1. COURSE- Having done a few OCR's that center around a race track (such as Englishtown NJ's Tough Mudder and Battlefrog Series, just as examples), I figured this could have had a lot of the same direction, going around in circles on a paved oval. But my eyes lit up when I realized this was a dirt track instead, transformed into a total muckfest with all the extra rain. Yes, parts did venture off to either gravel roads or a quick excursion in the parking lot for a couple obstacles, but the majority of the 3.5 miles went through the very muddiest (or even calf-deep water) sections imaginable and some very cool narrow trails that were cut through the adjacent forest land. Much of the obstacles that MudmanX has put out in past events were there again, and the toughest of those were made even more tricky due to the weather. It looked like only a few were able to have success on the hanging rope handle traverse, and either way you'd fall or then wade through some thick mud after on your way to the finish line. You could tell that the venue allowed a lot of freedom for the race organizers to dig and build, as I really enjoyed (?) the underground tunnels and hilly dirt mounds that became a leg destroyer for anyone predicting an entirely flat runner's course. Inside the track arena, where both the start and finish were housed, the mud was incredibly slimy and never allowed anyone to do more than just plod along, as it constantly threatened to take your shoes from you at any point. GRADE = A
2. FESTIVAL- The rain was a blessing for the race (in my opinion, see above) but of course not so much for hopes of having a great afterparty, as it was also a bit cooler than recent weather has been and most of the local runners predictably went home for a hot shower afterwards. The huge bleacher area could have done well on a sunny day, which gave open views of racers during all parts of the course. Unfortunately, the loyal partiers could only take to the small covered tent area behind the grandstand, which did have a fun backyard picnic feel but then left no way to observe the other hundreds of muddy folks trudging through the course. The free beer and good tunes seemed to make up for that though. GRADE = B
3. SWAG- I picked up one of my best hauls of the year from this race, being my 3rd completed MudmanX of 2014, following their July 19 NJ event and their August 9 NY race. With that accomplishment (besides another I'll mention in a minute), I achieved their Superfecta status and got a commemorative medal and tech tee shirt (shown below). Needing to do 3 of their 4 events of the year for that, the last opportunity for any Superfecta hopefuls out there is the NJ MudSpooktacular on 11/8. So, in addition, I represented the Mudman name well and also ended up taking 1st overall in their elite heat! The extra swag, besides their standard dogtag finisher medal and tshirt, was an additional medal, some great vendor items (not shown), and an envelope with just some cold hard cash, which can never hurt ;) GRADE = A
OVERALL GRADE = A
