I said it last year, and I will say it again this year – If you are able to attend The Mountain Mucker, it should not be missed! It’s a bummer that it falls the same day as Wason Pond Pounder, but I promise it is worth the trip to Mt. Sunapee, but my allegiance remains with this event. 2 years in a row and I’m looking forward to next year already!
This race is not timed, except for the very first wave. If you’re the type that likes to have a finish time, BYOG (Bring Your Own GPS). Expect some bottlenecks at walls and a few other “challenges” and pack your patience and a large helping of “let’s have some fun!”
The main course is billed as a 5k, but with the all the challenge loops it was right around 5.5 miles
The course had some slight variations from last year, the first being that we went straight up one of the slopes (Spruce Triple) vs last year heading up Elliot Slope. Other than that it was pretty much the same obstacles shuffled around in order – not a bad thing at all. Obstacles included half pipes, walls, mud slingshot, puzzles, and a muddy crawl. There were 3 optional challenge loops, as well – Loop 1: Log Carry, Loop 2 – All the way to the summit (the view was amazing) for a Dig For Your Number, Loop 3: Memory Challenge. If you completed all 3, you were entered into a raffle once you crossed the finish line.
There were plenty of water stops, and friendly volunteers along the way, and after nearly 3 hours on the mountain we were ready to get cleaned up, collect our free beer, and eat a little food.
The line for hoses was a little long, but not ridiculously so. Water pressure was sufficient for cleaning off the body and getting a bit of the mud off clothing and shoes. There weren’t any changing areas, but cars were parked so close that it wasn’t a big deal to make a towel tent and change at the car.
The food selection was reasonable and reasonably priced, but I did note there wasn’t much in the vegetarian department. Plan accordingly – which shouldn’t be too difficult being that they haven’t prohibited personal food and beverage brought on site.
They even had a local band playing covers of hits from the 70’s to current, which was fun.
Missing: Mucker Man. Our MC for the day was super and encouraged teams to have fun on the last few obstacles as they came in from a fun day on the mountain.
All in all, another great event. This was the 4th annual Mountain Mucker, and I’d like to see it continue to be a success!
