Picas/sunsets/Tough Mudder

looks like I'll have to start calling Mimi to check her outfit before our training runs. Team 138 with a major fashion faux pas.

the new shoes haven't quite broken in yet



long over due trip to Pica's with Kyle and Dave





picking up gloves at Lowes

packing up the Traveler to ride to the mountain for maximum tough mudderness

just gotta water the plants (and talk to them of course)

into the west



what can i say, i'm a sucker for sunset


I was early for preregistration so I wandered the course for a bit



it would be a much different scene at this spot tomorrow


I couldn't wait for crocodile mile!

after I initialed the "death release" (no joke) I was registered!

the rest of the team started to show up and we browsed the water obstacles again



this is gonna be fun


The Floozies were ready

off to Homebase to take down the art show. thanks to everyone who checked it out.

morning of the Tough Mudder. i had never done an event like this before so when it came to breakfast i just winged it. figured bananas, strawberries and peanut butter couldn't be bad right?


Matt and I decided a long time ago we were gonna pedal to the mountain so here I am en route to our predetermined meet up spot


look at me wearing actual "performance" gear. I guess I'm basically a jock now.

rendevous at the post office at 8:30am. (I'm neurotic so i was there at 8)

the whole way pedaling to the meet up spot i kept thinking to myself, "man, i know i'm not joe pro biker but i'm fucking strugging on these hills." felt like i was putting WAY too much effort into even the smaller inclines. it was enough to make me think biking to the event may have been a bad idea. especially since the biggest of the hills was yet to come. i felt it necessary to inspect my bike (something that i never do) and i found this slight indescrepency in the front brake pad. note the space between the brake pad and rim in the shot below...

...now look at this pic below. no space between brake pad and rim. basically i was riding with my front brake engaged the whole way.

so after a slight adjustment, Metal J and Matt rounded the corner and we headed off up the hill to Bear Creek



it was great to pedal into the parking lot passing the line of about 50 cars inching their way in. go green man, learn to pedal.


these ladies showed up to run. where were you?

Eagle Scouts




haven't seen it but i doubt it will be more entertaining than Fred Norris' genius use of this so really what's the point?

Chris greases up the nips for maximum speed


I wanted to document the run so I carried a disposable, waterproof camera in my pocket (yes it was annoying as it sounds especially trying to operate it with gloves on). so for the next 20 or so pics you are seeing what I saw. upclose, personal, dirty, swelltering, patriotic...total Robert Capa stlye. fast forward to 11:05 and here was the scene just before our start at 11:15. 9 groups of 500 would be let go every 15 minutes. The Floozies were in the second start group. I'm looking back up the hill at the people behind me.

after the start, you run down about 50 yards and make a Uturn and run straight up to the top of the mountain. this section was called the Death March and I think it really set my pace for the rest of the run. there was no way I could run up it. it was way too long and steep. i woulda died half way up, no question about it. I kept a steady pace. somewhere between a very light jog and a strong walk. i tried to make each step count. no need to waste energy on high steps. i've been coming to this mountain for a long time so I could tell where I was based on lots of different markers and terrain variation. no need to keep lifting my head to get my bearings. this part weeded out a lot of the big talkers too. the loudest guys in the line up weren't making much noise half way up the mountain. i didn't snap any pics on the first leg. it was too soon in the course and it's always easier to stay ahead than it is to catch up. no time to check the F stop on the Death March. this was the last i'd see of our team except for Matt for the rest of the race. (except for Paul but he's a whole 'nother story as you'll see later) here's the 3rd obstacle. grab a log, carry it up the hill, carry it back down the hill. fun!

fuck this section. run, walk, scramble up a black diamond slope. for those of you who have been to Bear Creek, you know this slope as Sasquatch aka "the "Squatch". super steep and at the hottest part of the day. again, no need to look up. just keep putting one foot in front of the other. "i'll get to the top when i get there"

here's a cleaner shot i stole from this New York Times article

made it! that deserves a 5 second breather to pose for a snap.

