Go Commando 5K Adventure Race

 

 

Team Ortho launched into new territory Saturday, September 18th when they held the inaugural Go Commando 5K Adventure Race!  Participants did a 5K run, all while doing 10 super-fun, muddy, wet and challenging adventures!

 

Runners had to climb hay bales, logs and slide down through fast tubes of water that took them into a pit of mud!

 

 

 

 

When I woke at 5am this morning to get ready for the Team Ortho Go Commando 5K Adventure Race it was only 45 degrees.

We I got to the race side about 7:30 I could see my breath but I knew it would be warming up soon, as soon as the sun decides to come out! After a few sprinkles it decided to do just that.

 

 

 

 

The first wave was at 9:00. The participants run around a field and up to and over Hay Fever Ridge, the round hay bales. Not a tough obstacle due to the hay bale steps on both sides.

I really liked the fact that the participants of this race were not only of all ages, but also people of different sizes. I think a lot of the runners were here just to have fun, not finish first. There were people of all fitness levels. Some people walked the race and some people ran the race.

 

 

 

 

The next obstacle was the Black Hole, which was a 48” climb through conduit pipe. Next the the Log Jam forced racers to go up and over a pile of logs.

These to ladies wanted to pose for me. They were definitely here to have fun, and they did!!

 

Up next, The Serpent, a serpentine path up the side of a hill. The path has been mowed through the 3.5 ft high prairie grass. Then Into the Wild. which is a run up, run down, run up, run down through rows of pine trees on a surface of pine needles. I heard from many participants that this was the hardest part of the course. But the next obstacle allowed them to sit down… Over the Falls is a water slide down the side of a hill. Mud wedgie anyone? There were plenty of them going around!

Next up, Run the Sahara, running over several natural mounds of sand up the side of a hill.

 

 

 

The Minefield, a field of car tires to jog through, definitely took some causalities. I saw more then one person end up face down on top of the tires! And we all know that it’s only human nature to laugh at someone ending up on their face for almost any reason!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire in the Hole, entailed running down a path, hopping over some burning logs. I saw a few people run around this one, afraid of the fire I guess. No worries runners, the swamp is just right around the corner!

 

 

 

For Swamp Commando some people tried to go along the edge of the swamp while others jumped right in! This girls was the first female to cross the finish line (2nd over all) and she had no problem diving right in and having fun with it! That’s what we like to see, you go girl!!!! Many people lost their shoes in the mud, just got sucked right off their feet as they were running through. No one much cared by that time, the shoes were already ruined and the finish line was only feet away.

 

 

Once the participants crossed the finish line some went to hose themselves off but everyone used there coupons for a free hotdog and a free beer. People who had finished the race sat in the grass near the course watching the rest of the waves come through. There were over 700 runners in this adventure race, and all the ones I saw crossed the finish line with a smile on their face. I’m sure a lot of these racers will be back next year, I’ll be there again too!