RELENTLESS FORWARD COMMOTION
RELENTLESS FORWARD COMMOTION

2012 New York Hero Rush

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Last Updated on January 30, 2022 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, I was invited to participate in a new obstacle course race series called the “Hero Rush“.  Designed by firefighters, Hero Rush is a challenge designed to not only get you moving, but provide a firefighting “experience”.

Heather Hart crawling through a giant tube during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

I’ve run a lot of obstacle course races (OCR’s), and I have to say, the Hero Rush ranks as one of the best I’ve ever done. I didn’t find the course incredibly difficult (challenging, yes, but I can actually walk and raise my arms over my head today, haha), however it was really, ridiculously FUN. I’d say it is certainly do-able for a trained first timer, no question about it. If anything, the most difficult part is mental, such as having the confidence to crawl up slippery ladders or through small, dark, confined, smoke filled spaces.

While the course certainly is not at the same danger/difficulty level that our real firefighter/hero’s face in a real fire, the obstacles did simulate (and simulate well in my opinion) what the firefighters do face in an emergency. The obstacles, being firefighter themed, were unlike anything else I have seen before, and therefore that in itself was a challenge. And while we certainly did not stay dry, the race lacked mud, which believe it or not, was a nice change of pace for once.  

The volunteers and staff were amazing, the course directions were easy to follow, and the race swag and post-race food/drink were all fantastic. I can not say it enough, Hero Rush was a class act, and I absolutely, positively WILL run this race again.

Now, sometimes I wonder if I’m blogging or writing a novel. This is another long one, but this race was so fantastic it deserves a great big long review. Thus, I’ve broken it up in two parts, depending on what brought you to this website in the first place.

Part one: Preface/The competitive wave (a.k.a. Heather ramblings you’ve all grown to know and, uh, love?)

Part two: Course review (all the pictures and descriptions, fast forward to this if that’s what you are here for!)

Hero Rush OCR Logo
Part One: Do what scares you.
Image of a farm and a tractor at the site of the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

Hero Rush generously invited Geoff and I to their NY race to compete and review on my blog.  When given the registration code, I felt compelled to register for the competitive/elite wave.  I don’t know why I do these things, but I’m a very compulsive girl when it comes to adventures.  

So early Saturday morning, we left Vermont and made the (beautiful) drive up to Ballston Spa, New York.  The race was being held on Ellms Family Farm a really large and quaint New England-esque (though I realize NY is technically not in New England) farm.  Pumpkin patches, cornfields, tractors, red barns and silos. It was really a fantastic (and family friendly) location.  

We arrived in plenty of time to get front row parking ($10 parking fee, however spectators are free) check in and get our bibs and timing chips.  The volunteers were all incredibly friendly and seemed very excited to be a part of this race.

The weather was ominous and we weren’t quite sure if it was going to storm, but the show must go on.

Image of an American flag being flown off of a ladder on a fire truck at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

We wandered around the farm for a little bit.  You could certainly feel the theme of the Hero Rush with fire trucks and firefighters everywhere, as well as teams sporting t shirts from their home fire stations or honoring fallen firefighters.

There was an immense sense of camaraderie and pride for the real hero’s (not just the racers!).  We checked our bags (again, free, and really easy), and that’s when I turned to Geoff and said those magical words:

I think I want to race.

Heather Hart crawling through tires at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

Not just run the course, but actually race.  Try to win.   I had toyed with the idea ever since I had signed us up for the elite wave.  And now that we had arrived, I noticed that the competitive wave seemed to be relatively smaller compared to some other OCR races I’ve been to.  It had been so long since I’ve “raced” anything, and never before an OCR.  I doubted my strength, I doubted my health (still coming off of bronchitis) and I had no idea what I was up against. 

I thought of all the badass Spartan chicks who compete to win and laughed that I thought I’d show up to one of these trying to complete. But then I reminded myself that I *do* have a sub 20 minute 5k under my belt, I do train like a beast, and while I’m not the strongest or fastest chick out there, I certainly can be a force to be reckoned with.  And after all, we were registered for the competitive heat. Maybe it was meant to be.  Maybe it wasn’t either, but a good hard run couldn’t hurt.

