Ruckus Kansas City 2013—It’s Almost Here!

The week is finally here!  Ruckus Kansas City is only a few days away, and hopefully you are as excited as we are.

Sign up! Wednesday night at midnight is the deadline to sign up for Ruckus Kansas City, so first and foremost, make sure you have your heat time set up.  Then you are all set for the big day Saturday! 

Arrive on time! The Ruckus KC mud obstacle course is located at the Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, MO.  Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to arrive well before your race, as there may be traffic.  Also, parking is $10 per vehicle, so we recommend carpooling. 

Check in!  Once you have arrived, check-in with a photo I.D. one hour before race time and receive your pre-race information.  There are three different levels of course difficulty (Challenge, Heater and Mini), along with divisions for Men’s Open, Men’s Master (45+), Women’s Open and Women’s Master (45+).  Be sure to show up for the correct one – we don’t want anyone accidentally competing in the 4-mile race instead of the 2-mile (yikes!). 

Dress appropriately!  You will be running, crawling and climbing through some challenging terrain, so we suggest wearing comfortable clothing you wouldn’t mind dirtying.  Previous participants have also suggested wearing pants, gloves and even costumes for some great photo-ops.

Celebrate! Stick around after the race for some great food and adult beverages (for those of age, of course).  Saturday is going to be a fun, challenging and memorable day for everyone involved.  Don’t miss out on the excitement and entertainment that is Ruckus Kansas City! 

See you soon, KC! 

One Month Training Guide for a Mud Run

We are less than one month away from the Kansas City Ruckus mud run (and we’re expecting the 10:00am and 11:00am waves to sell out this week!)  This is an exciting and important time for everyone involved in Ruckus. While one month may seem like a while, it will go by fast! It’s important to maintain strong consistency with your training in order to achieve the mud run goal you’ve been working toward (and maybe even surpass it!).

So whether you’re a veteran runner or a first-time participant in a mud run, these helpful tips will ensure your success:

1.      Step up your training.
When runners are training for a marathon, they begin their hardest workouts a month before the big race. Training for the Ruckus, or any mud obstacle course for that matter, is no different. Begin your longest, hardest workouts now to make sure your body is totally prepared for the mud run. If you’ve been running three miles a day to train, start running four. That extra push will put you over the competitive edge.

2.      Get your gear in order.
Now is the time to take a full inventory of all your gear for the mud run. Leave nothing unaccounted for. This is important to do especially if you are ordering specific types of shoes or clothing that are only available online (this will ensure that ample time is allotted for shipping). It would be really disappointing to have a key piece of gear missing on race day. (Another helpful tip: don’t wear brand new shoes on race-day whether you’re in a mud run or a regular race.  First are foremost, you don’t want to ruin them.  And secondly, without breaking in your shoes properly, you could damage your feet with blisters and calluses.) 

3.      Beat yourself.
If you’re participating in Ruckus, odds are you love the idea of being the best version of yourself you can be. If you haven’t already been keeping track of your mile-times, pace and intervals, do so now. One month out from the mud run, track how long your runs are taking you and aim to improve by a few seconds each time. When it comes time to participate in mud run, a few seconds can make or break a runner winning a heat. MapMyRUN has excellent tools to help you track your routes, progress and times. Set out to beat yourself!

4.      Rest up.
The month before an event like Ruckus can lead to lack of sleep (perhaps you lay awake visualizing crossing the finish line!). However, research shows that lack of sleep can severely impair your physical capabilities. Sleep deprivation also takes a while to recover from, so sleeping a lot a couple of day before Ruckus won’t do you much good. Instead, reorient your life to match a healthy sleep schedule. You’ll be much better off for it in the long run – not just for Ruckus, but in general.

5.      Revel in your impending glory.
You are so close! You have taken a bold risk by stepping outside of your comfort zone and you have prepared for quite some time. Now it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Push through and achieve the dream you’ve been looking forward to! In a month, we’ll be applauding you as you reach the finish line. For now, we’re applauding you as you approach the starting line. Let’s do this!

Have tips on how you're training for Ruckus?  Want to share your training experience with us?  Have an incredible Ruckus training story?  Share it on Facebook! 

Top 5 Reasons to Love Mud Obstacle Courses

Regardless of your personal relationship with running, you can toss it out the window when it comes to Ruckus.  Don’t get us wrong—we love running.  But why stop there?  As long as you don’t mind dirtying a t-shirt and a pair of Asics, come off the beaten path and join us.  Consider why mud obstacles courses take fitness and fun to the next level.  We’ll make it easy on you and give you the top 5 reasons everyone should love a fun mud obstacle course race:

1. Escape the monotony of an ordinary road race.  Sure, you can find a 5K-road race to run just about any weekend.  But how often can you find a two-to four-mile course littered with more than 20 large-scale obstacles?  Instead of a few right and left turns through residential neighborhoods, you are forced to pull yourself across Gorilla Bars, climb over Nose Bleed Nets and either sprint or swim through the Mud Garden (just to name a few of our Ruckus obstacles).
2. Compete as an individual, team or family.  Although every competitor is timed individually, we encourage you to participate with friends, family and co-workers.  As long as you are willing to sacrifice a few seconds more to your final time, you may even stop to enjoy watching a loved one struggle out of our deep, muddy craters, called “Down-n-Outs.”
3. Push your mind and body to the limit.  Naturally, the Ruckus course is loads of fun, but we also acknowledge the competitive aspect of any race.  That’s why Ruckus provides the best of both worlds.  For the die-hard competitor, we offer the Champion’s Heat, which features a second race consisting of the top 10% of men and women finishers from earlier in the day.  Those who qualify for the Champion’s Heat will cover a total of eight miles of terrain for the day.  Now that’s a challenge many runners may be looking for.
4. Enjoy courses designed for various fitness levels.  Our mud obstacle course allows almost anyone to compete.  We have events for ages 2 to 72.  For the kids, there is the Mini, which allows children of all ages to take on various obstacles all day long.  The Heater is a 2-mile race course of obstacle after obstacle.  And the Challenge race offers a four-mile course aimed at the more serious competitor.
5. Get out of your rut and into a rut!  Try something new and different.  Give your body a workout it’s never experienced before.  Come join the fun and see what the buzz is all about.  Ruckus isn’t your everyday-available workout, so take advantage of the opportunity while it’s in your area! 

We hope you’ll consider joining us on the road, or in the mud, less traveled.  Ruckus offers a little bit of everything for everyone.  So when it comes to fitness, do you just work hard?  Or do you play hard?  

Share Your Ruckus Story!

Have you had an amazing Ruckus experience?  Wish you should share your experience with other RuckStars?  Now you can!  Ruckus is looking to spotlight your stories on our blog and Facebook page!

Simply email the following information to Profile@RuckusSports.com.  

• Name
• Hometown
• Occupation
• Favorite Ruckus obstacle
• Preferred race-day gear (what did you wear on race day?)
• Pre-race rituals
• Advice to future participants
• Favorite Ruckus memory
• What keeps you Ruckus-ing in 2013?
• A photo of you running your Ruckus or post-race
• Email address 

Once we receive your information, your Participant Profile will be considered to be spotlighted on our Ruckus blog as well as our Facebook page!

What are you waiting for?  Share your inspirational story about how you got ready for Ruckus, tell us about a time when your kid finished the Ruckus Mini, or tell us about why you loved your Ruckus experience!  

Don't forget to sign up for the Ruckus Kansas City - the most popular waves are beginning to fill up!

Kansas City, YOU’RE NEXT!

This past fall, we went bonkers in Boston.  We brought our A-game in Atlanta.  And we slid through St. Louis.  And now we are excited to announce that Kansas City—YOU’RE NEXT!!

Ruckus is making its way to Kansas City on April 6, 2013 (you only have a few months to get in Ruckus shape!).  The KC obstacle course, with plenty of gorilla bars, air loops and cargo nets for everyone, is one of our messiest ever and we can’t wait for you to be a part of it.

Registration for Ruckus Kansas City is now open.  Register before February 15 to receive a special, early-bird price of $60.00 (Ruckus Heater) or $75.00 (Ruckus Challenge).  A price increase will go into effect on February 15—so register now!

And remember—Ruckus Kansas City isn’t just for avid runners.  It’s for families and for people who love to have fun and get some exercise!  Bring the kids and have them participate in our famous Ruckus Mini.  Ruckus is the perfect way to spend some quality, muddy outdoor time with your friends and family.

See you in KC!

Are You Team Ruckus Or Are You Ridin' Solo?

Although Jason DeRulo may disagree, here at Ruckus, we believe that there are better things than ridin’ solo.  That’s why we have established Ruckus teams for you to participate in during your next Ruckus run!  What do we mean by teams exactly?  Ruckus teams allow you to register with a group of friends and family—big or small.  Although Ruckus teams are timed individually, teammates tend to add a strong support system throughout the obstacle courses.  After all, what better way to experience some added camaraderie than climbing a 14-foot cargo net with your loved ones? 

But are Ruckus teams for you?  Although a large majority of our participants do run in teams with family and friends, we also have those individuals who prefer to run solo.  But why?  And which one is for you?

Join a Ruckus team if...

• You enjoy (or have excelled in) team sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, football, volleyball or the like. 
• You prefer working out or going to the gym with a buddy.
• You perform better when you’re surrounded by other people.  
• You tend to be competitive with others.
• You naturally are more motivated by the people by your side. 
• You enjoy playing a leadership role and performing team-building skills.
• You’re interpersonal. 
• You have friends or family members that want to run Ruckus with you. 
• You are registering early!  Wave times often sell out fast and you must get in the same wave time as your teammates!

Run Ruckus solo if...

• You enjoy (or have excelled in) individual sports like swimming, golf, gymnastics, running, singles tennis or the like. 
• You like working out alone and getting “in the zone”. 
• You perform better when you only have to rely on yourself.
• You tend to be competitive with yourself or the clock. 
• You are naturally more disciplined.  
• You enjoy self-motivation.
• You’re intrapersonal. 
• You have friends or family members that would prefer to cheer you on during Ruckus rather than running it.

And don’t forget: It’s not too late to register your team for Ruckus St. Louis!  And be sure to learn more about Ruckus teams on our FAQ page.