Adventure Racing 2012

As some of you probably noticed, last year was the year of the "adventure race." This new trend has been around for some time, but it didn't take off until just recently. My first adventure race was only 2 summers ago when my roommates and I signed up for the Filthy 5K Mud Run featured in Dominion's Riverrock weekend here in RVA. Now there are hundreds of adventure races all over the country, and of course one of the most renowned races - Tough Mudder - one of the most challenging.

But this year isn't about conquering the toughest adventure race or surpassing some type of endurance goal. No, my resolution was to try new races and new workouts to keep up with my fitness standards. Which is why I want to share with you a few new adventure races that I will be participating in this year. Time to get down and dirty all over again...






One of the first new races of the year is called Hero Rush. It's a 5k+ firefighter-inspired obstacle course race full of ladders, poles and lots of fire. I'm a little nervous about this one, but I think I can do it. Plus, I get to pretend I'm a firefighter for the day. Event better, the event supports the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a national charity that supports the families and fire departments of fallen firefighters. I always try to sign up for races that support a good cause and this one is one of my favorites.


Hero Rush is offering a DC-Maryland area race on April 28th this year. To sign up, go to www.herorush.com and register. Sign up before February 3rd to beat the price increase!!! I'll be there with my game face on!

The next adventure race I signed up for is the Mud Warrior. Thanks to Livingsocial, I was able to snag a pretty cheap race ticket to this 8k military-style obstacle course race. Supposedly this one is like a "mini Tough Mudder," plus it's in mid-April near Charlottesville, VA, so I imagine it will be quite chilly. Again, this is another race that supports a good cause - the HOPE Foundation, that helps to fight poverty and reduce homelessness by building stronger and better communities. It's also local - based out of Charlottesville, VA, my old college stomping grounds (wahoo-wah!!!). Check it out... and sign up for the race while you are at it.

I look forward to participating in these events. Any new adventure is worth it to me and I can't wait to conquer two new adventure races this year. I also plan to race the Merrell Down and Dirty 10K mud run since I signed up for it last year and then skipped it due to a back injury. So technically it's a "new" race for me. Fingers crossed I don't miss out again this year!