Transient Xpress: Warrior Dash

On Saturday we rode the motorcycle to Quarryville, Pennsylvania. We are loving the hills and the scenery on the East coast. We didn't have that in North Dakota. But better than scenery we have my brother close by in Baltimore. For the two weekends we've lived on the East coast I have seen him both. It's so much nicer than seeing him only once or twice a year!

So our trip to Quarryville, though beautiful and scenic, was to cheer on my brother and his friends as they competed in the Warrior Dash. I had never heard of this event, but soon learned that it's huge and awesome! I packed up my camera, and we rode off into Pennsylvania.

Upon our arrival I gulped at the chance of finding Grant. Hundreds and hundreds of racers and fans sprinkled the sprawling hills of the state park, encompassed by the starting line and the finish line. I was looking for an average size man in blue shorts and a sleeveless red shirt. Ugh!

We had 45 minutes before Grant's heat so we decided to take our time and take in our surroundings. So many muddy, costumed, drunk people. How would we find him? Low and behold, I spotted Grant just a few yards away. What dumb luck! He introduced us to his friends and then they lined up to start the race.

At the starting line I once again thought finding Grant would be hopeless.

The Warrior Dash website said there could be up to 500 people in each heat, and I was sure Grant's had at least that many. But all of a sudden, like a laser beam on a target, a red shirt appeared in a sea of gray.

What dumb luck! I love his smile! That's about how excited I felt at finding him in the crowd. Anyway, the race is a 5k with obstacles. Grant estimated 30 minutes for the run. But seeing as he was closer to the middle or back of the pack, I thought it might take him longer if he had to wait for those ahead of him to complete the obstacles. I just wasn't sure what to expect. While waiting, I switched to my zoom lense and Scott and I grabbed a sandwich. Again, we took in our surroundings.

Yeah, that's a puppy in the baby sling. I loved it! There was beer, music, beer, dancing, beer, racing, and beer. Who wouldn't want to do this race? Oh, wait!

Swimming in mud might be a reason not to race.

And jumping over fire might be another reason not to race. And we couldn't see the other obstacles, but from what I hear there are many more reasons not to want to race: fear of heights, lack of balance, lack of upper body strength. Or how about just plain old fear of looking like an idiot?

As we pondered these things I kept an eye on my watch. Twenty minutes after the start I headed to the finish line. I wanted to get in a few practice shots before Grant and his buddies crossed the finish line. While I experimented at the finish line Scott watched at the mud pit to spot Grant. He would call me when he spotted him so I could try to pick him out of the muddy crowd. Ugh! Slim chance, but I gave it my best. I watched for a few minutes, and all of a sudden Grant came up from behind me covered in mud.

"Did you get me," he asked. You've GOT to be kidding me! I missed it. I was so bummed, but Grant could see how hard it was to recognize the muddy people. "Oh well," he said. He wiped his face off and sat on the grass to wait for his friends to finish.

Tired? Yes. But never too tired to flash that brilliant smile.

And why not? He had much to be proud of. He was one of the fastest racers in his heat! Right on bro! Thankfully, he helped me spot his friends.

Proud Warriors! They rocked it and had a blast doing so. Scott and I are considering doing this race next year, but we're definitely bringing goggles! After the race it was shower time, because this isn't something you want to deal with for long.

I thought showering was gonna take a while.

But this line was taken care of in no time. Why? Two words.

Fire. Hose. Genius, people! "I'm a maniac, maniac on the floor!" Tommy Boy anyone? Once everyone was "clean", we headed to the beer tent. Racers got a free one. Cheers!