2019 Rugged Maniac Obstacle Course Race
Racers and spectators walked about a quarter mile from the parking area to the start/finish line of the race. The views were pretty, and you could watch racers on the left as they started the race. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Watching a wave of maniacs run towards their first obstacle. Each wave had 200 runners. The waves were staggered to prevent traffic jams at obstacles. The race began with a downhill slope. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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The Rugged Maniac Florida was held on a beautiful Saturday morning at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City. It's a 2000+ acre working ranch specializing in breeding horses and cattle.
Most of the ranch is part of a conservation easement with The Southwest Florida Water Management District. Lucky for us, the ranch is one of Florida's best sites for events like the Rugged Maniac OCR Mud Run. ParkingRacers and spectators entered the ranch from Hamilton Road. Parking was $10 per carload; $15 for a van. CASH ONLY. There was an ATM machine in case you didn't have paper money.
Everyone parked in an open field, then walked about a quarter mile to the Start/Finish line. Rugged Maniac was free for spectators. The only hard cost was parking. You could buy food and drinks. Racers received one free beer. 
Parking was abundant in the open field down the road from the main event. It was funny to watch people looking for their cars after the race. (Photo credit; This Old Runner)
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Race Day Check In
The Check-in Tent opened at 8 AM on race morning. Runners were advised to arrive 1.5 hours before their assigned start time. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Bag check was free. It was located near the start/finish area across from check in. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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SWAG
Every Rugged Maniac received a tech tee shirt, race medal, free photos, and one beer. There were oranges and bananas at the finish line. Food vendors sold a variety of food and beverages. There were a couple of Cigar City Brewing beer options. (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
Merchandise TentI didn't explore the merchandise tent, but did see people with headbands, shirts, and beer steins bought there.
If you forgot to get Rugged Maniac souvenirs at the race you can grab some in their online store. |
Registration Prices
Registration opened right after the race with special early bird pricing. If you want to register for next year's race on April 18 the current price is $49.
- Early: $49 — April 20 to Dec. 13, 2018; then periodic price increases until race day.
- $10 Discount Available for Military and Students
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Racers Received:
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Everyone Enjoyed:
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2019 Rugged Maniac Florida Race Course
Aerial view of Rugged Maniac course at Little Everglades Ranch. There's a list of the 25 obstacles at the Dade City event. (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
Looking out at the race course from the second story boardwalk. There were 25 obstacles on the 5K course. Mild temperatures and low humidity = perfect weather. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Free Race Photos
Free photos before, during, and after the race. Watch for the big green photographer flutter flags on course so you're ready to smile. I was surprised by the number of tutus I saw at this mud run. (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
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Photos credit: Rugged Maniac
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This is one of the prettiest race venues I've seen. Add great weather to the scenery, and you get gorgeous muddy photos!
Free photos were available on the website a couple of days after the race. There were green flutter flags on the race course indicating photographers. There were photographers at the festival and finish line, too. |
Finisher Medals
Every finisher received the Rugged Maniac medal as they crossed the finish line. Awards were presented to the Elite Wave winners on stage around 10:30 AM.
There were water bottles, orange slices and bananas at the finish line. The Festival was a short distance from the finish line.
There were water bottles, orange slices and bananas at the finish line. The Festival was a short distance from the finish line.
Every finisher earned a Rugged Maniac Medal! (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
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Awards were presented to the fastest runners in the Elite Heat. (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
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Elite Heat Timing
Staff members at the finish line manually record the top ten male and female finishers in the 9 AM Elite Heat. This is the only heat with official results. Awards are presented to the top 3 men and top 3 women, plus the top male and female racer age 50 or older.
The top 10 men and women qualify to compete in the OCR World Championships. Awards ceremony takes place at 10:30 am on the stage in the festival area
The top 10 men and women qualify to compete in the OCR World Championships. Awards ceremony takes place at 10:30 am on the stage in the festival area
Race Results for Everyone Else
All racers receive a post-race email with a link to an online form for self-reporting your name, age, gender and finish time. There's a clock at the finish line, so note your time.
Rugged Maniac sorts through all the results and posts them on the website. You can see how you did compared to everyone who's run a Rugged Maniac Mud Run.
