FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 16, 2016) -- Good, clean fun, it wasn't. In fact, this year's Mountain Mudder was downright dirty from start to finish as hundreds of participants braved the gauntlet of obstacles across a sprawling 5.5-mile course June 9 at Fort Drum.
Mud -- sometimes thick enough to swallow articles of clothing -- proved challenging at times, and it was often accompanied by pools of teeth-chattering cold water from fire hoses. Running, splashing, crawling and high-stepping from station to station seemed exhausting but satisfying.
"It was awesome," said Staff Sgt. Mackenzie Gustave, running with a team from 7th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team. "Wet, cold, wet, cold, but you stayed hot. I loved it."
Since arriving at Fort Drum last February, Spc. Zach Macormac, from 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, has sampled the variety of fun runs that Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers has to offer -- from the Color Me BOSS 5K to the Zombie 5K. This was the sixth iteration of the Mountain Mudder, hosted by the BOSS program, and Macormac's second.
"It was definitely better than last year," he said. "You had to put a lot more effort into it. It was crazy."
Macormac said he loved it all, but one of the most difficult stations was something he didn't encounter last year.
After maneuvering across the slick Lily Pad obstacle on Remington Pond, another water challenge required participants to heave themselves over a long chain of inner tubes.
"Those tires, I don't know what it was," he said. "You think they would be slippery because they're on the water, but there's a lot of resistance and you can't slide yourself across. The tires are flopping, and you have to pull yourself across each one. That was tough."
Once across the water, participants had to low crawl up the sandy beach, slosh through a mud pit and then encounter another one -- new to the Mountain Mudder, and courtesy of the Natural Resources Branch.
The Green Mud Zone was a giant mud pit that was as difficult to move through as it was to breath in the aroma.
"That's standard swamp stench," said Rodger Voss, installation forester. "No manure added, we guarantee."
Voss was among the Natural Resources staff observing their work of nature, often amused by the reactions from participants -- from nods of appreciation to grimaces.
Pvt. Chaz Hinde, E Company, 41st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, looked as if he didn't want to enter the pit, but he was encouraged by fellow teammates. It was slow going across the thick muck, which clung to competitors until they could wash it off at the next station -- a downhill mud slide that ended in a pool of sudsy water.
"I was having fun until this," Hinde said breathlessly after completing the Natural Resources station. "I thought the sand was enough for me. I feel like I'm 40 pounds heavier now."
The Mudder ended with one final challenge -- the warped wall, which required competitors to make a daunting vertical leap to grab the top ledge and pull themselves up and over before reaching the finish line.
Sgt. Patrick Brawley, BOSS president, said they achieved their goal of registering 1,000 people for the Mountain Mudder, which was 200 more than last year and due to the popularity of this event. More than 1,100 actually participated.
"This is usually our biggest event, and it sells out every time," he said. "We always want to make improvements, so there's more mud obstacles and we tried to make it muddier than before. We try for bigger and better each time."
Brawley said people don't seem to mind getting dirty, and because many participate in teams, it serves as a morale booster.
"It's just a really great recreational event, and everyone seems excited to run in it," he said.
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