My first Warrior Dash and it was a sweaty, messy affair. My friend and his girlfriend and I ran the 3pm wave on Saturday and it was pretty fun. The site said to show up about an hour early but with parking and the shuttle it's probably best if you show up earlier than that. We got there an hour and a half earlier and we barely had time to register and check gear. The obstacles were okay, not too tough to maneuver but there's a lot of bottle necks because of them. The fitness level of the participants are all different so some have more difficulty than others but everyone can do it. The fairgrounds area was way packed which is to be expected with all the people there. The free beer we had with our participation was pretty good, Pyramid is a decent brewery but the process to get it seemed a little too complicated. You expect to just go to the beer tent but then they direct you to another tent and get braceleted and then come back. All in all a fun outing and if you sign up early enough a fairly cheap outing. Looking forward to next year! read more

Warrior Dash-Midwest - Festivals Near Me - Channahon, Illinois

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I think I might finally be done cleaning mud out of parts of my body previously undiscovered. While my pendant truly states "I Survived Warrior Dash 2011", let me pour some on the ground for my homies that aren't around and pay tribute to the soldiers that didn't make it through. It was good knowing ya, Yelp shirt, Nikes, shorts, undies, socks, and beach towels. You will be missed. My car is in critical condition, but I think she's going to make it. I had so much fun yesterday with my fellow mud butts Sean D., Candice G., and Brian K.! Candice and I were reeeally close at being first place for the 2:30pm wave. (They gave us a head start at 1:30pm) Finding Dollinger Farms and check-in was a breeze. They had traffic cops and everyone's packets were alphabetized and ready to go. Highly recommend making your friend with a Jeep or 4WD be the designated driver. Evidently the obstacle course starts in the parking lot. Young and old, athlete or asthmatic, the Warrior Dash is set up so you can pick the level you want to push yourself. Running isn't really my thing, but I love climbing, jumping and swimming through mud, I chose to take my time through the paths and have fun doing each obstacle. Definitely wear shoes with tread. I made the mistake of wearing shoes with no traction and it felt like I had stepped into an ice rink on the mud hills. Wipe out! Mud-1, Dana-0. Grab a walking stick. It helps. If you'd rather take your time, it's OK. If you want to compete for fastest time, that nifty free beer token doubles as a timing device you tie to your shoe. As you cross the muddiest part of the race, the finish line, you will be up to your eyeballs in a pit of mud. Makes for an interesting after party. The dirtier you get, the more of a right you have to cheer/boo the next wave of warriors finishing the race. Then get your viking on with music, beer, and turkey legs. We had enough free beer tokens passed to us from the other friendly warriors to last all night. Alas we were mighty sore from pillaging and the wet earth was crusting on our skin by the minute. The only thing I wish they had was more places to at least rinse my hands, other than standing in line to get blasted in the face by freezing cold water from a fire hose. Until next year m'lords! read more

Warrior Dash-Midwest - Festivals Near Me - Channahon, Illinois

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Warrior Dash '16 90 degree heat and mud pits whoohooo! For as many people as attended this event, I think WD peeps did a great job orchestrating it. The parking was in a spacious field (although we had a large carpool so we EACH shouldn't have had to pay for parking at sign up). The lines to pick up packets were separated by last names so there was barely a line. I was able to just walk up, tell them my last name and a packet was handed to me with a smile. Sweet. There was a big tent to drop off your bag for free and plenty of porta potties. You got a swell t-shirt, funky hat, a free decent beer, and a cool medal at the end that had the added utility of functioning as a bottle opener. The obstacles were super easy so I was a little disappointed, but since we had a group of 8 it was easy to catch up and fall back to keep up with everyone. I think my biggest fear was twisting my ankle while running around all the divots in the ground. Most obstacles were somehow mud related and varied from crawling through a mud tunnel, over a mud mound, sliding into a mud pool....you get the gist. The few that weren't included climbing some kind of a tall structure, jumping up a wall or over fire. The crowd was middle of the road, some were super cool and others were douches. Guess you can expect that anywhere. The only gripe I have is that the shower lines were super long and after you sprayed down with a hose (while a whole line of people were watching and waiting impatiently for their turn) you had to squeeze through all the muddy people to get out which kinda defeated the purpose of getting clean in the first place. PART LIKE THE RED SEA YOU DIRTY WH*RES! They had a place where you can donate your pigpen shoes which was cool. Wonder where mine will end up... All in all it was a fun, dirty event. Your 12 year old self would be proud. read more

