With so many mud races now popping up overnight to jump on the obstacle-course craze bandwagon, you need to cast a wary eye on newcomers. As so many people look to cash in while having no clue what it takes to run a good event, you could end up dropping a huge registration fee only to have a crappy experience. For the most part, your best bet is sticking with the guys who have been around the block – Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash, etc.
But one newcomer that looks pretty legit is the Bone Frog Challenge. Bone Frog is coming to Charlemont, Massachusetts, in mid-September, featuring a course of 36 obstacles spread out over 9 to 12 miles.
The Bone Frog Challenge was created by Navy SEALS. (Bone Frog is the unofficial mascot of the current generation of Navy SEALS, hence the funky name.) They place an obstacle roughly every quarter-mile so, they say, your running ability alone won’t get you through it. They also offer this warning: “You will get to know what it means to be ‘wet and sandy,’ just like we were at BUDS.”
Besides the regular course run, Bone Frog also offers a couple of different course runs that sound pretty cool. One is the SEAL Wave, which takes place on the Friday afternoon. In it, entrants get to enjoy the course alongside Navy SEALS. The minimum SEAL-to-participant ratio is 1-to-10, and 50 percent of the entrance fee goes to the Navy SEAL Foundation.
Another optional run is a night race on Saturday, in which racers run a modified version of the course in the dark. Headlamps are required. And your entrance fee gains you access for both Saturday and Sunday.
The Bone Frog Challenge will be September 13-15 in Charlemont, Massachusetts in the Berkshires. Regular pricing is currently $96 before increasing on May 15.
For more info, check out their site at www.bonefrogchallenge.com.
