I don’t know when it happened exactly. It was Brad’s (Stock Supervisor) idea. I vaguely recall having a conversation with him about mud races and other alternative competitions, when he said something like “Hey! We should get a group together and do this!” Like many of my conversations with my team while on the sales floor, I was only half paying attention, nodding and smiling in agreement. The next thing I know, here I am, standing at the starting line of the Warrior Dash in Huntersville, NC (over three hours west of Raleigh), with about 200 other participants, many of them in costumes, many of them showing far too much skin. It is a scene reminiscent of spring break. There’s live music, and lots of people having fun. There is beer drinking and partying for those who have finished their heats. But that’s for later…
Melinda and Chris rockin’ the Angstroms! Carrying all the gear, even a first aid kit!
I look over at Chris, my ASM, who is proudly wearing his GoPro on his Endurance Hat covered head, and smiling nervously, thinking the same thing I am, “Please Lord, do not let me get hurt… well, not seriously, at least.” Then there is our crew… There’s Melinda and Allie in their eye black (yeah, they’re pretty badass) and fluorescent sports bras… I can’t look at them without cracking up. There’s the men, Lewis, Makana, and Brad… all mean and lean... well, lean at least. Then there is Will, who signed up months ago, but had his appendix out recently and is supposed to be taking it easy. He cannot resist the atmosphere and the temptation to participate in the madness (and the free beer) and decides to run. We are huddled together and ready to go. We’ve seen the other finishers, covered in mud and shoeless. There is a giant heap of muddy shoes at the entrance to the event, where most participants donate their footwear. We have seen the beginning of the course where the competitors before us charged into the fields and entered the woods. It’s what lies in wait between the start and the finish that worries us. The only things we are certain of, is that we are going to get really dirty, and have a lot of fun.
We do a TNF cheer as the countdown to the start begins. With a burst of flames into the air and an explosion of cheers from the runners, we are off and running in a field that is not much different than a regular cross-country course. Like I said, there are a couple hundred people in our heat, so there is a lot of congestion. Lewis. Will, and Brad take off while the rest of us scatter into various groups. I know that Chris is taking his video documentation even more seriously than the race, so I leave him to his artistic endeavors. We stay fairly spread out through the race, and everyone manages the obstacles well. There are dumpster hurdles, walls to scale, and other things to climb over and crawl beneath. The racecourse runs not just through the open fields, but through the woods too. There are dirt trails, loose and rocky with lots of dust. It is a 5k course, but I find myself pretty disoriented the entire race, not knowing what is around the next corner or how long I have been running.
Chris’ Single-Tracks after the race.
Then, I see it… the water obstacle. It is a pond, it is green, and it smells like a sewer. As I follow the participants ahead of me into the “water” like a good little lemming, I remember the waiver that I had to sign. It stated that I would not hold the promoters responsible for any disease(s) that I might contract as a result of contact with water that was not tested for (apparently) any sanitary conditions. “Oh crap,” I think,” my whole staff is going to have Giardia or Dysentery… OMG… Cholera! Am I going to die from this??? I am so going to kill Brad!” Just as I emerge from the sludge and round the next bend of the course, I see Brad contemplating the final set of obstacles. I summon what little breath I have left to call out to him, and we reunite to finish the race together. Brad is one of those people who you cannot help but like, and he was also my training buddy the month leading up to the event, so it is great that we have the chance to finish together.
The last obstacle is a 20-foot long mud pit, beneath tangles of barbed wire. Obviously, once you jump in, you have to belly-crawl the distance to the finish. This is also the part of the race where spectators cheer you on and watch the final moments of your suffering. After hitting the “shower station” (aka man sitting on a truck with a hose) Brad and I run back over to the finish area to watch for the rest of our team. Of course, Lewis and Will had already finished, and though they were covered in mud, looked like they could have gone another 5 miles… I hate them.
Our teammates cross the finish in their own unique style. We shout for each of them to get down and get dirty as they tentatively enter the mud pit. Chris makes sure to get it all on camera, and gracefully rolls over in the mud, doing a backstroke sort of maneuver. As he looks our way, we can see that he has a blob of mud on his teeth, blacking them out. I am laughing hysterically, but having mud in my mouth would definitely be preferable to where I have it. Makana, Melinda, and Allie each finish strong and also head over to the hose down trucks.
Everyone has finished in a respectable amount of time and no one got hurt. We might have a disease or two from contaminated water, but we seem to be in good health for the moment. Time to celebrate with free beer and perhaps a giant turkey leg.
Check out our video below! You might want to grab a snack as you watch this POV and images from the event!
TNF Raleigh
Beth Uydess
Chris Rief
Brad Muszalski
Melinda Freeman
Makana Dumlao
Will Tucker
Lewis Braswell
Allie Lebenson
Kara Buhr
Never Stop Exploring
Geoff and his family earlier this year moved to a place closer to our store location. One of his many commitments to the store and himself, he chose to reduce his carbon footprint by riding to work. It is not a far ride, but if you think about going to and coming from work 10 times (5 days) a week, it does add up. Geoff, along with a few others, has made an effort to either walk or ride to work. This has defiantly helped our monthly commute tracking.
Geoff is one of our leaders in our store. He has been one of the first each time to help out in the community. He has assisted on many events with The City of Raleigh’s Park & Recreation such as NeighborWoods , where we plant trees back in the city. In some of the events, he has asked to take out and try the Angstrom 30 pack. He has been willing to try anything!
Geoff has used the Angstrom 30 pack several times. Such as NeigborWoods and National Trails Day. He has found it easy to use and very comfortable. It has been able to carry anything he has needed for with plenty of room. He thought it might be a good idea to try it as a commuter bag. He had talked to Chris about his uses with his bag of choice while he commuted with one from when he worked at TNF Georgetown. Chris had used it while he took the metro and walked across the Potomac River on the Key Bridge. Chris has been known to carry a lot with him since he is an avid photographer and like to have the right lens for whatever he might want to photograph when he is out and about. Geoff thought he might try it out for his bike rides to work. Geoff is good about bringing his lunch everyday and also has a sweet tooth. It is common that you will find Geoff with a variety of candy or special homemade treat with him. He shares with all to help keep the team energized! We think that Air Heads might be his favorite!
Geoff took on the challenge to ride with the Angstrom with him to work. He was in the market for a new pack, would this be the one? He did find the pack to fit well and with the waist strap, it did make the ride more comfortable. He liked the pack and found it to fit everything he would need.
As it turned out, Geoff did not end up purchasing this pack, but would use it if he had one. He ended up choosing one of our flyweight packs. He liked how he could make it more compact. Maybe in his winter riding, he will get the Angstrom for more weather protection! We shall see . . .
TNF Raleigh
Geoffrey Brown
Chris Rief
Never Stop Exploring
Check out the video of Geoff's commute!
