RELENTLESS FORWARD COMMOTION
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Run the Apocalypse – Swanzey, NH – race preview

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Last Updated on September 28, 2019 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

I live in the middle of nowhere.

Well, I suppose Brattleboro is a more “urban” town by Vermont standards, but it is far from a metropolitan area that attracts big events or races.  A town just across the border, Swanzey NH, is even smaller.  So imagine my surprise when I heard that someone was going to put on an obstacle course race this fall in our tiny area.

apocalypseAnd not only did I hear about the race from a flier at my gym…I heard about it on the radio, on bulletin boards around town, on large banners at the race venue, on fliers left at my car at other races hours away, and from countless local friends who have asked me if I knew anything about the race.   (Kudos on your advertising efforts Apocalypse Run!)

Well you guys asked, so I got some answers for you.

With the current spike in the popularity of obstacle course racing, many athletes have become very hesitant of spending their money on start up, inexperienced events.  Trent McShea, race director of the Run the Apocalypse, which is scheduled to be held at the Cheshire State Fair Grounds in Swanzey, NH, on August 31, 2013 and September 1, 2013, was kind enough to answer some interview questions for this post, to let potential racers know what kind of experience they can expect from his race .

RFC: Tell us a little bit about your background.

Trent: I am a former Marine, so my love of obstacles began in bootcamp in 1987. I had the pleasure of training on all sorts of crazy courses in the marines including a very difficult one in Quantico VA, called “mad max”. The Marines share that course with the FBI and use it to train with live fire rifles and handguns and grenades! So picture running in your favorite obstacle course race, then firing live ammo at pop up targets and tossing real grenades at targets along the course. I was hooked. We swam in underground tunnels with real snakes in the water (garden snakes, but still) . In the years after the Marines and all those fabulous courses and other activities like rappelling and sky diving etc., I discovered this new sport of obstacle course racing.

My son and I began participating and volunteering in as many as we could about 3 years ago and decided that we should make our own company based on my unique experiences and those of other military, law enforcement and fire fighter personnel. We got sponsored by PAL -Police Athletic League and then went to work creating our vision.
AR2RFC: This is the inaugural event for Run the Apocalypse, what was the motivation behind creating this race?
Trent: We love the sport and all the various themes presented by other companies. You can have zombies chase you, fight spartan warriors, crawl and swim through mud, etc. We thought it would be fun to come up with a new theme and a whole new style of obstacle course running. That’s when i thought of the 5, 10, 15K option idea.

RFC:  How will the Apocalypse Run be different from every other mud run and obstacle course race on the circuit?

 Trent: At Apocalypse Run, you can run a 5k, take your medal and t shirt and go home. But if you have the strength at the finish line, you can simply pass on the medal and shirt and continue on to the next loop of the course. That will be 10k total at the end. Now you get an even better medal. But if you can do it one more time, on yet another all new 5k loop with all new obstacles and terrain, you can try to complete the entire 15k course. When you are done, you will have completed the entire 15k and will get the best medal that represents your achievement.

Also, our theme is – the post apocalyptic wasteland. You and your friends have to learn to survive. Now that there are no grocery stores, no police and ems to help you etc. How will you live. You need food, water, shelter, fire and health. We have 5 key obstacles across the course that represent these 5 survival elements. If you can defeat these obstacles, you earn a wristband. You show your wristbands at the end to receive your finisher medal.

RFC: Is this race marketed towards beginners, elite athletes, or everyone? Why/how?
Trent: The whole point of our event is to appeal to all runners. We are not timing the event. You don’t have to sprint through the course, though you are welcome to. It’s all about survival and teamwork. Call it a race if you like, we do sometimes out of habit, but it’s about making it to the end and facing your fears. A child will be able to make it through the first 5k, maybe just not so fast, and they will have to face some tough obstacles. The second loop is very challenging and will cause many to drop out. The final 5k loop is pretty insane and many experienced runners will quit and have to train harder to try again next time. 
But everyone who completes at least the first 5k will earn their shirt and medal.

RFC:  Can you tell us about your obstacles? How many can we expect per lap? Is this a running heavy course, or an obstacle heavy course?
Trent: I love to run and I love obstacles. We are taking advantage of the natural terrain in addition to the crazy things we are building in order to have a nice mix of long runs with a mix of challenging obstacles. We will have some staples of the sport like rope climbs, cargo nets, mud crawls under barbed wire etc. But there will be other challenges that no one has ever seen on a course and never will again. I promise you obstacles that will surprise you.

