After each mud run or obstacle race I compete in, you'll get my review and grades for each event to help you decide which ones you might want to sign up for. The following categories will be discussed:

1. COURSE- the design, venue, and setup of the race itself- how creative/ adventurous/ difficult the obstacles were, and obviously... how was the MUD?!?

2. FESTIVAL- all the fun beyond the actual race- the social atmosphere which usually includes food, beer garden, dj/ music/ concert, contests, vendors, and more during the after-party

3. SWAG- the included goodie bag and prizes up for grabs- all the "free" stuff that comes with price of entry and the quality of awards, shirts, and other giveaways

Feel free to use the search box to read up on any past topics you might be looking for.

ULTIMATE MUD RUN NIGHT OPS, Millville NJ, 4/21/12

And the 2012 Mudman season gets underway!

 Going into this, knowing it was (a) not a competitive or timed race and (b) the inaugural one for this series, the Report gives some leeway on this rookie event.  No excuses though, as this wasn't up to professional standards nor the hype they advertised.  Poorly organized and shortened by rain, both bad planning and bad luck ended up hurting Night Ops.  Saw the best desciption of the event several times on Facebook posts, something like "the hardest obstacle of the event was getting through registration."  Pretty much says it all.

 1. COURSE-  I don't usually do a long event (this was 7 miles) unless it is one that promises a LOT of obstacles.  The majority of the race was running around a motocross track with occasional trail diversions, and I lost count of what they considered an obstacle.  Only a few "legit" ones in my book, such as the ledge traverse and one of the mud tunnels, but for the most part hopping over stacked tires or trampled hay bales numerous times isn't going to earn points with me.  The couple narrow cargo net climbs created massive bottlenecks, sometimes waiting several minutes on line to reach it- hate that!  The originality of it being at night (we ran after 8pm to ensure it was dark for the entirety) does however give it back some kudos.  And if I didn't have the fun group of people to run this together with, scoring could get ugly.  I actually did like the torrential downpours near the end just for the novelty, but felt bad others weren't able to finish and get what they paid for.  GRADE = C

 2. FESTIVAL-  Thunderstorms aren't exactly preventable, but helps to have a backup plan.  Seems there was none, as the entire venue shut down around 10pm or so, save the long line for frigid indoor showers that were supposed to be for VIP only (we paid $50 for that!).  Forget the "free" beer, just wanted to get out of there, as the biggest part of this event (the party til midnight) didnt even happen.  Can't be generous here.  GRADE = D

 3. SWAG-  Not much to even talk about.  The boring cotton tee below and a aluminum water bottle were all you got for the exorbitant $100 average registration cost.  So much for getting your money's worth.  Vita Coco and Rockstar vendors did have some nice stuff and giveaways before the race, maybe saving Night Ops from a total Fail here.  GRADE = D 

OVERALL GRADE = D