MUDDY BUDDY EXPERIENCE part 3 to end

Hopefully you have read part 1 and part 2 below, if not scroll down and start from the beginning! Thanks for the support.

...Ride baby ride!! The trail goes up hill. Cool I can do this! This is me, I am the "Billy Goat" as my homeys call me on the trail. The hill gets steep, I am passing bikers walking and runners. This gal pushing her bike looks over and says "good job man". Just then I spin out. I have running shoes, no clips. Normally I would pull up with my locked in shoes and continue. I spin out in the moon dust and am forced to push. I push at a run, I don't where that energy came from, but I go. It’s not far to the top, a left turn around, I remount and ride.

There is a big down hill road. This is why JT put me in this position. Down the hill I go. At first, I rest. Then I realize "why am I here" I hit the peddles and shift into the downhill gear. I peddle hard I pass bikers left and right. I am flying, probably over 30 mph. "On your left" I yell as I pass both bikers and runners again! I scream out, "I can't run, but I sure can ride." A rush of adrenalin as I use my strength. I ride down in to the park area and must slow due to congestion of people. DAMN! I can't get around. I see the next check point and obstacle.

The next obstacle is rope net climb. Probably 30+ feet. I drop the bike and head over. It is steep! Again I push the limit. I climb hand foot hand foot, go, go, go! Many others are with me and I feel proud not to be passed. I hit the top and throw myself over. It is a slide, but straight down. It was kinda scary or maybe I was loosing it. I slide down backward landing upside down. JT is laughing "You should have seen that, that was awesome" he says. Then "let's go this is the last leg". "No way," I say. "I ran first, there has to be two more segments." No, this is it. OK! I've decided right then and there, we made a mistake on positioning for the race. Next year I ride first and work to my strengths. Who cares about one crazy down hill, we need to switch next year.

This time JT stays with me, "no reason to get ahead at this point, we have to cross together." There is a rest room and I take a needed break. Normally the trails are empty. So, when I ride there is relief at any tree or bush. I've been holding it for a while. We continue, but now it's not too bad. A little rest and some flat land. JT is coaching me along. Another hill! I start up and am walking. Not AGAIN! Most bikers have to push up. JT disappears. Event people are around shouting words of support. "Your almost there", "Great Job", "keep going", it really does help. At the top of the hill, JT is waiting. It’s a down hill dirt trail. "Ooh this looks fun!" JT give me the bike, "I know you want to do this downhill, take the bike" he says. OK, so we cheated. It wasn't for times sake - our time was horrible but it was gnarly dirt downhill.

I take off cruising skidding but under control. I drop this hill, passing many bikers and runners. An awesome drop and turn emerges, 2 bikers and a runner congest the trail. I can't get around without risk to the others and myself. The trail is dirt, unlike the rocky granite trails at home. I'll take the hit. But I can't choose for them, I can't get around. So I slow and follow them around the drop and turn. Then more gradual downhill. Well to me, gradual, some bikers walk down the hill. We are entering the home stretch. Too many, the trail runs at the base of a hill, I ride up on the side of the hill to overpass a group of bikers and race for the finish. I am riding hard but we are hitting grass and the last transition to the MUD PIT! I see event guys waiving "off the bike" I slow down and dismount.

Entering the bike area I am confused on what to do next. JT - I see him back down the trail, the runners stop earlier and wait for their buddy to enter the mud pit together. I join him and some guy is taking off his camelback. I give my camelback to Kelley. I think, now this is a great service. Well, Cristy and Kelly, JT's sister and brother in law, were there to cheer us on. We gave our camelbacks and started to the finish.

JT says, "come on" and starts a full sprint. It was a couple hundred feet in the grass to the entrance of the mud pit. Exhaustion is no longer within me. Exhilaration and adrenalin are filling me with fire. We run full bore to the mud pit. JT of course beats me. I slide under the cargo net, into the MUD PIT. We have to go through about 60 feet of mud approximately 10 inches deep. This is the mud pit.

Funny thing, in the morning we went over an scoped out the MUD PIT. It looked gross. It had that foamy chocolate mike like look. It was cold at that time. I remember thinking, I don't know if I can crawl through that. At this moment, I don't even think. I just start swimming through the mud. Head first, I do a shallow dive under the ropes, swimming for the finish. I cruise quickly. I feel JT pull my back. I was smoking him through the mud pit. I hear someone yell out, "hey no pulling." I realize how far a head I am and I surge towards the end. JT grabs again and it actually gaining on me. I am covered in mud. I can barely see. I feel my body being pushed to the side. We have cleared all the ropes, you are required to go under to traversing the pit. We rise from the mud together, like Rambo. JT grabs me again and I realize we are not done. There is to be a victory dance. Wrestling to the finish line, we throw each other down into the mud again. The crowd roars at our wrestling maneuver. We get up again knowing the race is over. WE WON! Well, by finishing we won.

Our time will be easy to beat next year, but we did it. And I did my first Muddy Buddy event. We cross the finish together and headed for the hoses to rinse off our face and eyes so that we can see. Then off to another area where hundreds are showering the mud away. What a day! I am hungry. I am exhausted, I am exhilarated. It was Awesome!! I had no idea how great it would feel to be the Muddy Buddy! My first thoughts are for next year, we will be competitive next year!

I have to express a SPECIAL THANKS to CRISTY AND KELLY for their support, hospitality and most specially for capturing this awesome moment in a Kodak way. Cristy took all the pictures I have shared. It was difficult to express this journey, and without the pictures it would have been impossible.