So after a little bit of a warm-up, and a LOT of pacing in nervous circles in my part, we entered the starting corral.  We still had a few minutes before the 9:00 gun time, and I was a nervous flipping wreck.   I get that way before races I actually race.  Sick to my stomach, fidgety, it’s pretty ridiculous.   But before I knew it, we sang the national anthem, and the gun went off.
I can’t remember the details of the competitive wave (don’t worry, we actually ran the course twice, so full descriptions and pictures to follow).  All I know is that I took off like a bat out of hell, and as usual, it came back to kick me in the butt not even a half mile later.  I was leading female for a short bit, but at the first “victim carry” (tire drag), I got passed by another girl.  At that moment, I felt I had nothing left in me.
 
My lungs were screaming (and I was coughing, does this bronchitis last FOREVER?) and mentally, I was pissed. We had just STARTED the race, yet it hurt, I was uncomfortable, and reminded of how much fitness I truly lost while sick. But I kept pushing.  And after a few more obstacles, I found myself alone on a quiet stretch of gravel road. I felt my legs loosen up, and I did a little self-affirmation-pep-talk.  I reminded myself that I am a runner.  That I am strong.  That in the end, this is supposed to be fun.  So I put that smile back on my face, and got to work.
And while I never did catch that first girl, none of the others caught me either.
I came in second place female overall, with a time of 43:07 for a 3.8 mile obstacle course.  My first (and hopefully not last) obstacle course race award, needless to say I was over the moon.

But most importantly, I had a BLAST.

Three woman pose with their top three podium gift certificates at the finish of the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

Geoff found me before I even finished. He had come in just a few minutes before me, then back tracked and cheered/ran me (on the sidelines) to the finish line. I’m pretty sure the first thing out of his mouth was “that was SO fun, let’s do it again!”

Heather and Geoffrey Hart smiling and posing for a photo at the end of the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race

So after the awards ceremony, we went back to bag check where the volunteer was AMAZING enough to let me dig through my checked bag, drop off some items (award and medal) and grab our camera.   We hopped back in the corral for the next wave, and got ready to run the course for a second time.

And now, I bring you a play-by-play review of the New York Hero Rush

Part 2: Have fun & love what you do


– Course/race reviewTo start, we all lined up in a corral for obstacle #1, “Dispatch Descent”. At the sound of the horn, we ran up stairs to a platform with multiple fire poles on the opposite side. Slide to the bottom, where the starting timing mat was, and your race began.
Image of 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race participants sliding down metal poles during the event

There was A LOT of running in this race. I mean, 3.8 miles is 3.8 miles no matter what way you look at it, but for some reason, it just felt like a lot of running.  I think it felt this way because most of it was running through fields and on grass (there were occasional gravel roads, as well as some real muddy trail).   It was certainly doable for anyone, but it was far from traditional pavement or even well groomed trail running. We ran down a hill and through some cornfields where we encountered wooden windows, walls, and some doors. OCR’s have made me a champ at the over/under/through’s, but the doors were something new. I opened the first one with no problem, only to encounter another one. Door #2 didn’t open nearly as easy, and I certainly had to put some body weight into that thing to get it to swing open. Then there was more running.

