Not me. I asked around and no one's been. Hmm, it's a city that used to have an NHL team, so how come no one's visited?
Subaru Down and Dirty Obstacle Race (formerly Merrell Down and Dirty Obstacle Race) has been on my radar for a couple of years. This season I finally get to cross it off my race bucket list.
There are two distances, 3 and 6 miles, and the extra challenge called the Brick Division - participants bring an empty backpack, the bricks are provided, and the choice to complete either the 3 or 6 miles with those bricks.
Of course I wanted to try 6 miles with bricks, hey it's perfect prep for GoRuck, right?
Hartford is about a 5 1/2 hour drive, but I get to drive through Vermont! Funny side note - telling the border guard exactly the nature of my visit gets him all curious. When I get to the part about the bricks, he's clearly amused. "Niiiiiice!" he answers.
Once I'm on site to pick up my race packet, I try not to look at the obstacles set up but invariably the camera comes out. It's also super humid (about 30C with humidity) so tomorrow should be a hot one.
Race packet includes a Brick Division finisher shirt (orange! yay), bib and small goody bag - Subaru buff, snack-size Larabar, two sample size Paul Mitchell leave-in hair treatment (whoa).
Pre-race fueling habits of a couple of my teammates are rubbing off on me, & thanks to Chowhound I find a cool burger place to check out - Plan B Burger (several locations in Connecticut), plus a decent beer menu.
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| Undecided about which burger to choose - 3 slider option! |
Next day is race day, and interestingly enough the 6 mile heats are all before 8am. The venue is Riverside Park, a large and beautiful park that's pretty flat terrain-wise. I also check out a few of the activities happening before I load the pack.
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| A carnival game! |
Anyone participating automatically gets a Subaru paracord bracelet (with another bracelet going to a member of the armed forces) As I'm mentioning to the volunteer that I can't sign in with a Canadian address, a guy nearby who overhears this mentions he's originally from Laval. Small world!
More freebies found in the Subaru VIP tent: lip balm, sunscreen, eye black stickers, Subaru lanyards..The bonus here for Subaru drivers is a parking lot just for owners (even a Subaru owner yes/no on the registration form!) The Subaru VIP's also got some snacks, coffee, and a Subaru-branded towel. (Wow, I just said 'Subaru' multiple times in the same paragraph! My English prof would have had my head for repetition)
The Larabar tent has 2 different flavours to choose from in bite-size format, as well as stickers!
The Larabar tent has 2 different flavours to choose from in bite-size format, as well as stickers!
As the start time comes closer, I finally head to the brick pile:
Men get 5, women carry 3; they weigh 5 pounds each. Participants were also advised to bring duct tape and packing material. Bricks get taped together, and like my rucking training - wrap them in towels (not the best move, as I'll find out later) to secure them and soften the edges.
There aren't many runners in the Brick Division, and since I haven't done an obstacle course with a weighted backpack yet I'm hoping I don't look like the rhino from Jumanji.
Brick Division participants get a head start before the open 6 mile runners, so it starts off with a short, grassy hill climb, then quickly back down to the first obstacle, the Mud Pit (first of two). Anyone with a backpack has to take it off and push it in front of them as they crawl under the banners.
The terrain is mostly flat, wide (enough to allow 2 runners to run side-by-side) and quite agreeable, so I manage a slow trot. Open participants start to pass and I wistfully think for a second, "If I wasn't carrying this rucksack with bricks..." then I'm forcefully reminded to run my own damn race (thanks, Solo. Now how do I get your voice out of my head? Hee hee)
Along the way, I get shout outs and encouragement from the runners, some think I'm crazy for wanting to run with 15 pounds strapped on me. When Brick Division participants pass and cheer on one another, there's a small bonding moment, as we call each other "brick." "Good job, brick!"
Behold the course map!
From an obstacle standpoint, none are very complicated or extremely difficult, and several involve variations of a cargo net climb.
- Low Crawl: crawling in a pool of water under a net. Again, the rucksack comes off, and it is dripping with water once I'm out. Uh-oh, the towels have soaked up the water, adding weight to my load. Suddenly the towel idea isn't looking bright in the least.
- Give me 20: just like in the army, drop and do 20 push-ups. Did them all on my toes, with the bricks :)
- Plank It: set of parallel bars that participants had to cross while in a push-up position (me on XMan's version) This was probably one of the harder ones simply because of the bricks. The girl next to me is grunting and groaning with effort.
- Marine Hurdles: like wall climbs, but looks like we're jumping over balance beams.
- Balance Beams: it's hard trying to stand up on it with a shifting weight on the back. Thanks to some kind and attentive volunteers, I get across.
- Cargo Climb: Classic cargo net climb.
- Monkey Cross: quite the original obstacle https://flic.kr/p/jnxRmC
(Pulling on the rope overhead means whoever's on the far side has less rope to work with)
- Tires: tire crossing but some are random stacks of two to prevent racers from running across. A neat twist
- Jim's Jungle Gym: variation of cargo net climb https://flic.kr/p/ngru3C
The footholds have enough real estate to plant and push with a leg to get up
- Ladder Wall: climb up one side, climb down the other. Located after a small, small hill climb.
- Military Walls: not quite a five foot wall, and as a little bonus we grab a slam ball (different weights for men & women) to toss over the wall before we hop over. I try the usual of planting hands and jumping to get myself over - nope, not when I'm about 20 pounds heavier. Note to self: practice getting over smaller walls with rucksack.
- Tunnels & Original Hurdles: the "tunnel" looks like a fabric tube found in an indoor playground. Cannot fit self on all fours with rucksack in opening, so off it comes. Original hurdles = not quite five foot walls to jump over, and again need a boost for these.
