -- kill em with kindness, after all! Thankfully, so far, knock on wood, I've never had another runner be nasty to me.
Now don't get me started on the drivers around here . . .
Omg that woman asking to run you in... that just comes off as SO condescending! I am sorry that happened to you.
DeleteEwww I got spit on in the Philly Marathon by a guy wearing American flag shorts.
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't believe how rude that lady was! And that water run is definitely the weirdest kind of race I have ever heard of!
ReplyDeleteI know, I can't believe I did that!
DeleteOMG that dark and dirty race sounds awesome. My favorite leg of Ragnar was my nighttime leg - I ran at 2am - and it just felt SO cool and different and surreall.
ReplyDeleteThat's AWESOME! Straight up in the middle of the night.
DeleteOk, hold up, she said what? She's so nasty and that's why she fell. See how it all works?
ReplyDeletesmh
lol you crack me up :)
DeleteWow, the underwater race sounds SO strange! I can't imagine running on a treadmill underwater, but that's great that it was a great cause. Never run a race at night but would love too! I haven't had anyone be nasty to me on a run, yet...thank goodness! You handled it very well!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't hard to run on it but it felt a little weird. I think I did it barefoot too!
DeleteWHOA! Why in the world would that woman feel it was necessary to say that about the road race? Also, what the heck does she know? I believe you would have beat her in a road race too!!
ReplyDeleteWell I did creep on her race results and she IS faster than me on the road! I should have said, "Too bad honey, cause that was a TRAIL race!"
Delete