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Competitive athlete or not any one can do this, it is more about mental strength than physical ability, The participants are out to have fun and everybody is supportive and helpful along the way. The event was really organized and there was plenty of support staff in case of an emergency. What makes it even better is that all your muddy old shoes get cleaned and donated. Then money made from the event goes to Saint Jude's Hospital. I am defiantly looking forward to my next one, it was such a fun, positive experience! read more

Warrior Dash-Midwest - Festivals Near Me - Channahon, Illinois

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Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Check for more mud chunks, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Give up on clean hair, Courtesy Condition, Rinse. First off, Happy MF'n B-Day to the one and only Dana G, who chose to "Do the Dash" as her birthday celebration. And me, not being one to let a friend spend their birthday ballz deep (and then some) in mud and alone, I decided that I too would ring in La Dia De Dana crusted in caca. Was it awesome? Yes. Was it disgusting? F yes. Would I do it again? Mmm, maybe, probably, I hate making plans so far in advance. First off, like my gal Dana G said, the parking lot is a clustercuss. Not so much the order of it all, but the condition of the lot is redonk. Tire treads so deep that your (Dana's) muffler will likely be torn off by the ground level mud, abandoned shoes and undies, and a cesspool that cars are sinking into, men are peeing into, and women and children are "bathing" themselves in. So, good luck with all that jazz. Check in was sooo much easier than I expected- downright lax, in fact, but I was a little peeved after the fact because when you first purchase your WD tix online you're super pumped and given the option to order an extra Warrior helmet and those little black out eye thingy's that football players have on but with the warrior logo on it. I totally bought extra shizz online and was charged for that shizz, but that shizz was not given in my check in biz-nast. So, Warrior dash defo owes me more than a couple bills. I recommend buying nothing extra if you register. You can get all that crap at the fest should you really want it, and at least that way you're guaranteed to get it. Next year, if I go, I think I prob won't register and I'll just do the dash without paying. There are no checks and the time you sign up for a race really doesn't matter at all. What the $40-50 registration fee gets you is basically a beer token with a tracking thing in it and a number, then your free tee and helmet. Now that I have the tee that I'll probably never wear and the helmet that I plan on wearing everyday, I can do without the number and found that people are giving away/ dropping their beer tokens left and right so no worries there- and let's be honest I'm never gonna have a winning time so I don't really care about tracking that either. I was looking forward to seeing myself in all photos from the sport photogs they promoted as being all over but I was super disappointed that besides the end, there's only one lame spot with a photographer and it's where you basically step up onto a box and step back down. LAME. I was also expecting it to be a little more hardcore than it was. I'm gonna lay it out there and say that you don't have to be in much or any shape to do this thing. I'm sure it's harder if you're out of shape but for me, the hardest part was seeing spiders on two of the obstacles as I was climbing, the sun- because I'm a sweaty Betty and my having my wet bangs in my eyes was annoying, and also the jumping over fire part because I'm a walking fire hazard with all the residual hairspray caked to my scalp- so natch, I was a little nervous ,... otherwise, it was kind of a piece of cake. I'm not complaining- Lord knows I'm not looking for a new way to push myself, but it's not something you have to train for. Lastly, I'm 100% positive that when we signed up back in November or December that they advertised craft beer being available at the fest. What WAS available at the fest? F*cking Coors lite. Awww, hellz no. Plus a guy got on the speaker thing in the beer tent to tell tell everyone the beer was going to either take forever or be all foam and warm. Sooo, don't plan on your beer tasting as delicious as you thought it would when you were running the course and climbing all that crap. The food was pretty good for a mud festival at least. They offered veggie options and both our boyfriends LOVED the giant smoked turkey leg. It's now the day after and I'm defo sore and sick but not surprised considering the amount of poopy mud I ate trying to be a bad ass and get extra filthy for the cheering crowd. Next year I won't try to be such a hero now that I know you don't get to rinse off besides a minuscule time being shot in the face with a fire-hose. If I'd had any cash on me I would've slipped the hose guy a Benji to hose my mud butt b/c it's hard to imagine just how disgusting you'll feel all over, but mostly in your pants, after this muddy but super fun race. read more

