The atmosphere at the race was certainly unique.  There were some people there who were trying to get a good time, but the vast majority were there to have fun, wear a cool costume, get dirty and people-watch.  Over 6,000 racers attended on Saturday (and probably close to that number again on Sunday) in waves every 30 minutes, so the race site was always very busy with racers coming, going, running, frolicking and eating.

The event staff did an excellent job of having enough portable toilets (I did not see *any* lines ever), having plenty of food (for sale) and posting results quickly (they had a dedicated tent displaying results more or less as they came in off the course).  The packet pickup lines were well-staffed and efficient.  There was a gear check for the many items racers did not want to get dirty.  Excellent organization on their part.

The only thing I did not like about the events of the day was that spectators were not allowed onto the race course to take pictures or view the obstacles.  Race viewing was limited to the start and about a 200 meter sector of course near the finish line.  While I can appreciate this for liability and business reasons, I was looking forward to photographing all of the course obstacles before the race, which I did not get to do.

I decided to wear a compression base layer on top and some tri shorts.  If I had thought of a clever costume, I certainly would have worn that, but since I didn’t, I decided to dress functionally.  I chose tight clothing so nothing would snag on any obstacles, and I skipped a hat, sunglasses and watch for the same reason.

Here were the obstacles we encountered, in order, on the 3.02 mile race course:

• Knee deep muddy water. After running about 1/4 mile over easy terrain, the race immediately got us dirty with several 5-20 meter sectors of murky water.  This was relatively easy to navigate with some high-stepping and running in the more shallow parts.  However, our shoes were immediately muddy and soaked, which made running at speed more difficult.
• Hay bales. The course presented us with a 10 meter sector of hay bales, stacked next to each other.  The bales were about three feet tall and very soft.  Most of us hurdled onto the bales and ran over them cleanly, though the bales were soft enough that footing was unsteady enough to topple a careless racer.  This was another easy obstacle, but slightly more difficult to navigate without losing speed due to the softness and uneven-ness of the bales.
• High-stepping tires + car obstacles. We had to hurdle over some old cars, high-step through a 20 meter sector of tires, hurdle over more cars, high-step through more tires and hurdle one last set of cars.  This was one of the more technical obstacles–I saw several athletes get their legs confused in the tires.  The cars were small enough to “steeplechase” over.  I was able to high-step through the first sector of tires with no problems, but on the second sector I found myself running on the tire edges (rather than high-stepping through the centers of the tires in the “proper” fashion).
• “Over/under” hurdles. The next obstacle was five or six sets of “over/unders”–hurdling over a four foot tall wood wall, then immediately rolling under barbed wire positioned about two feet off the ground.  This was definitely the most exhausting obstacle.  Many of us “steeplechased” over the walls; I found myself hurdling them without placing my feet on the wall (just using my upper body to thrust myself over).  I could have taken the “under” portions much faster, but I couldn’t figure out how to roll quickly and I didn’t want to take any chances with the barbed wire.
• Crawl through the “mud tent.” We soon came upon a low, long tent made of black tarp.  We couldn’t see what was inside the tent–all we could see was muddy ground leading into the tent.  So, without knowing what was inside, we were forced to get on our hands/knees in the mud and crawl.  The tent was about 10-20 meters long, hot, full of mud, and almost pitch-black dark inside.  A few sections were tall enough that I didn’t have to crawl, but most of the journey through the tent was on all fours.  When I came out the other side I was completely muddy.
• Balance obstacle. We arrived at an obstacle that consisted of several narrow-ish (10″ wide) wood planks connected to each other in a straight line.  The planks went up and down at various angles, rising to a height of 4-5 feet.  We had to traverse the planks without falling.  This was a relatively easy obstacle, though I could see this being a challenge for someone who was particularly tired or afraid of heights.
• Horizontal cargo net. This was a large grid made of rope knotted at about 1 foot square intervals.  The net was held up by a framework of wood spaced about 5 meters apart, with significant sag in the net between each piece of wood.  This was difficult to navigate quickly due to the rope sag and the wide spacing of the grid (I actually lost my balance and fell into the net at one point).
• More knee deep muddy water. Though we were thoroughly dirty by this point, the water served to re-soak our shoes and make running more difficult again.
• Log hurdling. We had to run through muddy water while hurdling felled tree logs at a height of about three feet.  The logs were very close together, perhaps a stride’s length apart.  I decided to straddle and swing my legs over the tree logs, which was a bit slow but definitely “safe.”  It may have been possible for a faster racer to jump on top of the logs and actually run across them to get to the other side!
• Very long sector of muddy water. This was the longest and most challenging sector of muddy water yet.  The water was deeper (thigh level), the sector was probably 40 meters long and we had to navigate a 10 foot sandy descent into the water (and a 10 foot sandy ascent out of it).  Plus, we were 2.5 miles into the race, so we were all pretty tired.  Fortunately there was a “sandbar” on one of the sides of the mud sector so I just ran through that.
• Vertical rope wall climb. The finish line was in sight!  However, first we had to climb the rope wall.  The wall consisted of a wood platform about four feet off the ground onto which we had to jump, and then a 6-8 foot (nearly) vertical rope climb.  The descent on the other side mirrored the ascent.  Experienced climbers could definitely use their skills to gain time on this obstacle.
• Warrior fires. This was one of two obstacles viewable by spectators from the start/finish area.  We had to hurdle over two “fire walls” about a foot high.  These were more visually impressive than anything else, as a normal stride would take most racers cleanly across the fires.
• Mud pit laced with barbed wire. Just 10 meters from the finish, we dove into a mud pit and crawled through it on our stomachs.  Barbed wire laced about two feet above the surface of the mud ensured we got super dirty.  I was able to half-swim through some of the mud, and had to crawl at the end.

