Post by timbillyosu on Sept 29, 2012 20:04:57 GMT -5
So today I ran my first Warrior Dash. For those not familiar, it is what they call an Extreme 5k. It is a 5k run with an obstacle course. This is the first 5k I've ever run, let alone an Extreme event. It was a BLAST. It was held at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, VA.
I don't know what my time was yet and to be honest, I don't really care. I heard about this event a few months ago and decided I wanted to run it. I had a training regiment down and was making some good progress. And then I sprained my ankle, got busy at work, and just got generally lazy.
Fast forward to the beginning of August when I realize that the race is coming up. I decided that I would start training again and if I felt like I was making enough progress, I would sign up for the race. I did and I did.
My wave started at 8:30 AM. I was happy to just finish and I had fun getting over all of the obstacles. Plus, you can get smoked turkey legs and beer after! Overall, I'm really glad I did it and I will do it again when I can.
And now for the "then some." They decided to have everyone park in a big cornfield, which is fine... except that it rained last night and most of the morning. I kicked it in 4Hi on the way in and thought to myself, "if it keeps raining, it's going to be tough for all of these Camrys, Corollas, Civics, and minivans to get out."
So around 10:30AM, I'd finished my race, turkey leg, beer, and complimentary Monster Rojo Rehab (awesome btw) and headed out to the Jeep. I was parked near the end of a 200 yd line and on the walk back, I saw a vehicle stuck about every 50-100 feet. I figure I'll throw on the D-ring and tow strap and yank a few people out and be on my merry way. This was not to be.
So I get my gear ready, kick her in 4Lo, flip on the lockers, and pull the first car out to some higher ground. While I was hooking them up, I had someone else come up and ask me for help. So I pulled them and another nearby. By this time, people had caught on to what I was doing. One of the first guys had given me $5. I told him no, but he insisted. The 4th or 5th car gave me a $20. Again, I refused but he shoved it in my hand anyway. This continued on for a few hours.
Finally, one of the event staff members came up to me. She said, "Hey, I really appreciate what you're doing. This is a mess. I'll tell you what: I'll give you $100 cash if you'll stay here and keep this up for the afternoon." Hmmmm... not only is she attractive, she's smart enough to throw cash around for proper help. DEAL! So, I keep pulling cars out to higher ground and getting them pointed towards the exit.
These are some things I learned today:
1. I wish I had had a tow strap with hooks instead of loops and a D-ring.
2. Civics are easy to help because they have tow hooks on the frame.
3. The only way to hook to a Camry with a D-ring is to loop the strap around a cross-member under the engine. When said engine is hot, this sucks.
4. Minivans suck. End of story.
5. Most manufacturers do not provide adequate tow points.
6. The manufacturers that do, tend to cover them with plastic splash-guards which makes them very difficult to find and hook to when the vehicle is bottomed out in a muddy cornfield.
7. Of the manufacturers that do offer a tow point/hook, few of them are large enough to attach a normal-sized D-ring to.
8. People with cars advanced enough to have a hidden tow hook that threads in behind a pop-off body panel generally have no clue whatsoever that their cars contain this feature. They will generally look at you with disbelief when you tell them that the hook should be in their spare tire compartment and are shocked when you show it to them and use it to pull them out.
Overall, I was there pulling people out for about 5 hours. I met a lot of really cool and really appreciative people. I really have no idea how many cars I pulled out. I will say that I was getting a little faster at hooking up certain types of cars once I figured out their tow points.
I did not ask for money and tried to refuse it when it was offered. However, I still ended up taking home about $420
Considering I paid $60 for registration, $10 to park that morning, and drove an hr and 15 minutes each way, I'd say I came out ahead ;D
I had hosed the Jeep off earlier in the week. This is what it looked like when I got home. I had some fun bajaing through the field
I don't know what my time was yet and to be honest, I don't really care. I heard about this event a few months ago and decided I wanted to run it. I had a training regiment down and was making some good progress. And then I sprained my ankle, got busy at work, and just got generally lazy.
Fast forward to the beginning of August when I realize that the race is coming up. I decided that I would start training again and if I felt like I was making enough progress, I would sign up for the race. I did and I did.
My wave started at 8:30 AM. I was happy to just finish and I had fun getting over all of the obstacles. Plus, you can get smoked turkey legs and beer after! Overall, I'm really glad I did it and I will do it again when I can.
And now for the "then some." They decided to have everyone park in a big cornfield, which is fine... except that it rained last night and most of the morning. I kicked it in 4Hi on the way in and thought to myself, "if it keeps raining, it's going to be tough for all of these Camrys, Corollas, Civics, and minivans to get out."
So around 10:30AM, I'd finished my race, turkey leg, beer, and complimentary Monster Rojo Rehab (awesome btw) and headed out to the Jeep. I was parked near the end of a 200 yd line and on the walk back, I saw a vehicle stuck about every 50-100 feet. I figure I'll throw on the D-ring and tow strap and yank a few people out and be on my merry way. This was not to be.
So I get my gear ready, kick her in 4Lo, flip on the lockers, and pull the first car out to some higher ground. While I was hooking them up, I had someone else come up and ask me for help. So I pulled them and another nearby. By this time, people had caught on to what I was doing. One of the first guys had given me $5. I told him no, but he insisted. The 4th or 5th car gave me a $20. Again, I refused but he shoved it in my hand anyway. This continued on for a few hours.
Finally, one of the event staff members came up to me. She said, "Hey, I really appreciate what you're doing. This is a mess. I'll tell you what: I'll give you $100 cash if you'll stay here and keep this up for the afternoon." Hmmmm... not only is she attractive, she's smart enough to throw cash around for proper help. DEAL! So, I keep pulling cars out to higher ground and getting them pointed towards the exit.
These are some things I learned today:
1. I wish I had had a tow strap with hooks instead of loops and a D-ring.
2. Civics are easy to help because they have tow hooks on the frame.
3. The only way to hook to a Camry with a D-ring is to loop the strap around a cross-member under the engine. When said engine is hot, this sucks.
4. Minivans suck. End of story.
5. Most manufacturers do not provide adequate tow points.
6. The manufacturers that do, tend to cover them with plastic splash-guards which makes them very difficult to find and hook to when the vehicle is bottomed out in a muddy cornfield.
7. Of the manufacturers that do offer a tow point/hook, few of them are large enough to attach a normal-sized D-ring to.
8. People with cars advanced enough to have a hidden tow hook that threads in behind a pop-off body panel generally have no clue whatsoever that their cars contain this feature. They will generally look at you with disbelief when you tell them that the hook should be in their spare tire compartment and are shocked when you show it to them and use it to pull them out.
Overall, I was there pulling people out for about 5 hours. I met a lot of really cool and really appreciative people. I really have no idea how many cars I pulled out. I will say that I was getting a little faster at hooking up certain types of cars once I figured out their tow points.
I did not ask for money and tried to refuse it when it was offered. However, I still ended up taking home about $420
Considering I paid $60 for registration, $10 to park that morning, and drove an hr and 15 minutes each way, I'd say I came out ahead ;DI had hosed the Jeep off earlier in the week. This is what it looked like when I got home. I had some fun bajaing through the field