into the sewer

swamp tromp. fuck man, this isn't an obstacle, it's a pleasure. i mean this is the kind of stuff i grew up wanting to do. step high and you wont have a problem.

into the woods for a 2 mile run. this was heaven. find a pace, one foot in front of the other. breathe easy. I mean compared to the Sasquatch climb, this was no sweat.

then it was ass to mouth under the wire!

before we knew it we were at the water obstacles. that was Matt's cue to fly old glory

shutter wasn't wound and i missed the swan dive. he hasn't spoken to me since

round the bouy and swim to shore (ps note how short the lines are at this point)

Matt gets behind the lens to document me traversing the Berlin Wall section

shit, pretty much after Sasquatch it was fun and games

the Killa Gorilla section, haha

so fun! well except i tried to do this the whole way down and, as you'll see in later pics, the ground underneath the plastic wasn't the smoothest surface to slide on.

right about now is when the last of my vertebrae slipped out of place

home stretch!

got a bit warm in the middle

finish line

done and done. we ran it in 1 hour and 15 minutes. the guy in the middle is Paul aka the guy who won THE WHOLE FUCKING THING! seriously amazing. he did it in 45 minutes. he was literally the first person at every single obstacle. in the lead since the Death March. unreal. glad to have you on The Floozies Paul. now go crank up the Sublime, you earned it!

I loved that after I saw Brian cross the finish line, I walked over to congratulate him and he already had a beer hanging off his lip. hey man, those electrolytes aren't gonna replenish themselves!

post run chaos



glad we finished when we did. the line in the bagel corral was getting backed up.

watching some others finish

hose off

remember the lines for the water obstacles, here's what they looked like now

yikes. take a number and grab a seat

the slip and slide had to be shut down. glad i got to hit it!

all these next pics (the ones that are in focus, crisp and nicely framed) are Allison's. she was kind enough to let me post some of hers. I think she took 1,100 photos. if you want to see them all, go here. The greasing of Chris' nipples was covered from all angles.

The Floozies (minus 1) shortly before we reported to the starting area

Bobby and Brynn post up to watch the start. best seats on the mountain

that's Paul in the red, middle of pic. he was our ringer

start of the Death March!

here's our start group, taking the oath saying we won't bitch and moan if we get hurt

"Release the Berzerkers!"...movie?

rounding the first turn, starting the Death March. if you blow it up you can see all of us in this pic

Brian, me and Chris starting the uphill

here's another view of Sasquatch in the background as the next start group lines up. shit was steep.

about 30 minutes later we find Paul all by his lonesome at the water obstacles

no waiting at the walls for this guy

plenty of elbow room on the Killa Gorilla. note how nice the grass is too.

every water slide needs a guinea pig

enjoying a much deserved frosty Gatorade

at the homestretch i heard someone call my name

"Oh hey dude, I'll be with you in a minute".

the rest of the team arriving at the water obstacles

Brian negotiates the wall as Chris bypasses the casualty

Brian taking the plunge

Becky, Kimberly and Brian on the homestretch


Metal J says, "Pass the inhaler."

I'd run with this roster anytime, anywhere. L to R: Brian, Kimberly, Becky, Marcus, Aaron, Chris, Jeremy, me, Matt

run is done, back to the shenanigans

Barto Brothers. this one's for mom

only adjective that comes to mind is "wrenched". there's more damage farther down but I'd have to have one of those age consent buttons if I posted those pics

turn up the Sublime and keep 'em coming

which way to the Winner's Circle?

if i hadn't just showered with an ice cube i would've been in there myself


congrats to Paul and all the runners

well, if you pedal there, you gotta pedal back (back to my pics now)

great fuckin' day. thanks to all The Floozies and everyone who supported us. I remember first bringing up the idea to Brian and Matt on the lift when we were snowboarding this past winter. it was a no brainer for the 3 of us and before I knew it, we had a full team. hope to see some more familiar faces out there next year.

back to reality