Rugged Maniac sorts through all the results and posts them on the website. You can see how you did compared to everyone who's run a Rugged Maniac Mud Run.
Weather Report
72 degrees. 45% humidity. Sunny skies. Occasional breezes. A huge storm rolled through the area on Friday night. I expected the course to be muddy and wet, but the earth was so dry it soaked up all the rain. The humidity was low and the temps were mild. It was a perfect day for a race in the country.
Wide view of the course at the ranch. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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A wave of runners get ready to begin. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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The start and finish line were next to each other at the top of a slope. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Most obstacles are inflated so no cleats are allowed on the course. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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I love the emergency exit just inside the entrance to this obstacle! (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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Triple Threat Obstacles at Mile 3
This 3-in-1 obstacle was a serious challenge. We watch people race up the Warped Wall, climb Mount Maniac, then zip down the Accelerator 3.0 slide into a muddy splash pool. This combo was at mile 3 of the course. After the slide, racers made their way through Feed The Monster before crossing the finish line. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
It was easy for spectators to walk around the front end of the course to get a closer look and photos of the racers tackling obstacles. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
The last leg of the triple threat obstacle was the Accelerator 3.0 slide. It was tall and steep! Here's what I learned: go down solo. People sliding together or holding hands had a harder time. (Photo credit: Rugged Maniac)
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Watching the Warped Wall was entertaining and scary. Runners had the option of going up a steep ladder if they didn't want to deal with the wall. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
That's the Accelerator 3.0 behind me. Check out the muddy splash at the bottom. Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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The slide dumped racers into a pool of muddy water. Ewww! (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
What to Wear for an Obstacle Course Mud Run
Most people wore form-fitting athletic wear, but not everyone.
Men in kilts. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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'Merica. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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Post Race Festivities
The fun started at 8 AM and didn't stop until 5 PM. Some vendors handed out free samples: Rip It energy drink and Peets Coffee. You could spin a wheel and win Success Rice. (Yep, we brought home a box!) There was a US Air Force recruiter, merchandise tent, and more vendor displays.
The festival area included tables and chairs and a two-story viewing deck. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
There were a bunch of vendors giving out samples. We scored Rip It, Peets Coffee and Success Rice. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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Runners could buy food and drink, visit vendors, and watch competitions at the post-race festival. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
The layout for the race and festival was perfect. Everything was easy to access. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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Stein-hoisting competition on the stage in the background. Mechanical bull riding in the foreground. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Shower and Changing Area
Just past the festival stage was the shower and changing area. Runners could stand under the hose showers, or dunk their limbs in garbage cans filled with clean water. After a rinse, you could change into dry clothes inside the tents. A local charity accepted muddy wet shoes that would be cleaned and dried and donated.
Shower and changing area for runners to use after the race. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
After the race you could donate your shoes to a local charity. They cleaned and dried the shoes. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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Pro Tip: Dunk your arms, legs, and head in the garbage cans filled with water. Hoses hung from scaffolding served as showers. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
Beautiful horse sculpture between the port-o-lets and shower area. It faced the festival, so it was a popular spot to dry off after a shower. (Photo credit: This Old Runner)
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My View of the Rugged Maniac
This race was awesome! We spectated since the race date was two weeks before my next half marathon. I'm so glad we checked out the race. Everything was organized and fun. If you're looking for a challenge, sign up for one of the Rugged Maniac events. You can do the race with some preparation. You also have the option of walking around obstacles that are too hard for you. A lot of people describe Rugged Maniac as the perfect entry into the world of obstacle course racing. If you want to get out of town and race in rural Florida, #GetRugged!
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#SeenOnARun #SceneOnARun — There were lots of big, beautiful trees at the ranch. It was great to be in rural Florida on such a beautiful day.
There were a surprising number of tutus at this race. I didn't expect fancy outfits at a mud run. I saw two separate large groups where everyone (men, women, kids) were wearing tutus. On the way back to our car, we listened to a guy in a tutu described how comfortable his was. This race was different from road races in the city. It was a diverse crowd of fun people. There were co-workers, church and school groups, and families participating together. Everyone looked like they had fun. Well, except for one girl who sprained her ankle. But everyone else was smiling! |