Melanie and I were talking about goal setting for the new year. We have found exactly what the experts agree to be true: If you have specific written goals, you are more likely to achieve them. Even so, we often don’t make the time to think this through let alone write them down.
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What to Wear for The Mud Run
[Part Two of a Three-Part Article on the Mud Run]
Thanks for the tips on how to train for the Mud Run, but what do I wear? Well, let’s start from the top and work our way down.
Head Wear nothing. DON’T wear glasses, sunglasses, goggles, hats, headbands or anything else on your head. You will almost certainly go completely underwater several times and are just asking to lose anything like this. Neckties and capes might make a fine fashion statement but safety nerd me sees them as a choke hazard.
Wait, what if I’m blind without my glasses? Join the club. I wear a pair of disposable contacts during the race. Afterwards, I make sure to have a bottle of saline to flush my eyes and my glasses in the car. I’ve just closed my eyes before dunking my head during the race and it has worked fine so far. I do have to admit if mud works its way under the contact is isn’t fun, but I don’t know a better option other than Lasik. Goggles would be a disaster.
Ok, let’s continue with the list.
Chest Some guys go shirtless and some women wear a sports bra. These are usually the folks that are photographed the most. The vast majority of people wear a team shirt. I recommend a technical T (polyester) instead of cotton (alternate Amazon link). They stain just as bad as cotton (a badge of honor) but they dry a lot faster which means they have the potential to weigh less during the race. On top of that, they are cheap and durable. You can get them in a multitude of colors from Target for about $7 at the time of this writing.
Legs If you are running an Original Mud Run event (like the Jacksonville MS Mud Run), you will be required to wear long durable pants. Do not be tempted to purchase cotton military/camo pants. Those things turn into lead bricks when they get wet and the pockets fill with water. You’ll sound like a kid’s swimming pool and be 10 pounds heavier after the first water obstacle.
Instead, I recommend something that doesn’t absorb any water at all. Our team uses 100% nylon hiking pants. They are extremely lightweight, absorb no water, and the pockets are mesh on the inside. We’ve worn them multiple times hiking and through two Mud Runs and they show zero signs of wear. They come with a nylon webbing belt (handy for keeping them around your waist instead of your ankles). They are cheap too. We got ours at REI’s Outlet website for about $14. You can currently buy the exact same pants at Gander Mountain for about $20 (alternate Amazon link).
NOTE: If you do end up with water-trapping pockets, you can either poke holes in the bottom of them or remove them completely.
No matter how tempting, do not tie or velcro the drawstring at the bottom of your pants or, worse, duct tape them closed. Water will work its way into your pant legs and will remain trapped making lovely ankle weights.
Feet Get socks taller than your boots but as short as possible. The taller the socks, the more water they’ll hold when wet and the heavier they’ll be. We wear hiking socks that are made out of a blend of different kinds of fibers. Some folks like 100% wool. Whatever you do, avoid cotton socks as they will promote blisters.
Again, assuming you are running an Original Mud Run event, you will be required to wear over the ankle boots if you plan to run competitively. For 2011, they allowed non-competitive teams to run in shoes instead of boots but I don’t know if this exemption will be permanent (everyone had to have boots in 2010). Whatever the case, you want to wear boots
But why do I need to wear boots?
1. It’s part of the rules.
2. Ankle support.
3. Aggressive treads give better traction.
4. Shoes will get sucked off your feet and eaten by the mud.
I’ve lived in Florida for many years and I was unaware of just how sticky the mud can be around here. In some of the deeper mud obstacles it feels like you are dragging small children that are actively trying to pry your shoes off your feet. Do everyone a favor and wear boots so you don’t have to stop and dig your shoes out of the mud.
You can go with combat boots but there are much cheaper, lighter and more comfortable options available. You don’t need world-class hiking boots or bomb-proof work boots. Think high-top basketball shoe with an aggressive tread for gripping slippery ground and you are shopping in the right direction.
We purchased ours at Rack Room Shoes for about $13 on sale. Others have had success at Target. This is not world-class footwear by any means but it has held up for two runs. Admittedly, the super cheap insoles have started to dissolve now that they have been washed twice but they are still functional and will be used again next year.
Do not wait until the last minute to buy your boots either. For the last two years, places around town have sold out in the weeks just before the race. We had one teammate who had to resort to a pair of leather steel-shank work boots. Those things weighed more than Melanie and my boots combine and they blistered her feet so badly that she was more comfortable running in her socks.
What about esprit de corps? That definitely factors in to your clothing. Unlike most other races in Jax, costumes/uniforms are the norm not the exception for the Mud Run. They don’t have to be expensive. Just come up with a name and a look that reflects the spirit of the team.
We’ve always taken the cheapest route with a white shirt that has our team logo screen printed on it (do it yourself) but some teams will wear an entire matching uniform. They range from the serious police and fire fighter teams to the silly. We’ve run with guys in business suits and a man and woman team dressed as bride and groom.
On a personal note, because the race is “dirty” folks feel the need to come up with extremely crude names. Maybe I’m becoming an old man, but when I see names that aren’t even a play on a crude word or sex act but are the actual words verbatim, I’m not happy. Spend just a little time thinking about your name before you sign up and I think you’ll come up with something much funnier than team “Hey, We Smell Like @#$%.”
It bears repeating. Figure out your team name before you go online to sign up for the race, Mr. Team Captain. I imagine that a lot of people don’t think through the fact that they are going to have to provide a team name when they are registering until they are halfway through the process and then they pop in the first thought that crosses their mind.
Ok, Mr. Sensitive. I’ll work out my team name before I sign up. Any other gear to consider? I strongly recommend wearing good waterproof sunscreen. You’ll also want a complete change of clothes, a plastic bag for your dirties and two junky towels – one to dry off with and one to sit on for the ride home.
I suppose you could wear gloves but you don’t really need them. Your knees will probably get a little chewed up when you crawl around but kneepads would just get in the way. Leave them at home.
If you’ve got some favorite piece of equipment for the Mud Run that I’ve not mentioned, be sure to list it in the comments below.
The third and final installment will be coming soon. I’ll wrap things up with a few miscellaneous tips for the making the most of the Mud Run.
Jason Patz 