Warrior Dash Race Recap #rockinwarrior

Disclaimer: The following post is sponsored by Rockin' Refuel. I was provided Warrior Dash race fees in exchange for my honest review of the event. 

Michigan is so beautiful right now. This part of Fall, it's by far my favorite. I love the sun and refreshing temperatures, and all the trees are turning stunningly colorful shades of red, orange and yellow. It was a great weekend, thanks to Mother Nature. I started it out with a local 5K. I ran a 25:02 race, which is not my best but certainly not my worst either. I'm at the tail end of a cold, which definitely impacted my speed and endurance, but finished 2nd in my age group:

The race itself was at a park, so a vast majority of the course was off the pavement. I'm not so certain I like running in the grass, especially when the grass is wet. I'll be honest, though—it was much better than running in the mud! Remember when I did that Warrior Dash with Rockin' Refuel a few weeks ago? Here's a shot of my team before we met the mud:

We ended up running in the last heat, which wasn't a big deal. We had some concerns about course quality, but it felt fresh...as fresh as mud run obstacles can feel, I suppose.

I ended up bringing a water camera with me, hence the delayed review (apparently, one-hour photo isn't a thing anymore). A majority of the shots were blurry (as I expected), but I did get some decent shots (as I had hoped). Here are a few of my teammates coming over Hard Rain:

You can't see it in the picture, but we got soaked with water as we climbed  up the first side of the obstacle. So freakin' cold. But they seem to space out the wet obstacles, because the next two involved climbing up and over wooden structures. Like this Chaotic Cargo obstacle:

Or the Diesel Dome:

If you're afraid of heights, these obstacles might test your limits. And speaking of heights, I ended up doing just fine on the Great Warrior Wall:

I wasn't sure if I'd have the upper body strength or the grip to get myself up and over, and I was really nervous about the drop-down on the other side.e But the other side is actually an angled ladder, so to speak, and I did just fine. I definitely approached it with a lot of hesitation, but for the most part, we all agreed that the obstacles themselves are much more intimidating online than they are in person.

All of the obstacles were extremely fun. Spaced out a bit too much for our liking, but that might just depend on the land they're given

You might think we didn't get that wet or muddy, but I promise you that we did. Here's a shot from the Warrior Dash photographers of me coming across the High Tension obstacle:

That tension rope was slippery, and I was completely soaked by the time I got across. I thought it would be higher off the ground, and maybe it is at other locations, but still. Fun stuff.

Warrior Dash had photographers stationed throughout the course, and all the pictures end up being free, so they got some shots of me that my water camera did not. Like this one of me jumping over the Warrior Roast:

Shortly after this picture, we had to slide into a pool of water then crawl under barbed wire in a ditch full of mud. And then we crossed the finish line, where they put medals around our necks:

I think a lot of people would agree that the Warrior Dash is a friendly mud race. Challenging, but totally doable and user-friendly. We all enjoyed our experience, courtesy of Rockin' Refuel.

The event itself is really more than just a mud run. It's an entire festival, complete with beer and fuzzy warrior hats:

I know, I look much cleaner. Thankfully, there were wash stations and changing tents. I still had to go home and take a shower, but it was nice to get a bulk of the mud off me before hitting the road for home (because that would have sucked so bad). Note to you: Bring a change of clothes. And extra shoes. You won't want to take your shoes home (and they donate them when you're done):

So, in conclusion: The Warrior Dash was an awesome experience. Also, the Rockin' Refuel at the finish line was particularly tasty and refreshing:

I'm already thinking about next year.
Who wants to be on my team?

Question: I wasn't sure the Warrior Dash was really my thing. Then I signed up, and had the time of my life. Have you ever been in a similar situation? Tell me about it.