Warrior Dash-Midwest - Festivals Near Me - Channahon, Illinois

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I just completed the 2011 Warrior Dash-Midwest and I am a fan. I would definitely do this next year. I liked that it was challenging but not ridiculous. A number of people mentioned there are more obstacles than previous years, and I even heard one person say that volunteers had pre-run it on Thursday or Friday and they decided to throw in three new things that were not advertised on the site. As others mentioned, anyone in even OK shape can do it. You don't have to be as hardcore and awesome as I am to finish. The first mile or so is basically just jogging over matted tall grass and over a few jumps. There is one little creek to give you a taste of what's to come. The second mile is where it all begins. You go through mud, jump from flimsy tabletop to tabletop, pull yourself over two walls, do a little dance through two sets of tire obstacles and climb over wrecked cars. I guess they added some rope bridge thing that's more complicated than it looks and some kind of makeshift barn. Honestly, the hardest part was going up the uneven hills. There is some more running in between and then you come to the end, a giant cargo rope climb followed by jumping over fire (flames were higher during our heat) and ending it strong by crawling through mud under barbed wire. I think it took about an hour and a half and I took my time. Robert R. and I went together and partied afterward. He's done it before and said this year was better. We were in the 8:30am wave and arrived around 8am. You definitely want to come earlier if you come later in the day. Parking started getting hectic right after us. We liked that the terrain wasn't as wet and muddy earlier in the day. It was also about 20 degrees cooler than the waves around noon. As far as partying, you get a free beer at the end and they have BBQ sandwiches (Robert said they were kinda a letdown), Turkey Legs (OH EM GEEEEE!!!! Best I ever had), corn on the cob and some other choices. Beers were $5 each or $20 for a 32oz with commemorative mug. You can also buy gear in the same area and use your $5 off a purchase of $25 voucher from the race bibs. I got a shirt, bracelet and decal. Then we sat and listened to some good music. Overall, it was a great success! I hope I can get a Yelp group together next year. read more

What a mess this was today (and NOT in a good way). Getting into the lot took 30-40 minutes, then you have the gall to charge for parking...after I paid to be in the event AND raise money for charity? Plus there was no mention about having to pay for parking in any of the race information. Then when we finally get to run the race after crazy-long lines at race packet pickup and gear check, you didn't let the racers out in waves, you just let everyone go at once which caused a HUGE backup of racers and made it a Warrior Walk rather than a Warrior DASH. Beer tent was crazy-took way too long, only had two guys pouring beers... DISAPPOINTING, to say the least. read more

Looking for something a little different to spice up your running season? Are you willing to get a little dirty (and I do mean DIRTY) while having a little fun? Well then, this may very well be the race for you. It's well south of Chicago, but by no means out of reach as it's quite accessible from I-80 or I-55. Signs lining the street along your way made finding the grounds easy. Once there, parking was very well organized and moved along quite well. There is a $10 charge per car, so car pooling is a good idea. Four wheel drive is recommended, too, as you'll be parking in a field which can be a little difficult to maneuver in, should the ground be a little wet. Check in went very smoothly as my running partner (fellow Yelp Warrior Ericka A) and I got our gear, put on our bibs and made our way to gear check. Again, an easy task as we gave them our stuff and made our way to the Starting line. We chose the 8:30AM wave and we're both so glad we did. The later waves had to deal with much higher temperatures. The gun went off and we began our adventure mixed in with a field of fellow Warriors that HAD to have tripled in size since last year. (Thank GOD for wave starts) I will say that if you're trying for a personal best time, you'd better be in the very front of the line since the route has a tendency to bottleneck along the way. In my opinion, though, this really isn't the time to fly since there are too many opportunities for injury on this course, given the rough terrain along the way. The key here is just to have fun. The obstacles that begin to present themselves will be challenging, but by no means impossible. Again, just take your time and enjoy them. Ericka and I were behind a couple of fellow Warriors having trouble on a few of the higher structures, but with a little bit of encouragement, they all made it down safely. The closer we came to the finish line, the more obstacles seemed to lay before us. We could see the mud pit that awaited us right before the finish line and at this point, we were so hot and sweaty that it was a welcome sight, to be sure. We just dove right in, literally swimming in mud up to our necks as the crowd cheered us on. Getting out was the difficult part, but we were both smiling as we crossed the finish line (she, before me...but I'll get her next year! lol). After party was GREAT...great food, great band, great crowd and most of all, great beer. How can beer be "great"? Sign up for next year's event and trust me, you'll understand! read more

