* From: laurel pickard
* Event Details
Getting to Gilboa, NY from Springfield, MA where my friends live was a very scenic drive, although the last few miles, sitting in the way back of the van, led to a bit of queasiness! It’s lovely country, but very hilly!
Parking at the site was a little tricky. We were told to go down a row which was full, and almost led to a spot that would have blocked in another car. It wasn’t a huge deal though, just annoying. So is paying $10 for parking.
Walking to the race from the lot was difficult, as we had a stroller. The water from Goliath had made muddy ruts in the path and more than one person gave us an extra hand. I know it’s not meant to be a stroller friendly event, but not all the spectators are going to want to get muddy or be free from mobility challenges. Then again, i’m not sure how this could have been fixed.
Our cheering squad found a spot to relax and we went to registration. FORTY FIVE minutes later we got our bibs. This wasn’t cool. We were late for our wave, hot, and the line had just turned into madness towards the tent. There was a bag check, but we didn’t use it, having family not running.
Plenty of clean port-o-pottys, which were being cleaned while we were there. Yay for that.
We didn’t have time to look at the vendors, but there was food and beer. If there was non-alcoholic beverages i didn’t see them.
The music was fun and lively. It helped us get excited and after the race we were dancing a little bit.
The schwag was the same was years past – t-shirt, medal (doubling as a bottle-opener, giving me great personal joy as i keep my medals in my cube at work!) and fuzzy hat which will go directly to the “costume bin”. This year’s shirt is fun and pretty soft, which i like.
The hose off line was also a bit long, with just 3 guys with hoses. Two young guys were filming women as they cleaned off which was creepy. There was also no place to change, so we did so at the car, with towels for modesty. If someone was more body-conscious they might of had a wet ride home.
I feel like an event that’s gone for this many years could be better organized as far as line control goes. While it was great to meet some new people and chat while we were waiting, it would of been more fun to enjoy the event.
* Race Details
The course was described as 3.2 miles & mountainous. If it had been a straight trail run it would have been lovely – we went through some woods, along a river, through the campgrounds and uphill on a nice wide road. It was really pretty and a good mix of terrain.
The obstacles were definitely back-loaded, with maybe half in the last mile? When we hit the mile 2 marker we were shocked at the speed we’d achieved to that point.
This may not be in order (and doesn’t correspond to the map on the website) but the obstacles included:
* Tunnels – ditches made with an excavator with plywood on top requiring you to crawl
* Low crawl through under some bungee cords and netting
* Shocktop unfiltered – crawl under a tarp then over a wall with 1 footing rail
* Downhill ladder-wall thingy – there was a steep hill with a wooden ladder thing built into it and some ropes at the bottom. It was easy and you just had to scoot your butt down.
* Deadman’s Drop – Climb up and over the top, which forces you a bit backwards. It’s more scary than hard.
* Diesel Dome – Climb up and over. There are not many beams up top, so you have to reach or take advantage of the cross beams.
* Muddy Mayhem – Mud pit. The clay had become very slippery and the walls shear by the time we got there. Folks were very much stuck. People helped each other out, but it was very frustrating and i think this could have been solved with a few ropes.
* Giant Cliffhanger – Up and over the A-frame with a rope. This was very slippery thanks to Muddy Mayhem being directly beforehand with almost no running between.
* Warrior Roast – tiny fire jump
* Goliath – Up and over a cargo net, across a balance beam (with ropes), up a ladder wall, down a slide into the water. This was fun! More mental challenge than physical, so long as you took it at a reasonable pace, but i can see why it’s a signature obstacle with one challenge directly after the other.
* Barbed wire crawl – Under barbed wire through mud
* Mud Pit – Ending with a mud pit that was surprisingly deep in spots! Fun except there were wood chips in there, which was kind of gross.
I’m not the most athletic person and was able to do everything except the giant cliffhanger. Had it been spaced out differently i could have done it. The Muddy Mayhem was very difficult, but could be easier if soil conditions were different.
* Rating
Average
