By Gail Wood
Even Jenny Wilson admitted it sounded like a crazy idea.
Who would want to jump over a fire, squeeze through a 20-foot plastic tube, crawl through mud, slosh across a slip-and-slide and scale a 11-foot-high cargo net?
Well, 1,100 people, a mix of runners with a zany bungee-jumper’s mentality have signed up to do just that. The first-annual Rampage, a challenging 5K obstacle race at Lacey’s RAC, will be held Oct. 8 starting at 9 a.m.
“We’re pleasantly surprised,” said Wilson, the race coordinator and Lacey Parks and Recreation staff member. “We hoped for maybe about 500 people.”
Dani Johnson is excited about the challenge. While she doesn’t consider herself to be a runner, she is a competitor. So, Johnson, along with some other people who take her fitness class – Extreme at the Academy of Brian Johnson in Lacey – is both excited and anxious about the race.
“We’ve been doing circuit training for about a year, so I think we’re well prepared,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be fun.”
To prepare for the cargo net climb, Johnson has had her fitness class climb a rope. But there is no preparation for sloshing through mud. She’s already got a post-race recovery plan.
“We’re going to get into the back of Brad’s truck and go through the car wash,” Johnson said with a chuckle.
It’s that physical challenge of the Rampage that seems to be the attraction.
Even though there won’t be a prize given to the top finisher, Johnson admits her group will be gunning for that uncrowned title.
“I’m competitive. You put something in front of me and I’ll go,” Johnson said. “If you watched our class, you’d see how competitive we all are. But in a fun way.”
Johnson is in the first group that will begin the obstacle course. Every half hour from 9:30 to 3:30 p.m. a different group will start, preventing the course from being too crowded.
Lon Perplies, who has lost 75 pounds in the past few years and is is Johnson’s fitness class, is set for the challenge of the Rampage.
“It sounds like a lot of fun,” Perplies said. “It’s something different than just going out and running. Running can be a little boring.”
A year ago, Wilson began looking into hosting an obstacle course event, a break from the tradition fun runs. She went to a similar event in Portland and began planning to host an obstacle race here.
“It’s not your average run,” Wilson said. “It’s a little different. I think it encourages people to be healthy and active and fit. It’s also a way for make your fitness fun.”
Other obstacles in the race include running through a long line of tires, climbing a 8-foot-high stack of hay bails, flipping over the hood of a junkyard car, and slipping through a “spiderweb” that’s made out of bungee cords. There will also be 3-foot hurdles for people to jump over. The final event is the 15-foot long mud pit.
Wilson is surprised by what the most popular age group of the race is.
“We’re drawing a lot of people in their mid 30s to mid 40s,” Wilson said. “You’d kind of think we’d draw a younger crowd. We really have all ages signed up.”
To ensure a quality event, Wilson capped the race at 1,100, closing registration two weeks before the race. Next year, she plans on expanding the registration and enlarging the turnout.
This year every finisher will get a dog tag that says “I survived the Rampage at the RAC.” Everyone entered will also receive a T-shirt.
Johnson isn’t concerned about whether she’s fit enough. It’s whether her ankles and knees will hold up to the challenge of the rugged course. But Johnson figures she’s got an edge. At 5-foot-2, she won’t have any trouble negotiating through the plastic tubes.
“I’ve got a couple of girls who are 5-10, 5-11,” Johnson said. “They’ve got the advantage climbing up a net. But it’s to my advantage climbing through a little tunnel. I just don’t think you can pass someone when you get behind them.”
Johnson is looking for an edge wherever she can get one. Let the fun begin.