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Well what happens when you've had positive first and second impressions, but the third time is a complete sh*tshow? You don't take the law into your own hands...you take them to Yelp. (Sorry. I've been watching a lot of Judge Mathis and People's Court lately.) These are highlights of the long and detailed feedback I emailed to Red Frog Events, the organizers of Warrior Dash. *The biggest disappointment, first and foremost, is that St. Jude will miss out on funds raised next year because so many people had a bad experience this year. The less people had fun, the less likely they are to raise funds for St. Jude next year. *The event was waaay understaffed. There seemed to be an appropriate amount of medical and water staff on the course, but of the two ID check tents I saw, only one was staffed, and only halfway at that. There was one Red Frog staff member and one volunteer working the merch tent, and it just felt like there was a general lack of people working the event. *In the grand scheme of things, these are all total #firstworldproblems. The sun will come up tomorrow, and my legs will still work. It's all about perspective. One of the reasons we choose the early times on Saturday is so that we can run the course before it gets too destroyed. However, it's hard to believe that by the time we got to the worst bottlenecked obstacles that ALL those people waiting were actually supposed to be on the course at that time. There is NO enforcement on wave times, and since the racing for the day started 90 mins late, we waited upwards of 15 mins to complete half the obstacles. "I ran the Dash, had a terrible experience, and provided feedback, and all I got was this lousy form email reply, and a coupon to register for a future Red Frog event for 50% off." Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do. read more

I had such an awesome time at the Warrior Dash in Joliet. I went with a group of about 8 people and none of us bothered to read the "Important Information" email sent to us a few days before the event. Just keep in mind that if you sign up for it next year and haven't been there before, you should probably read that email. Turns out we drove directly to the facility, which happens to be at CPX (the paintball complex). When we arrived, we were directed to the Chicagoland Speedway, about a 10 minute drive away. Parking was $10 here with a free shuttle ride to the Dash. Picking up our packet was relatively easy, however, don't forget to bring your ID... and it's also a good idea to print and fill out your consent form ahead of time to save even more time. We signed up for the event a little bit later, but we paid about $65 -- this included 1 t-shirt, 1 warrior helmet (fuzzy hat, 1 beer, and a medal. I am not a very athletic person, so it was extremely challenging for me. But it was cool because you really saw people of all body types and ages participating, so if you're hesitating about signing up for next year, I wouldn't feel too intimidated about the race. It really kicked my ass but I had a kick-ass time! I can't wait to have a go at this race next year. read more

Holy crap! This morning was my first time heading out the Channahon, IL to complete the Warrior Dash, a ridiculous Woodstock meets military boot camp training 5K complete with various obstacles. It was friggin awesome! It was challenging, reckless, slightly dangerous and times and MUDDY. But it was one of the most fun days of my life! I especially liked that all the participants were so darn friendly and everyone was looking out for one another. We chatted with so many people and bonded over the debauchery we had subjected ourselves to! I loved how it was all "Woodstock" afterwards. Tons of people hanging out, sitting on the grass, chillin' and covered in mud. The event was really organized and there was plenty of support staff in case of an emergency. A special shout out to Ryan from Red Frog who was especially friendly and accommodating. I will load some pictures when they become available on the website! PLEASE NOTE: The address listed is outdated. Check the website at the time of registration for next year's event for current information. read more

A 5k with 10 obstacles? Nooooooooo problem! Ha ha ha, yeah right! Warrior Dash is actually a lot harder then it looks/seems. I learned 3 things while at the 2011 Midwest Warrior Dash. 1. I need to start running uphill/downhill (it was VERY hilly) 2. I'm a little afraid of heights? Damn, I guess so... Actually, it's not so much the height that scares me, it's the climbing down off the obstacles that's the scary part... 3. I don't like to be dirty. Damn, I picked the wrong event for this. You literally take a mud bath at the end of the course. The staff is super organized with gear check (they have bags for you to put your stuff in, in case you didn't bring your own.. However, bringing your own is always better so that you can tell them exactly what it looks like. Try to bring something unique [think airport luggage check, it's always easier to find a bag if it sticks out]) Bring tarps to drape the inside of your car... No matter how much mud you got off of yourself at the "shower" your car will still be muddy. Bring baby wipes, the help a ton! Check em with your gear so you can clean off a bit more after your shower. Bring $$$ so you can chill, have some beer, and chomp down on a huge turkey leg while listening to the band. Warrior Dash is a shit ton of fun! Dressing up is encouraged... There were some really good costumes at the Saturday, Midwest Warrior Dash! Donate your shoes, don't be a dick! C'mon... read more