- Sand Bag Haul: different weights again but not super heavy, short loop to carry
- Heavy Hoist: like Spartan's Hercules Hoist but with sandbags
- Chill Out: also found a few ice chunks floating near the surface
- Rock Wall: rock climbing handholds on wall. Pretty cool, however I'm getting fed up with the bricks and opt out of the highest wall
Turns out it's covered in soap and we have to pull ourselves up while on our bellies. Nice!
The second mud pit is next and the water is GROSS. Light brown in colour, it leaves us stained that same colour, and I almost tip over backwards when I put my soaking rucksack back on. The second water crawl doesn't help much with rinsing off.
Finally, we get to the last obstacle, the Monster Climb: same thing on the way up & down
Would I do this again? Maybe, maybe not, but I realize the next day that my rucksack is beyond filthy even after a quick rinse after the race. It takes me almost half an hour to clean every single corner, seam, and compartment (many of which I discover while hosing the whole thing down multiple times) So I'd hesitate knowing the cleanup that follows...even as I'm posting this, I'm still finding hidden dirty spots.
Along the way, I get shout outs and encouragement from the runners, some think I'm crazy for wanting to run with 15 pounds strapped on me. When Brick Division participants pass and cheer on one another, there's a small bonding moment, as we call each other "brick." "Good job, brick!"
Behold the course map!
- Low Crawl: crawling in a pool of water under a net. Again, the rucksack comes off, and it is dripping with water once I'm out. Uh-oh, the towels have soaked up the water, adding weight to my load. Suddenly the towel idea isn't looking bright in the least.
- Give me 20: just like in the army, drop and do 20 push-ups. Did them all on my toes, with the bricks :)
- Plank It: set of parallel bars that participants had to cross while in a push-up position (me on XMan's version) This was probably one of the harder ones simply because of the bricks. The girl next to me is grunting and groaning with effort.
- Marine Hurdles: like wall climbs, but looks like we're jumping over balance beams.
- Balance Beams: it's hard trying to stand up on it with a shifting weight on the back. Thanks to some kind and attentive volunteers, I get across.
- Cargo Climb: Classic cargo net climb.
- Monkey Cross: quite the original obstacle https://flic.kr/p/jnxRmC
(Pulling on the rope overhead means whoever's on the far side has less rope to work with)
- Tires: tire crossing but some are random stacks of two to prevent racers from running across. A neat twist
- Jim's Jungle Gym: variation of cargo net climb https://flic.kr/p/ngru3C
The footholds have enough real estate to plant and push with a leg to get up
- Ladder Wall: climb up one side, climb down the other. Located after a small, small hill climb.
- Military Walls: not quite a five foot wall, and as a little bonus we grab a slam ball (different weights for men & women) to toss over the wall before we hop over. I try the usual of planting hands and jumping to get myself over - nope, not when I'm about 20 pounds heavier. Note to self: practice getting over smaller walls with rucksack.
- Tunnels & Original Hurdles: the "tunnel" looks like a fabric tube found in an indoor playground. Cannot fit self on all fours with rucksack in opening, so off it comes. Original hurdles = not quite five foot walls to jump over, and again need a boost for these.
- Sand Bag Haul: different weights again but not super heavy, short loop to carry
- Heavy Hoist: like Spartan's Hercules Hoist but with sandbags
- Chill Out: also found a few ice chunks floating near the surface
- Rock Wall: rock climbing handholds on wall. Pretty cool, however I'm getting fed up with the bricks and opt out of the highest wall
- Slippery Mountain: at first I thought, "Why is this so small?" when I saw it the day before.
The second mud pit is next and the water is GROSS. Light brown in colour, it leaves us stained that same colour, and I almost tip over backwards when I put my soaking rucksack back on. The second water crawl doesn't help much with rinsing off.
Finally, we get to the last obstacle, the Monster Climb: same thing on the way up & down
Finisher medal looks like a large, painted dog tag.
There's body wash provided at the rinsing stations. Yay! Smells like coconuts.
Finally get rid of the bricks, and two guys who are also emptying their rucks congratulate me on finishing. I mention I'm practicing for GoRuck but not sure how the actual event will turn out; one guy answers while grinning, "If you're crazy enough to do this with bricks, you'll be fine!"
I figured I'd swing through downtown Hartford to grab a coffee (not Dunkin' Donuts) for the road, and find that everything's closed. It's close to 11am and no signs of life anywhere. The small town of Brattleboro, Vermont has more charm and character! (Except for the microbrewery not yet open when I arrive...)
Final thoughts on Down and Dirty Obstacle Race: glaring absence of photographers on course. Racers were invited to share their photos on the Facebook page, but not even one camera at the finish line? Minus 1.
I'd qualify this one as an entry level, and the 6 mile option is for someone who wants to test the waters of a slightly longer run with obstacles. I can already think of many fellow racers who would hit the ground running at full speed and never look back, since the only slowdown at some of the obstacles was the wait. Add the challenge by choosing the Brick Division, so at least there's some effort involved.
Would I do this again? Maybe, maybe not, but I realize the next day that my rucksack is beyond filthy even after a quick rinse after the race. It takes me almost half an hour to clean every single corner, seam, and compartment (many of which I discover while hosing the whole thing down multiple times) So I'd hesitate knowing the cleanup that follows...even as I'm posting this, I'm still finding hidden dirty spots.
Results are posted the next day, and I find there were 18 female Brick Division participants. Did I end up like the Jumanji rhinoceros? Well, close enough, as I'm second to last. Some people just took off at the start despite the weight, so that's something I'm going to have to practice.
Crossed this item off the race bucket list, now next is another item - Perth Kilt Run. Will there be a Guinness record set that day?
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