It was raining and it was muddy! It was exactly what I signed up for. The course this year was about 3.6 miles long. The first mile was brutal and the muddiest. I couldn't exactly run through the mud because my shoes would sink so far down. It was a great workout! They have obstacle courses throughout-- like a big slide, over and unders, monkey bar things, tire obstacles, and climbing on the beach. The combination of people that go are super awesome. You have military people, groups dressed up, families, and those people who like to just scream randomly! They gave oranges and bananas at the end for all race finishers. MONSTER gave out some drinks for free too. I usually don't drink that, but the zero sugar ones tasted pretty good. It was great to see the yelp family there too. Yelp had a booth that took your picture at the end! If you plan on doing this-- wear your bathing suit underneath. Wear knee high socks (if you don't wear pants) and I recommend bringing a towel, change of clothes with you and flip flops. You have the option to hose off all the mud/dirt at the end. Oh and I borrowed duct tape from some nice strangers. (Thank you to them!) The website and information packet say don't use duct tape on your shoes, but it's necessary if you want to keep your shoes from sticking in the mud. Overall it's a fun run! I only ran parts of it, yet managed to finish in the top 25 for the women's division. So if I can do it-- you can too! read more

Had a great time. Super muddy due to all the rain. Great workout even though I couldn't run the whole thing...not sure if anyone actually can with all the water and the wait to go through some of the obstacles. Male sure you bring a towel, a change of clothes and some flip flops for the end. read more

I didn't really know what to expect coming into this "race." I participated and ran the "race" with Team Yelp for the 20th annual Swamp Romp. Shout outs to the team mates Sajili, Adriana, and Nimai. We started as a team and finished as a team. We were literally the last ones to start the race ending up all the way back in the line. However, just because we started last didn't mean we finished last. Anyways, first of all the event takes place in the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. From where the parking is, you'll have to walk to the race site which isn't that far. When we you get to the field, it will be muddy, with rain or not. Unfortunately/fortunately, it was raining all morning which just added more flavor to the whole race. There are several different tents representing various vendors and businesses, of course, there is Yelp to get your picture taken, Monster energy drink, the daily grind express, live band, etc. They have water and fruit punch provided at the main tent and when you finish, they serve bananas and oranges. There are several categories for the race, different levels of solo participants for both males and females, as well as for teams. One of the only things that I didn't like about the race was waiting in line to start. It didn't help that it was raining and it was making people cold. But once you start it's all fun from there starting off with a run through some thin mud, then into more thicker mud, different shades of mud, brown mud, black mud, purple mud, orange mud, water mud, rocky mud, obstacles, big slide, monkey bars, big wall, sand crawls on the beach, balance beam, and many more. Throughout the way there are staff there to cheer you on. There's about 3 or so water and first aid stations throughout the whole course. Sometimes there can be traffic jams for the obstacles but you have the option to bypass them. I felt like this "race" is almost like a big carnival for big kids and adults because of all of the fun that it can bring out of people. You have a sorts of people running this race from kids, families, marines, small kine tourists, locals, military personnel, and many more. You definitely want to be careful and pace yourself if you are not confident about your physical abilities. After participating in this race, here are my tips. Boots or no boots, you definitely want to duct tape your footwear to your ankles. Not only does it provide support, but it will keep your shoes to your feet and minimize it from having it fall off and even getting rocks or mud in it. You want to wear clothing that you will want to throw away afterwards. The attire that you wear in the course will literally never be the same ever again, I say this because of the amount of dirt that your clothing will absorb will you are in the mud and water and more. Bring extra clothes, a towel, and plastic bag to put your dirty stuff inside. Some people do the course in all sort of outfits, superhero costumes, shorts, tutus, shirtless (guys), kilts, etc. There is a big fire truck at the end to rinse and wash everyone off. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable experience. I think the only thing is the hassle of dealing with the affects of the mud before, during, and especially after the event haha. read more