SOUTHWICK — What started out three years ago as a day of dirty endurance for a few thousand participants will swell to upwards of 15,000 strong, as the Rugged Maniac Obstacle Race challenge returns to the Southwick Moto-X 338 Sept. 29th and 30th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rob Dickens, chief operating officer of Rugged Races, LLC, based in Boston said more than 7,000 people have already signed up for the two-day event, and he anticipates two sold out days – the largest turnout of the company’s 14 nationwide races.
“It’s quite different from your normal flat road race, in that it is held off the beaten path and there is a lot of mud involved,” he said recently, adding it is not for the faint of heart – or fastidious.
Dickens, an attorney, said the Rugged Maniac races were originally created by his friend and fellow attorney Brad Scudder. Scudder was formerly a Springfield attorney while Dickens worked on Wall Street. The two met while in law school and hatched the idea a few years ago as they are both “outdoorsy,” according to Dickens. The races are held in various locations across the country and Dickens designs the courses himself. He and his partner felt there was a need to develop an alternative outdoor activity and with the resurgence in running over the past 10 years, felt this was a great alternative.
“There is barbed wire, lots of mud, and you get dirty head to toe. It’s a lot of fun,” said Westfield resident Christopher Nagle, who is running again this year.
Nagle, who is a general manager for the energy company Dresser-Rand, ran the race with a team last year to raise money for the Gray House, a small neighborhood human services agency located in Springfield (www.grayhouse.org). Nagle’s team raised about $500 and said he hopes to exceed that amount three-fold this year.
Although not a marathon runner Nagle feels confident he can complete the 3.2 mile race again, and says it gives you a great sense of accomplishment and team building.
“My advice is to train and be able to run five miles,” he said.The rugged endurance events are based on courses designed by Navy Seals, each with at least 20 obstacles constructed by licensed contractors. Although runners can race on their own, Dickens encourages team’s participation to encourage each person to complete the event.
The creators of Rugged Maniac support the Fisher House Foundation Inc. which is based on the Ronald McDonald House non-profit model. Fisher House provides a home away from home for families of patients who receive medical care at military and VA medical centers across the country (fisherhouse.org).
“They (Rugged Maniac) are wonderful supporters and we are very grateful that they reached out to us this year,” said Cynthia Campbell, vice president for community relations and media affairs for Fisher House Foundation, Inc. located in Rockville, MD
Campbell said the Rugged Maniac organization has raised $7,000 so far this year for their charity group from events held across the country. The Rugged Maniac creators encourage runners to make online donations to Fisher House when they sign up for the event. Next year, they will also partner with the USO as another charity of choice, said Dickens, a former West Pointer and member of the ROTC.
“We are one of the highest rated charities in the country, with very low administrative costs,” said Campbell, adding the industry standard for charities is that 25 percent generally goes toward overhead, while Fisher House only uses 3.5% of their donations toward administration costs, relying heavily on volunteers and grass roots efforts for fundraising.
“We want the money to go to the troops,” she said.
Fisher House Foundation served 17,000 families last year, saving families more than $25 million in lodging, food and transportation costs.
It can take from a half hour to more than an hour to finish the obstacle course that includes climbing over walls crawling through mud, over tires, water obstacles and a trip down a slide.
“I got whacked by a tire last year,” admitted Longmeadow resident Tina D’Agostino, who also plans to race again this year.
The petite mother of two teenagers works at City Stage and Symphony Hall in Springfield. She can run about five miles tops and feels that is suitable training for this challenge. Most of the rugged maniac races are comprised of approximately 50 percent women- the highest percent of any co-ed adventure race, according to the creators.
D’Agostino found out about the race on Facebook, and she and her friends engaged in a lot of good natured egging on to psyche themselves up before last year’s event. When she first started training near her home at the local playground in Greenwood Park she received strange looks as she climbed and ran around the kids’ jungle gym in preparation for Rugged Maniac. She equates her early Rugged Maniac training to a Forest Gump type of experience.
“Yeah, I’m really not crazy, I was just trying to mix up my training a bit,” she said, with a laugh. “There is a great party afterwards, and that is your reward.”
The two daylong events include more relaxing-and clean-activities that go until 7 p.m., with beer provided by Harpoon Brewery and live music from local bands.
