Based on the tone of the reviews beginning to surface, more than a few people expected an uber-challenge from the 2010 Warrior Dash in SoCal. I was one of them. I guess that the most popular coupon code available online was “crossfit” may have been misleading. So, yeah- “Warrior Dash” is not going to be an Olympic event anytime soon. Get over it bro and drink a beer.

Overall, Warrior Dash was hella fun for a lot of people. The ones who came for the fun and not the challenge walked away happy.  Over 5000 participants completed the race on the Saturday event, with the top prize going to a 23 y/o who completed the event in just over 20 minutes! (mental note: do not try and race against this guy!) As you’ll read in other recaps, the obstacles weren’t as challenging as they appear on the website, which disappointed many folks out there. This actually worked out given the fairly hot day after two weeks of SoCal cold and rain, but also illustrates the the event is just that- an event!

They could have billed it as “fun run” and maybe not so many people would have their panties in a bunch. I had a great time hanging out, meeting new people, and checking out the cool (and not so cool) costumes people chose to wear. Like most events these days, the price of concessions- beer, food, water, clothing, etc. were outrageous! But not more than say Ozzfest, MarleyFest, or a baseball game. I heard that an earlier group went off course (waay off course!) due to some fallen tape and no one on the field pointing the way. I’d be kinda pissed too if that were my group.

If the excellent weather hadn’t caught people off-guard I suspect there would have been many more scantily clad hotties. Something to keep in mind for next time-  I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing. I apparently managed to put together a pretty  impressive Zulu Warrior costume, since I had over 100 people want a picture with me. That was weird. Hopefully they will go viral soon and I will have to get an agent to field my bookings (yeah right). Despite the surprise lack of rain and mediocre obstacles, I did not reach my goal of winning a trophy this time out. I blame myself for falling off my training for the week prior (I have a great excuse though!). I managed to come in 11th place in my age group and 176th overall (out of 5000+? not too shabby). My time was a depressing 25:59 (over 5 minutes behind third place), which I guess is still pretty good for a guy who logs 80% of his mileage on a treadmill.

The “one free beer” was a cool treat and loss leader but was a convoluted mess trying to cash it in. At $8 a beer, there were many many sloshed warriors and warriorettes by the end of the day so they surely made a cool profit. If I didn’t have a pressing engagement I’m sure I could have secured my way into an after party or two!

Would I do it again? For under $50 and less than an hour drive? Sure. Alas, I just moved this past weekend, and the next closest one to me is $65 “early bird price” *and* a 2-1/2 hr drive.

I look forward to next year!  Will I see you there?

Related Links:

http://www.warriordash.com