Milaca Mega Meet 2015

Boys JV 5K race from the Milaca Mega Meet this past Saturday. Somewhere in the sea of runners is my son.

Off And Running

The start of the JV Cross Country race at St Croix Bluffs Regional Park.

Gopher To Badger Half Marathon

This past weekend was the 2012 version of the Gopher To Badger Half Marathon race. I am somewhere past the start line, way past the start line. This was my first time running a half marathon. I finished with a time of 2:03:27 and a 9:26 pace. I felt great at the finish line and was very happy with my time.

The name of the race, for those not familiar with the Gopher and Badger. Those are college mascot names. The race starts in Minnesota and finishes in Wisconsin. The mascot names are for the two Big Ten schools accordingly.

5K Finish

No, no, I wasn't running across this finish line as I took this photo, it was the left overs of a race that happened much earlier in the day.

Donate Your Shoes

One of the more interesting things I saw at the Warrior Dash was the donate your shoes campaign. You could donate your muddy shoes, you must tie them together and they would be given to a 3rd world country that is in desperate need of shoes. Can you image some of the awesome running shoes they will be getting? Now keep in mind, at the time of this photo it was 1:15. The race went until 6:30 on Saturday and all day Sunday. There was 22,000 participants in the weekend event....how big was this pile at the end of the second day?

Clean Up Time

After running the Warrior Dash and swimming in the mud, you've got to clean up somehow. The best way was to head to the snow making machine, after all, we are on a ski slope. The water spray hurt when it hit your skin, but it did clean up the mud enough.

The Mud People

There was a good mix of people from the Warrior Dash who were waiting to run and those who were covered in mud. It was very comical to see people having conversations in groups while caked in mud like it was no big deal.

  

The Mud Crawl

Crawling through the mud at the Warrior Dash was the final obstacle each participant had to endure. Having crawled through the mud myself, watching others do the same made it much more enjoyable.

  

Warrior Dash Afton Alps, MN

The warriors of the Twin Cites were out in full force Saturday and Sunday at Afton Alps participating in the Warrior Dash. The Warrior Dash is a 5K race with obstacles. The scene in the photo is the end of the dash. Down the slide, jump across fire and into the mud pit. 22,000 people signed up for the race over the two days. The event organizers said it was their most successful attendance for the year.

Strawberry Fest 5K Race

It was a bit rainy for Cottage Grove's Strawberry Fest 5K race, those who participated definitely got wet during the race. I was among those who ran in the rain. It was my first ever 5K race, actually my first time running with a group of people. It was a bit of a challenge at first, but after the first mile was past me, everyone was spread out enough to run.