Ruckus Kansas City 2012 Photo Recap: Some of our Fav Shots

If you joined us last weekend for Kansas City’s muddiest, craziest, most chaotic mud run yet, you may want to relive the moment.  Lucky for you, we are providing a sneak preview of some of the coolest pictures from Ruckus Kansas City.  Take a look below and be sure to Like us on Facebook to see more photos from Ruckus Kansas City.  

You've been warned: There will be mud.  

RuckStars face Mount Ruckmore head-on. 

When we said you'd get messy, we weren't kidding. 

That's one way to climb the Ruckus ladder.

Because mud really brings out your eyes.

Facing your fears.

Big or small, Ruckus is for all.

Finishing up the obstacle course with a slide down Mount Ruckmore.

Blazin' her own trail. 

The chance to compare bruises.

Start with a run.  Finish with a crawl.  

Don't just run Ruckus...slide Ruckus, too.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

Who says dudes can't enjoy a mud mask?

Sometimes, tires aren't meant to roll.

Ruckus KC: For ages 2 to 92.

Redefining "laydlike" at Ruckus KC.  

Hang in there, RuckStars!

Nothin' but net during this Ruckus obstacle.

The bruises will fade, accomplishment won't.

Sometimes, the path to enlightenment has barbed wire.

Mount Ruckmore: Redefining "slip and slide".

Ruckus Team bringing you the biggest, best obstacles in KC.

Prepare for Ruckus Mini!

Swingin' from rope to rope.  Tarzan would be proud.

It's a whole new take on "recess".  

Giving their manicurists a run for their money.

Pre-mud jump!

When obstacles are in the way, don't go around them. Climb them.

Spidercrawling through this Ruckus challenge.

Still glowing after ropes, trenches and monkey bars.

Because you and your friends should have something to talk about.

Overcoming obstacles...with leaps and bounds!

Pat yourself on the back (as soon as you can lift your arms again!).

Proving that life is short and it's important to stir it up!

Make some noise!

The bruises will fade, achievement won't. 

Making those reps mean something!

A victorious slide down Mount Ruckmore (Hey, nice pants!).

Ruckus: Because everyone should know the meaning of OMG.

Seem like an event that’s right up your alley?  Register today for Ruckus St. Louis!  We will have the same photo coverage for the St. Louis event—and it’ll be an obstacle course you REALLY don’t want to miss.  After all, how many chances to you get to slide down Mount Ruckmore?  Or climb up a mound of tires?  Or swing across a mud pit like Spiderman?  Come out and play on May 5th. 

2012 Ruckus Kansas City Recap from Participant Ryan Falkenrath

This blog is brought to you by Ryan Falkenrath, Kansas City Endurance Sports Examiner and participant in the 2012 Ruckus Kansas City obstacle course.  Ryan has participated in multisport events in the midwest ranging from 5k's to 1/2 ironmans and marathons since 2001. Ryan's advice has helped many midwest athletes prepare for their first or 20th event, ranging from equipment topics to course strategies. Check out his Man Vs Triathlon web site, Facebook Page or contact Ryan at falkeetriathlon@hotmail.com.


If you have been following the blog here lately, then no doubt you figured out that Ruckus Kansas City came and went last weekend...

It was only the second time I have ran an obstacle course race.  Ironically it was the second Ruckus race.  I guess you go back to the well for a good thing.

Preview
My goals were simple.

1. Don't hurt myself
2. Don't hurt the knee any further
3. Try and get to the Champions Heat
4. Get in front of my heat to avoid lines at obstacles 

Pre Race
It was a nice experience having my heat at 11:20am.  I had time to sleep to a decent hour, get a run in to the grocery store and get completely prepared.

Em was suppose to run with me, but she needed to cover some stuff for work and missed out!  Lame.  =)

So I was on my own.

It was simple.  Pack long socks for rope burns.  Pack trail shoes from last year that will be worthless after the race.  Pack the ace knee sleeve.  Then, I was out.

The race was not the same...
The course was obviously different than 2011.  They had a large tower structure dubbed "Mt Ruckmore" set up in the middle of the finish area and the course was run the opposite direction as 2011.  They had different obstacles, they built the rope / pole army crawl obstacles with more lines for less congestion and they kept some of the staples from last year.

