Obstacle Run Review: ABF Mud Run
This is the first in a series of reviews I’ll be doing for all my obstacle runs. Having completed over a dozen in the past 3 years I know what is good, bad, and ugly about them. While I hope these reviews provide knowledge for others who may be curious but unsure of taking that next step, this will mostly serve as my sounding board for something I am very passionate about.
Name: Restore the Shore ABF Mud Run
Location: Pemberton, NJ (on paintball property)
Distance: 5K
First time: ✓
| Area | Assessment | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Obstacles | While the overall amount was impressive, especially by big brand standards (i.e. Spartan Race), the variety could have been better. Log carrying, ice bath, rope and wall climbs were great, and plenty of areas to wade through water or mud to mix it up. But you spend what feels like over a half mile of wading through dirty streams and rivers. A nice touch at the end was a quarter pipe run followed by a water slide into a mud pool. | 4 |
| Choke Points | Absolutely horrible. In many locations despite me being at the head of our heat had to suffer waiting for the previous heat’s stragglers to accomplish obstalces. While I could have ran around them I came to obstacle (yes, I just made it a verb) and therefore waited patiently. I do these runs to test the limits of my endurance, and when you have all these uncontrollable rest spots it is not worth it. | 1 |
| Logistics | The small things they got right (registration lines, start/end points, showers, waivers), and the biggest thing they dropped the ball on: transportation. Using buses to shuttle people from a remote parking area to the course itself is standard, but having only three (yes, three) buses to manage thousands of people caused delayed heat times, confusion on bus priority, and slow-boiling anger. | 3 |
| Extra Fees | None! First year runs are wonderfully light on the additional costs (bag holding, insurance, parking). I know this will not last but it was great while it lasted (I overhead volunteers saying they should have charged for bag holding). | 5 |
| Ease of Access | The second race I’ve had this year that was located in a quiet suburb. Half hour drive to a high school where you parked. Can’t get better than that. | 5 |
| Overall Repeatablity | I’ll most likely skip next year. It’s high points were wiped out by its low ones, and I prize choke points to be the biggest factor in whether or not I do a repeat run. If I register on discount maybe. | 3 |
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