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.

BONEFROG CHALLENGE (Sprint), Charlemont MA, 5/20/17

It had been 3 long years since doing my one and only Bonefrog that was a major highlight of my 2014 racing season.  Kept away only by an injury one year and another event conflict the next, their new addition of famed former-Spartan race director Norm Koch convinced me to make sure not to miss this one in 2017, even with a 4 hour drive each way for me.  Well worth the trip just like the first time here, and already planning on their much closer NJ race coming up next month!

1.  COURSE-  One of the hidden gems in OCR is this Massachusetts "B'East" of a mountain at Berkshire East resort, where Bonefrog has had a stronghold for their New England events for several years.  The steep slopes rival the incline of any race I've done, and if you've gone up the "Stairway to Valhalla" then you'd probably say the same. Besides the brutal terrain of up- and down-hill leg burning paths, my favorite obstacles had to be two of their newer ninja-type ones- the "Sway Bar" curved monkey bar set with a nunchuk hold between, and the spinning "Choppa", similar to Savage Race's Wheel World.  The cold water swim and rope traverse were, uh, refreshing, some might say (wakes you up, that's for sure!).  And no one can deny their favorite post race pic is the final Black Ops monkey bars with the massive American flag for a backdrop.  GRADE = A

2.  FESTIVAL-  Starting the race morning with a skydive parachute jump show is pretty hard to beat, so that would be just enough to earn a top mark already.  The fantastic set up of the log cabin-esque base lodge at the foot of the mountain was a perfect place to hang out and watch some of the highlight obstacles near their finish line.  The only gripe I had was the few options for post race food, which was terribly expensive (i think it was $8 for a grilled hotdog?), but some like myself found a local pizzeria down the street to refuel before the ride home. Anyway, big points for the super close parking at this venue, as I went back to my car several times for change of clothes.  GRADE = A

3.  SWAG-  My maroon Bonefrog shirt from three years ago is still one of my favorite race editions.  This year (not sure what 2015 or 2016 were like) the shirt was a less exciting gray, but the front logo is pretty awesome.  Previously, their Sprint or Challenge shirts were slightly different from one another, but now everyone received the same at the finish line.  I thought the race timing ticket printout was also a really neat feature, rather than people lining up to photograph an ipad display.  I also took out my old swag to compare and saw they were exact identical (Sprint) medals, just a new ribbon.  One thing I didn't mind getting a duplicate from 2014 was another award paddle for 1st place in the Sprint distance!  Definitely one of the most unique trophies in OCR.  GRADE = A


OVERALL GRADE = A