Triangle Fitness team runs Rugged Maniac

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JULIAN — It is likely, after being on lockdown, that once freedom came, we were going to get out and do something, anything, to eliminate the boredom that had become our lives this past year and a half. A group from a local Siler City gym, Triangle Fitness, decided to do just that.

Originally, our team had signed up five runners to run the Rugged Maniac race coming to North Carolina in October, but it quickly grew to 25, with ages ranging from early teens to those in their 60s.

The first Rugged Maniac obstacle race, otherwise known as a mud run, took place in Southwick, Massachusetts, in 2010, and it’s since grown to host events across both the United States and Canada. North Carolina saw its first Rugged Maniac in Rockingham, and it has been held every year since with the exception of 2020, when it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An interesting aside: in 2016, Rugged Maniac began running two events, both in the spring and fall. The May event drew over 6,000 participants, but the October 8th event had Hurricane Matthew threatening a cancellation. The event coordinators moved the event from Saturday to Sunday, accompanied by this statement, “This is Rugged Maniac, not a tea party at the retirement home.”

The race this year was held at Piedmont Dragway in Julian, North Carolina.

In the early morning, the sky was overcast and the air chilly as our group began the registration process. Shortly before our 10:15 a.m. start time, the clouds broke and the temperature warmed to around 60 degrees, perfect weather to run through water obstacles and roll in the mud.

The race promised 25 challenging obstacles testing leg strength and endurance throughout the 3-mile run interspersed with the “Shoe Catcher,” which sucked the shoes off of your feet if you hadn’t tied them on tight enough, to “Pull Your Weight” and “BarZan,” testing upper body, and “Cliffhanger” and “Vertigo” to challenge those with a fear of heights.

Some ran, some walked, but everyone finished and agreed they were glad they did it. Triangle Fitness may have begun a new tradition. Is anyone else up for a run in the mud?