4 thoughts on “Thunder Run”

  1. Regina Andler

    This was my first Thunder Run race. Communication was ok but could be better. The venue was small but fun with lots of music to dance to. I am usually not a big fan of the muddier courses but this was a blast! The rain from recent storms made for much muddier and wet spots but that just made it more fun. The course was just under 3 miles (so I am told) and it is on a motor-cross track for most of the race. The track was very hard and uneven and for me that was trouble due to bad feet and knees but I just went slow where I needed to and made it through. The obstacles were not very challenging but they we a lot of fun. Overall I would definitely do this race again – just for the fun of it. We had a blast crawling through the mud and getting over logs in the water and playing in the woods. Bonus – the t-shirt they give out is awesome! And the fact that the race is put on by the Raymond Rotary Club and I am a member of another club, means I will be running this one again – lots of fun, great cause.

  2. jmegillon149

    There wasn’t much of a scene around this race, really limited festival, food, etc. Also, I ran the first heat, and there was a little lack of communication at that time – this was worked out later, and things were going smooth in no time.

    Once it went off though, it was a really good race. Running on a motocross course made for fun terrain, and definitely something different. Obstacles themselves were a bit more strength based than most local races, especially the other NH ones, I have actually run them all the others: Monster Mud Run, Wason Pond Pounder, 100 Acres Challenge. There was a rock carry, tire flip, rope climb, monkey bars, 8′ wall. They also had several mud crawls. Nothing was too challenging, but more so than a race like Wason Pond. For that reason, this race was a perfect Spartan warm up – if they continue to run the race in close calendar proximity to the big race, I think it will be awesome. The attendance was a little low, partly lack of promotion, partly a packed weekend and being just one week after Wason. You should definitely give this race a shot.

  3. SEJuhlin

    Ran this in 2015 with my running buddy and struck me as a small, home grown course. We had a great time. Came back in 2016 with a team of 15 and had an awesome time.
    Communication got a slightly slow score because my team had difficulties registering and required many emails back and forth with the race director (who was very nice but understandably frustrated with all of it). One really nice thing about the Thunder Run is that the more people you can get on your team, the cheaper the tickets are for the team (how nice to get rewarded for bringing more people with you!). We didn’t get instructions for arrival or early bib pickup until 2 days before the race and the early pickup was only available the next day for 4 hours in the early afternoon – not a very convenient time for those of us who work. There was also some mix up with the T shirt swag, so when you got to the race you didn’t know if you were actually going to get a T shirt or wait for one to be mailed to you.
    Arrival and parking was easy and fast, parking was free. Bib pickup took 5-10 minutes. I ended up with a unisex T shirt rather than wait for one to be mailed to me. Besides the shirt, no swag. Bag check was a welcome addition this year and fast and easy.
    We were fortunate to have a gorgeous day to run, and while running with a team isn’t required for this particular OCR, it made it a much better time. This course is also family friendly and we were passed by quite a few kids on the course (I’m assuming their parents were somewhere in the vicinity).
    The course is partially on a motocross track and partially in the woods and a field or two, so there are many short hills to go up and down as well as deep mud and some nice flat spots to recover. The map for this year said 17 obstacles but there were almost certainly 20+, and they improved on last years’ obstacles. The only negative I’d say about the course is that many of the obstacles required lots of upper body strength. We definitely got muddy – plenty of shoe-sucking opportunities – and were pleasantly tired in the end. The best part by far was the slip-n-slide down the hill at the end. MUCH better than a fire jump!
    The course volunteers were really helpful and encouraging, the only hitch we experienced was that they were running out of cups at one of the two water stations.
    The festival afterwards was pretty non-existent although the free beer at the end was greatly appreciated. Did get a finisher medal if you care about that sort of thing. Photos from the race were posted almost immediately and are of good quality. Wish we had the ability to look up photos by bib number or team rather than time we went through a particular obstacle, but that adds to expense.
    Overall, I’m looking forward to going back. I see the race getting better every year and like to support local efforts. It’s such a nice mix of difficult and easy obstacles that I can see this race being a good starter for everyone. This was the first OCR for 95% of my team and they RAVED about it afterwards.

  4. Cheryl

    The course was very muddy…lots of fun there….needed a lot of upper body strength for most of the obstacles. Festival itself was a bit lacking and could have been better organized

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