"After running our first Civilian Military Combine in New York on the Intrepid, we were instantly hooked. We were really excited when asked by The Mudman to do a short post on the Tri-State Mountain Assault at Camelback Mountain this past weekend. We weren’t really sure what to expect, since the last race didn’t include any mud or high elevation. We anticipated a run similar to a Spartan Race- it was all that and more! The CMC races are a new favorite of ours. It incorporates Crossfit which we are passionate about and obstacle racing which we love. The “Pit” and the course was a fun challenge which we plan to beat next year. This is our third year of obstacle racing and we hope to continue this journey with our children for many more years."
1. COURSE- (Gretchen’s POV) After performing the exercises in the Pit at the New York City race, I made it my mission to increase 10 reps every time I entered. At the Intrepid, I completed 144 reps of overhead press, kettlebell swings, and burpee up-and-over box jumps. Here, the judges switched the order of the workout which I thought would prevent me from reaching my goal. To my surprise, with my adrenaline pumping, the music and the crowd, my body was able to pump out 151 reps. The great thing around the Pit is that everyone is around cheering each athlete during the 7 minute AMRAP. The atmosphere is something I thoroughly enjoy. As soon as the Pit was over, I quickly changed my shoes and began the 5+ mile ascent up Camelback Mountain’s almost 1700 vertical feet. I enjoyed the use of the water park for some of the obstacles, and of course the many high tower climbs. The most difficult portion was of course was the incline of the steep mountain. My legs were feeling it the next day. Some interesting obstacles included a pitch black drainage pipe you had to wade through, mud crawl with wires (the wires were not secured very well), and tons of walls and climbing towers - probably the most amount of obstacles we’ve seen in any race. Overall the course was challenging and enjoyable. I am excited to see what new obstacles and terrain will be at the future races. All in all, the race is what we’re there for and it was a fantastic event, well put together, and well organized. We did see some people skipping obstacles, but without a money prize or penalties, it isn’t as big of an issue - WE would never skip an obstacle because we’re there to run the course as it was designed and if you skip an obstacle you’re only cheating yourself! Grade = A
2. FESTIVAL- (Dan’s POV) Unfortunately the weather was not on our side Saturday so the festival was short and very wet. I was surprised to finish a race and not have any finisher snacks or water. A banana after a race is a great source of instant sugar and potassium - well needed after a day of lifting, climbing, and running. We were also not given the appropriate 21-and-over bracelet in our registration packet, so getting a beer right after the event meant going all the way to the car to get ID then coming back, tracking down a bracelet and then getting a beer. It didn’t seem worth the leg work at that point. The clothing vendors were very cool and we became very friendly with the Steel Tribe Muscle Gear owners after the last race who were there again representing. We honestly did not spend much time in the festival area because of the wet weather. Grade = C
3. SWAG- At the end of the race we received a branded CMC bag, dog tag medal, t-shirt, wristband and huge crowd of cheers. The t-shirt quality is definitely better than some of the other races we’ve done and we love to wear them around. The dog tag is cool, but I prefer an actual medal - for this style of race it fits perfectly though. Grade = B+
(Photo provided by Mudman, reverse of tshirt with finisher dogtag medal and top 3 awards).
OVERALL GRADE = A-
