A Tougher Mudder?

I am going to skip all the excuses on why on Earth I would run this race yet again. Simple truth is it is a lot of fun and it is an incredible challenge for a middle aged father to take on. And this time, not only did I finish it, I finished it quite fast (<3 hours!).

The race took place in the indescribably beautiful Snowmass (just outside of Aspen). The plan this time was not just to fulfill daddy’s stupid desire to prove something to himself, but for a fun weekend for the whole family. This time we planned better. Got a room at the nice hotel right at the start line. We crossed our fingers and instead of 45 degrees and snow, we got 75 and amazing. And, made a conscience decision to finish as fast as possible instead of trying to wait for the whole team (we got buy in from the whole team on this).

And it all played out just like that. Katy had to take on the parenting duties for not just our kids but for another team mates kids. That added a bit more work than normal, but she of course did great. How great? She managed to find me on the course on three separate occasions including the finish. That means she had to drag four kids (which included Molly on her shoulders) all over a ski resort up and down chair lifts across 11 miles of hidden obstacles. It made all the more special to me that the kids got to see me conquer these challenges and finish in (some) style.

But wait, that was not why this whole weekend was so great. Before and after the race we got to enjoy good meals and time with my friends. The kids enjoyed riding the gondolas and doing the “mini-mudder”, plus they were really great around everyone else.

And then, there was Sunday. Why drive 4 hours to just spend one day up in this incredible place? We spent all day Sunday in Aspen walking through the town, having picnic’s and enjoying the “long-way” home. It was a spectacular weekend. Enjoy the pictures here (and last years event here). Oh yeah, I also signed up for a race next year...

The Iron Geeks have assembled again for another Tough Mudder