I have friends who had completed this a couples years in a row. they talked me into doing the 2013 run. I have to admit, I am not in the best shape. I tried running at the gym, and doing some weight training to try to get me ready for this, but it really was more of a mental preparation that was needed. I saw people of all fitness levels and body types working alongside each other to complete this course. If someone was having a hard time getting over an obstacle there were people there encouraging and helping that person. There were points that I was quite high up going over an obstacle and I was going slow, I would apologize to the person behind me, and they would say, no problem, just be safe. I was so proud of myself and what I accomplished. I will definitely do it again! Now, for the tips I learned from my first time out there: 1. Make sure to get there about an hour early to park and get your packet 2. Don't wear anything that you have an attachment to. You will be very muddy, and there are obstacles that could rip or tear clothing if you're not careful. (my t-shirt kind of got hung up on some barbed wire) 3. Bring someone with you. Even though others are encouraging, it's nice to have someone to cheer you on as you go. Even if they don't run it, have them at the finish line cheering you on as you cross the last couple obstacles and go through the finish line area. 4. Bring a change of clothes and something to cover your seats in the car. As much as you hose off at the end, there will still be mud everywhere. 5. Have fun. You will fall down, you will swim in mud, let the inner child in you break free for the day! read more

I would really give mother nature one star if I could, for having the day of the Warrior Dash '16 be on a 90+ degree day, but that isn't WD's fault! I really enjoyed my WD experience. The first mile of the race had two mini obstacles, but after that first mile is up is when all the obstacles stack up on top of each other. Being so hot, the abundance of watery mud pits was a total delight! I think it saved me from falling over from overheating! There is climbing and crawling through the obstacles, and I agree with the others who said you don't have to be in amazing shape to make it through this race! Some of the mud hills were pretty slippery and tough to climb, but that's when your friends (or total strangers) really step up to help you! The obstacles were sturdy and fun. Definitely heed the warning of not bringing any jewelry, etc on your person. I was trying to keep a gel pack in my bra for later in the race and lost it in a pit somewhere! Upon finishing the race, you get a tshirt, a warrior 'helmet', and a pretty sweet medal! The grounds of the race are also a fun experience- there was a pretty well organized packet pick up (lines did get long though), followed by a table to get your wrist band for free beer, and then a place to drop off your bag. Next to that was a large area of porta-potties. It made it easy to get ready for the race! It's SO TRUE that the people monitoring the race don't really pay attention to your wave start time. Once we were ready to run, we just started the race (1/2 hour early). There was only one small(ish) shower area to de-mud yourself. I definitely think there should've been two of these. The line for each hose had at least 2-3 people waiting, so I rushed through rinsing off but was definitely still caked in mud by the time I left. Allowing for more hoses would've taken the pressure off me and I would've felt much cleaner after the race. My other complaint is that EVERYONE, no matter what, is forced to pay for parking when you sign up. Well... I carpooled with a friend. I didn't think that was fair. I know it helps speed up the parking process, but that got all wonky too. We got parked in a straight line, but lines after us were all curvy and lost their defined aisle. That could definitely be improved. The after party area had a large beer tent with two kinds of Shocktop beer. Shocktop is lighter and fruity, so it was a great way to refresh yourself after the race! There was food to be purchased and WD gear too, but I didn't really look into any of that. All in all, I would definitely consider running this race again! The obstacles were fun, the race perks were cool, and I definitely felt like a Warrior making it through! read more