View of woman jumping through wooden windows obstacle during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Then came a tire drag. Simple enough. Grab a tire (instead of on a rope, it was on a piece of fire hose) drag it a ways through the grass, around a big rock, and drag it back to the pile
Image of athlete dragging a tire attached to a firehouse down a grassy field during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Not only do you have to hip through tires on the ground, but avoid the ones hanging from ropes too.Not a difficult obstacle if you are lucky enough to enter this one alone.If you are in a crowd, however, watch out.
Heather Hart ducking to run through an obstacle full of swinging tires during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
30 compressions on a CPR dummy.
I found this one hilariously appropriate.Appropriate because it fit right in with the emergency theme, hilarious only because I felt the need to yell at the victims (HEY HEY, ARE YOU OK? Victim is unresponsive, YOU! CALL 911!!).However, my one single beef with the course is that this obstacle was unmanned.While I didn’t see it happen, Geoff said some of the front runners in the competitive wave blew through with just a compression or two, not fully completing the task.
Woman performs CPS on a small dummy in the grass during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
 Then of course, more running through the Christmas tree fields, to the next obstacle.  This was one of my favorites, yet one that made me really darn glad I’m not claustrophobic. Start with your typical tunnel crawl….except fill that tunnel with the occasional 2×4 and tons of ropes of various sizes, crisscrossing your path.
View of tunnels full of ropes and strings, an obstacle at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Heather Hart crawling through ropes and tunnels during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
More running, then onto the “Towering Inferno”.  This was both of our favorites, by far. The same aforementioned tunnels, except these were standing end on end. You entered a pool and decided which one you were going to climb up. Yes, up. Inside the tunnel were again randomly placed boards. Some were platforms, some a simple 2X4, some just a tiny block nailed to the side that you had to bolder up. Oh, and the whole time, water is raining down on your from hoses above, so forget trying to look up to see where you are going. Once you reach the top (I’d guess it was about 1.5 stories high?) you had to jump on a giant tarp slide that catapulted you into a giant pool below. If you weren’t soaked from the fire hoses in the tunnels, you were soaked now.

 

View of Heather Hart climbing down a tube while water rains from above during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Heather Hart crawling up and out of a tube onto a platform during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Heather Hart slides down a tarp into a pool of water during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
There was a “swimming through hazardous waste” obstacle….(some sort of creepy jello-y substance)

 

Heather Hart submerged in a pool of murky water during an obstacle at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
The face tells all.  Yuck.
Image showing gel beads stuck in hair of a participant of the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Gel remanents.  It’s still all over my car!
 More running, then an obstacle that I’ll admit, scared me a little at first.  A giant black tarp was all you could see.  The obvious instruction was “crawl under”.  But when you lifted the black tarp, you saw there were tiny (I’m talking only wide enough for one person) tunnels. Pick one, crawl through.  The first time I was racing, and in the midst of exhaustion and speed, I crawled in so fast that I couldn’t see anything (granted, it’s dark and smoky in there).  Well , surprise, the tunnel does not go straight, instead it is more maze like. And I crawled forehead first right into a wall.  I panicked for a second, but as my eyes adjusted, I saw a 90 degree turn opened up to another tunnel, and then another , and before I knew it, I was back out on the other side.
And  then there was more running.  I love trails.

OK maybe there was a little bit of mud…

Man runs through the woods and mud during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Team obstacle:  you had to wait for the next available person to show up (or if you are conveniently running with a buddy, use them!)  Then, carry your “victim” (two tires strapped together) on a stretcher, over walls, under barbed wire, through tunnels, and back under the barbed wire.  We may or may not have dropped our “victim” while taking photos.  Sacrifices made for the sake of blogging…
Image of Geoffrey Hart hauling tires on a board over a wooden wall during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
man drags tires under barbed wire obstacle during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
man drags tires on a board through a tunnel during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Some more running, then onto the foam obstacle (see the picture at the top of the page).  I was lucky enough to find the easiest, shortest route on the first run through, but many others were not so lucky, and were pacing back and forth in this foam filled cavern.

More running.

Next up was the most difficult obstacle, in my opinion.  First you climbed a fire hose to the platform below (if you can’t climb, there were ladders available).  Then, you walked DOWN a fire hose, sort of like a tightrope, using two other hoses to stabalize you. All three hoses moved independently, and it was a lot harder to maneuver than I initially imagined. This was also probably the scariest obstacle in my opinion, as there was nothing holding you up and nothing to catch you if you fall.  Hang on tight!

