The Macon Mud Run was incredible, a lot of fun, and definitely well named. There was A LOT of mud!!!
As always, it’s important for me to thank those who made this race so great. I’d like to thank Joey McGlamory. For someone who has no previous experience guiding a blind person, he is doing an incredible job!!! Not only is he great at guiding, he is also a great trainer. He definitely has quite a bit of work to do when it comes to me but he is completely up to the challenge.
I would also like to thank the organizers and the volunteers of the Macon Mud Run. The course was challenging and full of surprises. All of the volunteers were great. Sometimes my guide needs to get through an obstacle for us to move on. It is reassuring to know there is someone to help me out while my guide is busy dealing with the obstacle. Of course, I am absolutely appreciative of those who work at the water stations. Aside from the start and finish as well as the obstacles, these oasis' are my favorite part of every race.
This was definitely a GORMR dominated event. There were more GORMRs than I could EVER shake my cane at!!! There were quite a few photo ops available.
As I mentioned a little bit ago, there were a few surprises. The first of them was that I unknowingly registered for the competitive wave! The second was the start line; it was submerged in ankle-deep water! I guess I should just expect to be surprised at every race. The third major surprise was that I finished the course in just over 2 hours!!! Joey is definitely doing an AWESOME!!! job as trainer and guide.
As for the mud, I opened this post talking about it, there was A LOT of mud. I didn’t realize that the course designer decided to replicate Aztec and Mayan pyramids (near to exact size!!!). The mud just about stole one of my shoes!!! The river crossing was fun too. Oddly enough, the water didn’t feel as cold as I thought it would. The traverse wall was an experience. I’ve never encountered this obstacle where it was set a few feet off the ground.
There is one person who definitely stood out to me. I don’t recall her name, but she was wearing a shirt that said “Running Sucks”. At one point she ran passed us and Joey asked, “I thought running sucked?” She called back something like, “it does, but that doesn’t mean I don’t run.”
I must say a couple of things about my new look; I notice a difference wearing compression gear, Salomon shoes are much better than hiking boots, the goggles are much more comfortable, even when a tree is introducing itself to me. Yes, this is something I have learned to expect during some races; it is all part of the normal experience for me. Even though the gear is great, I feel a little exposed and I definitely feel the wind in places that I hadn’t while wearing cargo pants or fatigues. I suppose I should just get used to it.
Overall, another AWESOME!!! race with a lot of great experiences and memories.
