As I waited for the starting flames to shoot off the start line like we were going off to war I had butterflies going kamakze in my stomach…what on earth had I signed myself up for? Warrior Dash.

Last year I attended the event as a spectator nursing my injured hip. I took  prime position near the fire logs and mud bath which finished the race. I laughed and guffawed at people trying to get their legs over the fire without getting burnt and doing dive bombs and slipping and sliding in the mud bath. It was a great sight. “Next year you’re doing it” my boyfriend said and I knew there would be no getting out of it.

Fast forward one year and there I was, the girl who doesn’t like getting dirty and is a bit of a scaredy cat all ready to go into the unknown. As the horn blew and the flames shot out there was no turning back, I have to say running in slippery mud is a new experience, trying to stay upright is a battle! I gave Mark a stern warning not to push me in the mud, I was so concerned about him pushing me in I forgot to warn myself and toppled forward into a mixture which i’m sure was pure horse dung!

The obstacles ranged from strength to just plain getting dirty. We climbed over walls, crawled under cargo nets, climbed ladders, ducked under barbed wire and had to get ourselves over some heavy logs in the river. The course had a magnificant way of getting you all disgusting then treating you to jumping into rivers to get clean only to get you disgusting again. Whilst fear did get the better of me on one obstacle I found myself getting more and more pumped to climb, slosh through mud and run through sludge. As we came to the final stretch, we psyched ourselves up to have a running jump over the two lines of fire and then jump into the mud bath, apart from a mouthfull of mud this was a fun way to finish especially in front of people lined up to take photos and laugh at passerbyers.

I have to say I enjoyed the workout. It wasn’t just running, it was balancing, upper body strength, getting low and flexible and problem solving. I will definately train differently for next year and instead of trying to stay clean for as long as possible the fact it, resistance is futile 😉

I felt there was a real sense of being a part of something. It was like every dirty person I passed I felt a bond with, we had all survived and had a great deal of fun!

And whilst i’m still trying to get mud out from beneath my nails, I would definately do it again!

For more information check out http://www.warriordash.com