Image of an obstacle involving ropes and ladders during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Heather Hart climbs up a knotted fire hose being used as a rope climb during an obstacle at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
view of athletes climbing and balancing down ropes and fire hose during an obstacle at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Heather Hart attempts to balance on a fire hose obstacle during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
A ladder climb into a dark, smokey box car filled with bales of hay and wood obstacles, called the “hoarders nightmare” (I was expecting old Christmas decorations, garden gnomes, and lots of cats.)
2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race participants climb up a ladder and into storage containers
More over/under/throughs with your “victim”.
Geoffrey Hart drags tires attached to a fire hose under a wooden fence during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Geoff Hart drags tires attached to a fire hose over a wooden obstacle during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
The second to last obstacle was a great big pool of water.  You jump in and cross it…while spectators spray you with fire hoses.  Those little kids sure love to aim for the face !
Geoffrey Hart walks through a large pool while children aim fire hoses squirting water at him, during an obstacle at the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
Image of woman shooting water from a fire hose at participants during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
 Lastly, the infamous obstacle course fire jump.  However, being a firefighter themed course, it was only appropriate that there was not one, not two, and not even three but FOUR rows of flames to jump over.
Image of four rows of logs on fire for participants to jump over during the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
At the finish line (the first time through), I was handed a banana, a cup of water ,a women’s specific shirt (THANK YOU!  You have no idea how much us running chicks appreciate that!), a medal, and $5 in “Hero Dinero” which was good towards any post race food, merchandise, or….BEER!

 

Heather Hart smiling and holding a beer wearing a finishers medal at the end of the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race
I used my 2nd place certificate to purchase this awesome mug, and my $5 hero dinero to fill it with a delicious IPA!
image of t-shirts, finishers medals, a hat, and a beer stein all bearing the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race logo
Our loot!
image of a beer stein with the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race and the 2012 Hero Rush Obstacle Course Race finishers medal
After our second loop through the course, we decided to call it a day, change out of our wet clothes, and grab some snacks!    The Midway Inferno contained many snack and beverage options, and incredibly easy access to spectate at a handful of obstacles on the course.  After grabbing a celebratory beer, we settled in to watch the “343 wave” -a special heat honoring the heros who lost their lives on 9/11 – before finally packing up and heading home for the day.
Again, I was thoroughly impressed with this race, both the course, the swag, the atmosphere, and the staff.  It really meant a lot to me that every volunteer/staff member I spoke with seemed genuinely concerned about my opinion of the race.  One even went so far to ask specific details (was it competitive enough, what was your favorite obstacle, do you have any suggestions, etc).  It was not an incredibly large, crowded, race by any means, but I honestly hope that they continue with their race success and increase their popularity to become another one of these big  OCR’s that does sell out.
Wanna be a “hero”? There are still two opportunities left this year, and plenty more in store for 2013 all across the Nation.   If you are nearby, check out the Carolina race (October 20th), Illinois/midwest (October 6)  or Central Florida (Nov 3) at www.herorush.com, or sign up ahead for any of their 2013 locations.  Be sure to enter code “RTgannoe” for 15% off your registration!
FTC disclosure: I was provided with a free registration by Hero Rush, however, all opinions expressed are my own.
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Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion.   She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade.  Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.

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Comments

  7. I did this race last weekend as well. My friend and I were both very impressed and it was way more fun than warrior dash last month in Windham, NY. The swag was great!!

    Reply

  8. I did this race last weekend as well. My friend and I were both very impressed and it was way more fun than warrior dash last month in Windham, NY. The swag was great!!

    Reply

  10. Young Lady…your writing on this course was right on the money…I too did the WD in windham, ny and this made up for it by leaps and bounds…I could not describe to my wife the course (My combat boots were too heavy for me to think) but loved every last minute of the course…BTW…GREAT JOB documenting the course with your pics…KEEP RUNNING…or they will catch you!

    Reply

  11. Thank’s for the detailed review! I’ll be doing the Hero Rush in PA in August and I can’t wait. I’ve heard it was awesome, but this just makes me want to do it NOW! Why, oh, WHY is race season so short in the Northeast?!?!

    Reply

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