(From the website: “You will earn survival elements at key obstacles by performing certain stunts, succeeding at a challenge. You will receive a bracelet at these challenges to prove that you succeeded. At the finish line, you will exchange these bracelets for your medal and t-shirt.  You need a minimum of 3 bracelets to be considered a race finisher. So if you earn a 4th and or 5th and then lose one, you will still be ok if you have at least 3. “

” you will encounter our ‘Marauders’  at various points. These are wasteland survivors who are going to try and stop you from getting past certain point, prevent you from succeeding at certain obstacles. You will have to fight your way past them with hand to hand combat skills. They will be wearing pads for everyone’s protection and the combat will be a sort of light contact fight where you may need to score a point to move on. No one is getting punched in the face, not on purpose anyway.”)

AR3
RFC:  many new mud runs (and some of the bigger names as well) have been criticized for the poor structure of their obstacles, compromising the safety of participants. What are you doing to ensure the safety of your participants?
Trent: We have felt the same concerns. Safety is priority one. We will have many crazy obstacles but will not have any huge, wooden contraptions. No house size obstacles built from wood etc. We are more focused on ground level things that will not collapse. Maybe some day we will have elevated monkey bars over water etc. But not until we are further along and have huge budgets to hire professional engineers and construction crews.

RFC:  What can runners expect as far as post race activities? Bands, beer, etc? Medals, t-shirts?

Trent: Sadly there will be no beer at our first event. The local government makes it way too hard to serve alcohol at the site. But there will be music from rock 101 radio on site and we are still looking into live bands. Not sure yet on that. Camping will be allowed. Free shirts and above all, let me say this – the best finisher medal you have ever seen! I have been very disappointed at the end of some other races. I want a medal to hang on the rack in my office. I don’t especially want a sweat band or a drinking glass etc. In my last two races as a customer, that’s what i got at the end and everyone complained after the race. Just you wait until you see the medals i have – I spent thousands of dollars on them.

(RFC note: I love race bling.) 

Bottom line – I want to position myself as the best value, most fun , most unique, coolest obstacles and the best damn medal at the end! That’s my mission statement!

RFC:  Will this race be spectator friendly? Is there a charge for spectators?

Trent: Spectators are encouraged, it’s free at the first event and there will be great areas where they can watch key parts of the event. I even have one area where the spectators get to participate by using giant sling shots to launch rubber balls at the participants as they try to make it through one of my favorite obstacles called “field of screams” oops, I’ve said too much. Forget i said that.

RFC:  Are you looking for volunteers? Who should potential volunteers contact

There is a link on our website for volunteers (click here) . We do need lots of volunteers.

RFC:  Do you have any specific training tips that will help potential participants in the apocalypse run?

Trent:  Cardio, upper body strength for climbing, stair master for hill climbing and above all, mental toughness. You will have to make some decisions on the course. Will you take the easy way out, or face your fears and go for it?

RFC:  Anything else you want to tell us about the race?
Trent: Bring your friends and make a team. We will have awards for the best teams. 3 or more makes a team and results will be judged on the top 3 performing members of each team. Time is not a factor. Achievements during the event will earn you points. These points are awarded based on how you handle the challenges.  This is going to be a lot of fun!
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As mentioned earlier, the race is planned for August 31st & September 1st in Swanzey, NH.  Other points of interest I noticed on the website: 
 
-Free digital, downloadable pictures after the event
-Bag check available , $5.00
-On-site camping available  (15.00 without electrical hookup. 30.00 with electrical hookup.)
-Current early bird registration is $60
  More information can be found at the website, http://www.runtheapocalypse.com/

(even more information?  Check out the New England Sphaten’s interview with Trent)
 
Have any questions for Trent?  Post them in the comments section below, and we will try and get some answers for you!   
 
Always fans of supporting the local running scene, Geoff and I will be there, attempting the 15K, and hoping it will be great training for the Spartan Ultra Beast.   Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Trent, and we will see you in August! 
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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

  1. Good info all around. I’m still a bit suspect on the “Hand to Hand” fighting aspect…But everything else sounds good. I’m looking forward to it. Wishing Trent good luck and many more races to come.

    Reply

  2. Is this race 100% going to happen on the dates listed? My race calender is pretty full but I do have August 31 open and would hate to register only to have the race moved to a date I can’t do. Thanks

    Reply

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