Foam is the New Mud!

Warriors & Runners Take a Break From Their Hardcore Regiment to Enjoy a Day at Foam Fest

The Challenge:
To find a fun, unique event that my wife Carol and I could complete together to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.  If the 1st wedding anniversary is paper, then the "6th is Foam" (thanks Jim for the tagline). After an extensive search we finally stumbled upon a new, unique run...Foam Fest. The warrior in me was drawn in by several obstacles: "Death Drop", "The Torment", and "Bottomless Trench"; while my wife was intrigued by: "50' Slip 'N Slide", "Moon Walk", and "Stumpy Jumper".  Yes, this event definitely had something for both of us.  I agreed this would be the one, and why not? Even warriors need to stay so fresh so clean.

The Event:
Wait...did she say "50' Slip 'N Slide"?  Suddenly I was transported back to 1984 where my inner child battled to contain my heightened enthusiasm.  I knew this would be a tough day with my internal warrior self conflict versus Vinny the Kid self.  To the Foam! This event was well planned.  A+ for logistics, props to the event coordinator!  Parking was a breeze, lots of signage to find the Foam Fest, waiver table was easily visible upon entrance, use of the public park shower facility, beach, etc.  Instead of a plastic bag full of crap that I probably would ignore, I received a "virtual goody bag" with discounts.  Nice touch!

Immediately upon entry the fun factor was kicked into overdrive, DJ playing music, people wearing costumes, and creative team names everywhere!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Foam Fatales

Mudder F'ers

Despite the suggestive names and costumes ("it's provocative, it gets the people going!"), this event had a friendly, family appeal.  Many families brought their children and enjoyed a day of activity together.

Family Fun

The Fest also had an adult beverage tent hosted by Mike's Hard Lemonade.  That's where we ran into other interesting characters...

Monkeying Around?

Happy and You Know It!

The Race Run:

This is the first non-timed running event I have ever completed.  Thank you event coordinator for eliminating the clock, this allowed me to focus on just enjoying the ride.  The DJ music at the start got us dancing and having fun with the crowd.

The run is off-road with minimal elevation changes, making for a perfect introduction to both trail and obstacle running.  There was more wet dirt then there was mud, but that didn't matter because the foam obstacles were the real draw.  I was excited, anticipating every turn trying to sneak peek at what the next inflatable obstacle would be.  Several times my wife had to reign me in to remind me we were running together, but Vinny the Kid was searching for the Slip N' Slide, and eventually my senses led me to the FOAM!

Note to self: Don't open mouth to yell next time you are on a foam slide, soap does not taste good.
The slide was awesome... I ran, jumped, slide head first all the way into a pool of water and foam.  I stepped out covered head to toe in foam.  I looked like a lost Yeti. Awesome.  Vinny the Kid was utterly disappointed after realizing it's one & done.  No 2nd turns :(  Fortunately one of the final obstacles was another Slip 'N Slide!!!  Oh, and speaking of 1984...

My Vote for Favorite Costume

The run was a mix of inflatable obstacles and other challenges.  We navigated our way through the course with ease, (as did most people).  The course seemed to offer more of a mental challenge than a physical one (overcoming a fear of heights, resisting the chance to sneak back in line for more Slip 'N Slide action, etc).  About halfway through the race we came to the mother of all Foam Fest Obstacles..."THE DEATH DROP"  (This would be the equivalent of the giant shark from Jaws 3 or the Russian boxer Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.)

Sorry Slip 'N Slide, no hard feelings, but now I have a new favorite!  I climbed, I dropped, I loved; but the volunteer dude would not allow me to do it again :(

The rest of the race was a blur as all I could think about was scheming to sneak another Death Drop.

Final Analysis:
The Foam Fest was a blast!  It is a non-competitive 5k entry level obstacle race filled with unique obstacles that are the adult versions of childhood memories.  The Festival was well organized and family friendly.  Even though I considered this an easy course to complete, Foam Fest held it's own with entertainment value in both the festival atmosphere and the course itself.  I highly recommend this to anyone looking to kickback and enjoy a run without having to worry about time or whether or not you are being passed by a Ninja Turtle.  ...and if this race sparks your interest in fitness, we can help you get Insane for future events.

*special thanks to all Foam Fest participants that allowed me to feature their pic on my site