Mud Run Monterey Bay 2010

I was so excited that Mike was able to join me in California for the 5th annual Big Sur Mud Run in Monterey Bay, California. It is a 5.1 mile obstacle course with mud pits, walls, and army personnel shouting orders at you. My Aunt Jodi, my Dad, and my brother-in-law Jeremy also ran. My cousin Kortney and Brandy were on the sidelines cheering us on.

My Dad surprised my Aunt Jodi with "Team Jodi" running shirts because she has been through so much in her life. Most recently she is a Breast Cancer Survivor. She is amazing!

How cute and clean are we before the race?



The race includes 1500 people. They start you in waves of 500 people each 10 minutes apart so the obstacles don't get too crowded. The last wave is made up of 5 person teams. You have to cross the finish line together if you are in a team. We were in the 2nd wave. I knew Mike could make a good showing at this race, but he couldn't decide whether or not he was going to run all out or stay back in the action with all of us.

Jeremy is showing some nice form at the beginning of the race.

We finally convinced Mike to go for it. You can see him on the sidewalk passing everyone. Jeremy sprinted up with him and acted like he was going to keep up with Mike, but that only lasted a few yards.

Here's Mike looking good with about a mile to go.

Mike is leaving the final mud pit looking a little winded. Right before this is a huge hill you have to climb. Right before that, the mean army people made you do 10 pushups.

Each of our times were adjusted since we started 10 minutes after the clock started. Mike's official time was 39:31.



Here's me trying to get through my last mile.

Heading towards the final mud pit.

Brandy didn't get me crossing the finish line because she was running back and forth between the last mile, the last mud pit, and the finish line. My official time was 53:58 which was over 5 minutes faster than last year. I was pretty proud of myself.

Jeremy's last mile.

Tom's last mile.

I am not sure if this is my Dad or Jeremy running up the final mud pit.

Jeremy and my Dad made a truce to cross the finish line together. Their official time was 56:47.

Jodi is still looking strong on her last mile.

Jodi has the pink bandanna and is crawling out of the final mud pit.

Jodi's official time was 1:09:10. She thought it would take her close to two hours.

We were so dirty. These pics don't do it justice.

Last year, we waited around and watched the awards ceremony. We checked the standings and Mike placed 4th in his age division and 7th in overall mens. I gave him so much crap because he totally could have placed if he hadn't messed around at the beginning. If he would have just gone all out from the start, he could have gotten a plaque.

Before the race, we spoke with a reporter about how we had traveled from Utah to run in this race. She said she would contact the Ogden Standard Examiner and let them know. We didn't think she would really follow through with it.

A few days after we got back, the following article appeared in the Sports Section of the Standard Examiner:

Big Sur Mud Run: 'Go on, take the mud.'

Big Sur, Calif - Mike Merrill of Syracuse competed in the annual Big Sur Mud Run last weekend in Northern California, finishing seventh among the top men with a 39:31 time on the 5-mile dirt and trail course. Merrill was competing with three other participants from Utah - Stacey Merrill, Jodi Cleveland and Tom Zampedri from Ogden.

Eighteen hundred muddy men and women crossed the finish line. Happy, tired and extremely dirty, the runners encountered four mud pits, numerous obstacles, exercise areas, military 'cheerleaders' and even a beer station along the course.

The fifth annual race, organized by the Big Sur International Marathon in conjunction with the Presidio of Monterey and Cal State University Monterey Bay, was held on the roads and trails in Seaside, Calif. Travis Armstrong, 33, of Marina, Calif., finished first overall with a time of 32 minutes, 31 seconds.

Today, Mike received two plaques in the mail.

Apparently, the results we looked at on race day hadn't divided the civilians from the military. Mike ended up placing 3rd in the Civilian 30 to 39 age group and 5th overall in the Civilian mens. I feel so bad we didn't hang around for the awards ceremony. Of course I had to give Mike crap again saying he could have done better if he hadn't messed around and if he had been in the first wave. Those who placed higher than him were in the first wave and didn't have to wait for anyone at the obstacles. I didn't let Mike know that I am actually really proud of him.