Savages

 

sav·age

1. Not domesticated or cultivated; wild: savage beasts of the jungle.

2. Not civilized; barbaric: a people living in a savage state.

3. Ferocious; fierce: in a savage temper.

4. Vicious or merciless; brutal: a savage attack on a political rival. 5. Lacking polish or manners; rude.

n.

1. A person regarded as primitive or uncivilized.

2. A person regarded as brutal, fierce, or vicious.

1. To assault ferociously.

2. To attack without restraint or pity: The critics savaged the new play.

 

 

“The Race Built To Kick Your Ass”.

Yep. 

 

As most of you know, a couple of weekends ago Mike and I, along with our friends, participated in the Florida edition of the Savage Race in Dade City at Little Everglades Ranch.  The venue was beautiful and the event was very, very organized (a plus in my book!).  There were over 15,000 participants (runners and spectators) and it seemed as if it went off without a hitch.

So, really, what is the Savage Race?  Well, according to their website it’s “an intense 5-6 mile obstacle run with 25 world class obstacles, mud, fire, and barbed wire. Completion requires teamwork, courage, and the will to push your limits farther than you ever have before.  Run individually or create a team!  Savage Race is challenging fun that will give you and your friends an adrenaline buzz that lasts for days.” I would have to agree.  Except the 5-6 mile part.  We found out our run was actually 7.1 miles as we were on the starting line!

 

 

I loved that everything was spelled out a head of time on the Savage Race website and there were no surprises.  Bib pick up was quick and easy and the bag check area was well organized, too. Two thumbs up in the check-in category – that’s an important part in my book!

 

 

After arriving about an hour and a half before our wave time and meeting up with the rest of our “team” we got our race bibs and timing chips and were ready to get going!  From what we could see of the course, it looked awesome and we knew it would be a challenge…but we were up for it.

 

 

Our wave time was 11:40, although we actually didn’t get to start until the 12:00 wave was released.  The starting procedure was the only hairy part of the whole day; although we had to wait 20 minutes, I don’t know of a better way they could have done the corral corralling.  It was just a bit of craziness, but fun craziness.

 

12pm wave start–waves were released every 20 minutes throughout the day.

 

Since our friend Jenny (the lone caveman’s wife) is pregnant, she volunteered to be the team photographer for the day.  She used Lynn’s “big” camera and got some great shots!  Thanks Jenny!

 

The course was a 7.1 mile route throughout the ranch with about 25 obstacles of varying difficulties.  Jenny got our start and then we met back up with her at mile 6 for the last 5 or so obstacles. 

And we’re off!!!

 

The obstacles were a mix of ice, water, mud, sand and hay combined with crawling, climbing, balancing, wading and swimming.  Our team wasn’t the fastest (mainly because the ladies weren’t as spry as the gentlemen) but we did run to every obstacle and give every single thing a try.

Mike and Jason were even featured in the official Savage Race Florida highlight video – so cool!  They were filmed while climbing the 8 foot wall.  It’s about 51 seconds in and you will see Jason climbing up the wall and Mike yelling as he goes over the wall.  It’s quick, but cool nonetheless!

 

 

 

As for the obstacles there were a few that stuck out:

The Shriveled Richard:  Absolutely horrible.  This was the first obstacle and it was soooo cold.  As we approached, there were three Reddy Ice trucks there just pouring ice into the troughs of water.  It was the coldest I have absolutely ever been in my life and to make matters worse, there was a divider halfway through that forced you to go under.  Unreal.

I don’t know this man, but I know how he feels. Frigid.

Colon Blow 5000-I thought this one was one of the toughest and definitely not for anybody who suffers from claustrophobia!  The tubes were small and (except for Lynn) we had to crawl on our stomachs or sides to get through the tubes.  I definitely had to channel my inner gerbil.  Did I mention it was pitch black inside?  Crazy.

 

Mud and Guts

Thick, dirty and long!  This was the toughest obstacle in the crawling obstacle in my opinion.  By the end I was pooped (and looked like I had rolled around in some, too!).  Luckily this was one of our last obstacles, which probably contributed to the fatigue.  To make matters worse, there was barbed wire above us and sprinklers hitting us in the face as we were crawling through. 

D-I-R-T-Y.

Sawtooth Bars

First of all, let me say that monkey bars,  in general, are hard.  Mike and I practiced a bit on our neighborhood playground and I wasn’t the best (although I don’t think I ever was), but did get a little bit better every time we practiced.  I knew that this obstacle, along with Collosus would be the biggest challenges for me…and I was right.

Kudos to Jenny for getting this cool picture of Lynn and me just seconds before we hit the water!

 

 

Davey Jones’ Locker:

This obstacle was all about heights.  If you don’t like them, you wouldn’t like this one.  As you can tell by my face, I was not loving it, but jumped anyway and had a blast once I hit the water.

Tuller apparently loved it!

 

Colossus:

One word.  Ridiculous.

Colossus is our signature obstacle, usually positioned near the finish line. No other race event comes close to building an obstacle as impressive as Colossus. From ground to flag pole, Colossus stands tall at an impressive 40 feet above the ground. This quarter pipe and water slide combination obstacle sets out to challenge your upper body strength, your climbing ability, and will test your fear of heights. We should also mention that the slide drop begins with a sheer vertical drop, so expect to reach extremely high speeds.

 

So, to be honest, I was scared of the ramp side of this obstacle from the moment we signed up to do the Savage Race.  But it wasn’t until I tried to climb up, almost made to high enough to grab the guys’ hands, lost my footing and then slammed against the ramp and slid back down that I really got scared.  I thought I broke a rib.  No joke.  I hit the wall that hard.  Ouch.

Luckily, it was just a scare and after a few minutes of catching my breath I climbed back up (on the side ladder) and finished the slide side of the obstacle. 

 

While sliding down this part of Collosus, we were told that we could reach speeds of 25 MPH!  This was a fun one!

 

 

Blazed and Tazed:

The fire jumping obstacle was a quick and fun one (those of you who know Mike know that he loves to jump fires) followed by one that was not so fun!

 

 

The very last obstacle was called Tazed…and that is exactly what it did!  The yellow wires hanging down were “live” with electricity and when it touched your skin it would basically taze you.  Luckily, none of the ones that his me were live, but as you can see from Tuller’s face below he definitely got “lit up”!

 

 

 

And finally…the finish line!

 

 

Savage Race Finishers 2013 – Team BAM BAM

After a quick “shower” we dried off and tracked down our free beer that came with registration.  Beer never tasted so good as it did after we finished!

So, why do the Savage Race, or something like it?  For me it was a chance to do something that pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me a reason to continue to try to get back in shape after having a baby. 

I will say that signing up with a group of friends is a must.  It’s so much more fun with people you know and love.  It was crazy, dirty, nasty, tough and awesome.  I loved it.

 

 

And yes, it definitely kicked my ass.

 

 

Next up in the quest to get back into shape after baby?

OUC Half Marathon on December 7 which is getting very close!!!

Remember to just take a risk.  Do something you don’t think you can.  If you keep setting goals, one day you will get there!