In the end, I was able to complete the course in 25:00.35, good for 30/959 in the M25-29 age group on Saturday and 109/6394 overall Saturday.  I probably could have been at least a minute faster had I taken more chances on the obstacles and been more aggressive with my run pacing, but I, like the rest of the racers, was there for the experience.

And what an experience it was!  I’m definitely going to do another one of these races in the future.

1. Comfort.  You won’t want to be chafing a few miles into the bike or run.
2. Aerodynamics.  Any clothing choice should be tight-fitting, to minimize drag on the swim and bike.
3. Pockets.  In longer races, you’ll probably want pockets to hold the miscellaneous stuff you’ll need to carry.
4. Color.  This is usually personal preference, but lighter colors tend to be cooler than darker colors (and may be more “revealing,” if you know what I mean).

Once you’ve thought about these factors, you can start to look at your specific options:

1. Tri shorts and a tri top.  This is the most common option for triathletes.  It’s comfortable in all three disciplines, aerodynamic on the bike, and often come with pockets for the run.  The shorts have a minimalist pad for some comfort on the bike without getting in the way on the run.  Most triathlon clubs sell their tri kit in this form, and often it’s a cheap and simple option for new racers.  Remember to leave your tri top in transition before the swim, and put it on in T1.
2. Trisuit.  This garment is similar to the above, except it has a one-piece construction.  These have the advantage of slimming your midsection if you’re carrying a little extra in that region (who isn’t).  Check the neckline if you’re buying one–a high neckline will be more hydrodynamic while a low neckline will “scoop” in the water.  Many of these suits do not have pockets, which can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the race distance.  I do all of my races in trisuits, mostly because I have one that makes me look kinda like Superman.
3. Sport-specific attire for each sport.  Especially in longer races, you may find that wearing a swimsuit for the swim, bike clothes on the bike, and run clothes on the run is more comfortable and efficient.  You lose time in transition performing a complete clothes change (and in some races, nudity regulations prohibit this), but you may gain time in the end because you won’t be chafing or adjusting your clothes at all.
4. Miscellaneous combinations.  Some wear tri shorts and a looser-fitting bike jersey with sleeves.  Some can tolerate bike shorts on the run.  Some wear just a speedo for the whole race (you had better be good looking to pull that one off)!!

Your best bet is to leave yourself with several options on race day.  Conditions may dictate your choice of attire–for example, a wetsuit swim means you can leave your tri-top on under your wetsuit, while a non-wetsuit swim means you couldn’t wear your bike jersey on the swim.

Most importantly–when you’re done, wash your clothes as soon as you can.  Your domestic partner or roomate(s) will thank you.  Trust me.