GARVIN PARK - Some may have lost a shoe along the way and most were wet and covered with mud by the time they reached the finish line at the first-ever Rad Run Adventure Race in Garvin Park, but a lot of the runners had smiles on their faces.
About 200 took part in the first Rad Run Adventure Race put on by the Marshall Area YMCA. The three-mile course took runners through nine different obstacles, such as haybales, a river crossing, a surprise water challenge and a whole lot of mud.
LaVae Anderson, health and wellness director at the Marshall Area YMCA, said former executive director Tim Olson, who recently took a job at the Fergus Falls YMCA, had the idea for the Rad Run as he's done similar events in the past.
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Photo by Cindy Votruba
Nine obstacles, which included leaping over haybales, were part of the Marshall Area YMCA’s first-ever Rad Run Adventure Race Saturday at Garvin Park. About 200 runners took part in the debut event.
"It just started to take shape," Anderson said. A committee was formed for the event and volunteers were gathered.
There was also a conditioning class at the Y to prepare for the Rad Run that ran for two to three months prior to the event, Anderson said.
"They are getting to be really popular," Anderson said about the Rad Run.
Six waves of runners hit the trail in 15-minute intervals. They first had to make their way up the sliding hill to duck under a cargo net before continuing on the course.
Jon Anderson and Kaylee East of Balaton said they wanted to try the Rad Run to test themselves. Kind of a team-building activity, Anderson said.
East said she didn't do much preparation for the race, but she did run two miles on Thursday.
"I'm usually a sprinter, not much of an endurance runner," East said.
East said the hills were a challenge for her. Anderson said he lost his tennis shoe in the mud.
"The biggest challenge was trying to find it and put it back on," Anderson said.
Ben Rieke said he went through the middle of the mud during the course.
"I was in mud up to my elbows and up to my knees," Rieke said.
Rieke agreed with East that the hills were tough.
"Going up hills was a killer," Rieke said. And going through the mud was like adding 10 pounds, he said.
Noah Meister, his mom, Karen, and sister, Sydney, ran the race together.
"It just sounded really fun," Noah Meister said.
Sydney Meister said the mud was hard to run through because it was all sticky and her shoe got caught.
"It was like quicksand, but mud," Sydney Meister said.
Kasie Nielsen of Lake Benton, Anna Tiedeman of Lake Benton and Lacie McChesney of Russell were among a group of women wearing pink T-shirts with "Tote-ally Gorgeous Boutique" on the front. McChesney said the "water challenge" at the end, which was local firefighters spraying runners with a hose, was interesting. Tiedeman said her challenge was when she had to walk through a "big trench of mud."
Alan Schuch said his family comes to Garvin Park a lot, so he was familiar with the area.
"I love the trails here," Schuch said.
Schuch said the river crossings were tough, and he fell twice.
"I climbed the hills OK, but coming down was hard," Schuch said.
Glen Deutz said he decided to be in the run because a couple of his nephews wanted to beat him. Deutz's nephews, Kenny Deutz and Cody Bernardy and niece, Ashley Bernardy, were also in the run. Cody Bernardy went on to have the fastest time for males, finishing the course in 21 minutes and 22 seconds. Jill Vroman posted the fastest female time at 30:20.
"Everything after the start line," was a challenge, Glen Deutz said.