My mission was to get out ahead to avoid lines at obstacles.  It worked as I burned out ahead of my group and let the field catch up with me as the race went on.

Overall I had a great time and gave 100%.  Some new LESSONS LEARNED.

1. High socks - they will  slide down in the water / mud pits unless you tape them up.
2. Find a place for your keys and don't take them with you.  I put mine in my socks and was worried about losing it when in puddles and my socks starting slipping down.  I had to be careful in the mud pits and couldn't go full steam.
3. My knee sleeve kept sliding as well.
4. My shorts kept falling, too.  Tie the shorts and tape all clothing that may slide with water.  My shorts absorbed too much water and did not have a tie string, so they kept sagging and I had to keep pulling them up.  Kind of a pain.

The course wasn't the problem as much as my clothing issues.


Results
It's hard to compare to 2011.  The course was different.  It was fundamentally the same distance and same amount of obstacles.  There was less mud this year as well.

I finished in 39:34.  That was good enough for 131 overall.  I missed the Champion heat by 2 minutes, which was probably a good thing since my heat was at 11:20am and the champion heat was at noon.  Not good planning.  If I'm there in 2013, I'll go for earlier for less congestion from previous heats, less course wear and more time to rest should I make the champion heat.

In 2011 I ran it in 39:34 and that was good for 139 overall.  I felt in better condition to run it this year, but I had more issues with clothes that slowed me down. 

The dude that won overall ran it in 27:28.  That's serious.  He also won last year.  Jerk.  =)

Results HERE. 

Some lessons to pass on....
The lesson is trying to find the five fingers type of shoe for less mud and water in the shoes,  more form fitting clothing and use my feet to hook over ropes and pole crawls to avoid needing long socks.

I also did not wear gloves and it seemed to work out just as good as wearing gloves last year.

More tips HERE.

In wrapping it up...
I wasn't going out to win it.  I wanted to be competitive and have fun at the same time.  Due to clothing malfunctions, I think I could have done better.  I'll have to implement my lessons learned and see where that gets me.

Check out my TECHNICAL REVIEW HERE.  It's more of a review of different areas of the race more than my recap of my experience.


Congratulations to Ryan for finishing Ruckus Kansas City!  Want to try Ruckus for yourself?  We'll be in St. Louis on May 5th.  Don't miss it!  

Ruckus Recovery: 3 Do-It-Yourself Ice Packs

For those of you who ran in Kansas City Ruckus on Saturday, you may be hurting today.  It’s inevitable: Ruckus is a challenging, difficult course and you’re bound to be a little tired, if not sore, a few days after the completion of the race.  So what can you do to soothe those aching muscles?  Try any one of these three DIY ice packs and jumpstart your Ruckus recovery!

1.  The Slushie

There’s nothing like cooling down in the summer with a delicious slushie.  But slushies aren’t just refreshing to the taste, they’re also refreshing to the touch!  Try the Slushie DIY ice pack and heal those aching muscles in no time: 

                              STEP 1:  Fill a zip-top freezer bag with 3 parts water, 1 part rubbing alcohol

                              STEP 2:  Toss the bag into the freezer

                              STEP 3:  After about 20 minutes, take the bag out and apply to aching area

2.  The Wet Blanket

Although being a “wet blanket” may have a negative connotation, this DIY ice pack is sure to leave you feeling positively refreshed (and maybe even geared up for Ruckus St. Louis!):

                              STEP 1:  Wet a small towel with cool water

                              STEP 2:  Wring out and eliminate as much water as possible

                              STEP 3:  Freeze for 20 minutes and apply ice blanket to the skin

3.  The Side Dish

The third DIY ice pack is a classic—it uses frozen vegetables to help you recover from Ruckus!

                              STEP 1:  Take a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer

                              STEP 2:  While in the bag, break peas apart

                              STEP 3:  Wrap a light towel around the bag of peas & apply for 15 min

Want more tips and tricks for your Ruckus recovery?

Follow us on Twitter! @RunRuckus

The Ultimate Ruckus Pump Up Playlist

After a muddy, physically challenging and super successful Ruckus Kansas City on Saturday, we received some great feedback from many of our RuckStars.  But one of the comments we received was quite unexpected—the impact that our music made on the Ruckus community before, during and after the Ruckus obstacle course run.

 

Before each Ruckus event, we put together a playlist of songs that we think our RuckStars need in order to stay pumped up before the race, motivated during the race and celebratory after the race.  Then, we blast it on our giant Ruckus speakers for the entire community to hear.

It has been proven time and time again that good music has a positive effect on exercise.  Music acts as a mood enhancer, helps with synchronization and assists with overall bodily coordination.  That’s why we created the ultimate playlist for our Ruckus attendees—so that we could help them achieve all of their Ruckus goals!

Want to bring out your inner RuckStar every day or listen to some pump up songs in preparation for Ruckus St. Louis? Download some of these songs straight from iTunes, hook those headphones around your ears and crank up the volume!

1. Paradise by Coldplay
2. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men
3. Midnight City by M83
4. Got it All by Portugal, The Man
5. Good For Great by Matt and Kim
6. Levels by Avicli
7. Tongue Tied by Grouplove
8. Colours by Grouplove
9. Little Secrets by Passion Pit
10. Hello by Martin Solveig
11. Lay Me Down by Dirty Heads feat. Rome of Sublime
12. 1901 by Phoenix
13. Gucci Gucci by Kraychaen
14. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by Coldplay
15. Beautiful People by Chris Brown
16. Sail by Awolnation
17. The Machine by Florence and the Machine
18. Hate To Say I Told You So by The Hives
19. Come As You Are by Nirvana
20. Disparate Youth by Santigold
21. Moneygrabber by Fitz and the Tantrums
22. Punching in a Dream by The Naked and Famous
23. Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
24. The Joy Formidable by Whirring
25. Young Folks by Peter Bjorn & John
26. Help I’m Alive by Metric
27. I Need a Dollar by Aloe Blacc
28. Time to Pretend by MGMT
29. Pressure Drop by Toots & The Maytals
30. 40 Day Dream by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
31. Helena Beat by Foster the People
32. Hang Me Up to Dry by Cold War Kids
33. Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
34. We Found Love by Rihanna
35. Not Your Fault by Awolnation
36. Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
37. She Wolf by Shakira
38. King Without a Crown by Matisyahu
39. Obstacle 1 by Interpol
40. Electric Feel by MGMT
41. We Used to Wait by Arcade Fire
42. Kids by MGMT
43. Lisztomania by Phoenix
44. Icky Thump by The White Stripes

We would be surprised if these songs don’t motivate you to sign up for Ruckus St. Louis!  So why not register right now?  See you on the obstacle course with the music pumping! 

Sneak Peek of Ruckus Kansas City: Our Muddiest Obstacle Course Yet!

When we said that we’re obstacle-running, wall-climbing, mud-throwing athletes, we weren’t kidding.  That’s why we’re bringing Kansas City our muddiest, craziest, most downright adventurous obstacle course yet.  And it all comes together this weekend at Ruckus Kansas City.

Kansas City, are you ready to get down and dirty and cause a Ruckus?  Here is an exclusive sneak peek of what team Ruckus is putting together for you this weekend at the Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, MO!

What could this structure be for?  You’ll find out at Ruckus Kansas City on March 31!  

We hope you’ve been practicing your rope climbing skills! There’s more where this came from...

Hope you're in shape for the tire pit! 

More ropes take over the Ruckus KC obstacle course. 

A nod to the Hunger Games? You'll feel like Katniss in this portion of Ruckus KC!

Because mud brings out your eyes. 

More obstacles, more challenges, more fun! What could this be? 

We hope you're in the mood to take a dip, RuckStars!

The Grand Finale! How will this obstacle bring out your inner Ruckus? 

Plus, we’ve got great news!  The forecast for the day of Ruckus Kansas City (Saturday, March 31) is 61 degrees and partly cloudy.  The perfect weather to get running, get muddy and get competitive!

Care to join us?  Come cheer on the RuckStars throughout almost the entire course (we have the best spectating capabilities of any other obstacle course out there!).  Stop by on Saturday, March 31 at 348 E. Old 40 Highway in Grain Valley, MO and get your Ruckus on!