This was my 5th Warrior Dash. The race itself went fairly smoothly- I know there were heat issues the day I ran, and wave times were accelerated. Due to that, there were some lines at obstacles. Totally understandable, and for the most part not even that bad. However, after the race, at the "hose down" station, any semblance of organization or planning was totally absent. It was an absolute fucking shitshow. I've seen plenty of logistical shitshows, shitshows precipitated by "unforeseen circumstances", emergency situation shitshows. This was an unrepentant, hybrid bastard of a shitshow. We waited in the "heat emergency" baking sun for well over an hour after the end of the race in what could be best described as a human-mass pressure cooker. Hundreds of people were corralled down a fenced off corridor that narrowed as it went (nice move, guy-who-did-the-asset-location-logistics, you asshole) at the end of which was wedged in the 40 person hose station, edge first as to prevent anyone who made it through the "crush" to reach the other side. All of this, and not a single staff member/volunteer was in sight. Not. Fucking. One. Hundreds of people, unable to go forward, for well over an hour. A person is smart. People are dumb. And undirected, desperate, overheating, dirty, thirsty people are a goddamn liability. Just 1 person, standing in the center directing people, keeping things moving, shouting tips, would have kept this from reaching this level of fuck-up-ery. But there wasn't. There was absolutely no one. That situation to have been allowed was at best obscenely negligent, and if I ever meet the person who's job it was prevent it, the belt across the head will be deafening if not for my own sanity, but for the sake of everyone else who had to suffer through it. read more

This event is seriously FUN. I just did it for the first time two days ago, and honestly I'm already looking forward to next year. The only flaw in the organization I can think of is the "Warrior Wash Station," which turned out to be a single hose. It quite simply wasn't able to keep up with the number of muddy runners looking to rinse off after the race, but if you bring a towel and a gallon or two of water per person to wash yourself off at your car, it's not even an issue. If you're even remotely considering trying out the Warrior Dash - and if you're reading these reviews, you probably are - just do it. You won't regret it. read more

As many others have said, doing this event was a ton of fun. I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said about the actual race and after-party. Two pretty big tips that I wish I'd known about up front - 1. Parking. If you don't have an SUV, Truck, or something with decent ground clearance...find a friend that does. The access road and fields that were used for parking were Very rutted by Sunday, and I saw several cars get their plastic undercarriages torn clean off. Not a huge deal, but I really wished I hadn't driven (though I came out okay). Maybe less of an issue on Saturday or earlier in the day - but something to keep in mind. I did see mention of alternate parking and a shuttle, but on the day of the race all the cops directing traffic had us routed right to the field. Maybe I just missed it. 2. Post-race cleanup. One firehose. You come out of a mud-pit the consistency of oatmeal, and you are completely covered. The hose-off only cleans you off from the waist up. In retrospect, I really should have brought a few bottles of water to get the mud off prior to putting my muddy lower half in my car. Please note that I'm still giving this event a really good rating - had a blast running with my friends, met nice people, all that good stuff, I'm completely happy that I did it and will run it again next year. I'll just be bumming a ride in somebody's truck and filling a couple of gallon jugs with tap water before I do. read more

Here's the thing, my friend signed me up for this with the hopes that this would be a fitness training goal. Of course life got in the way and I didn't train as much as I should have. The course was through a farm and even without the obstacles was a challenge for me. I'm really happy with what I did. Cons: 1) cost of $50+ (based on registration time) does not cover the $10 parking charge 2) didn't like that there wasn't a person at each obstacle, I thought that could have been covered Pros: 1) it's a challenge for everyone that runs it. I felt super proud of what I did that day 2) I got rid of my old gym shoes 3) People are really nice an encouraging as they pass you Tips: 1) Wear old shoes, but make sure they still have some traction on them 2) Not a bad idea to wear some sort of swimsuit under clothes or as part of outfit for the day 3) Be very comfortable with falling in mud So would I run it again? I would have to train like crazy, but yeah, maybe in a couple of years. I will say that dispute not having a person at each obstacle the event was very well organized. read more

Competitive athlete or not any one can do this, it is more about mental can do than physical ability; who knows after you cross the finish line you just may look at life differently once you power your self through and see muddy unity that is around you. I have done this 4 years running and will continue to do it as long as I am able, I have seen couples get married, engaged, & even an older senior couple walk while holding hands through out the entire course. What makes it even better is that all your muddy old shoes get cleaned and donated. Then money made from the event goes to the wounded warrior project. Not a runner? That is not a problem as there are a tons of games, live music & plenty of good food. If you are a competitive runner I recommend signing up early the earlier you run the fewer people are in your way. read more

The Warrior Dash is an event that my job "Gift of Hope", has participated in in the last few years. I feel that it is the best mudder in Illinois. I've only participated in one other at Northerly island but that one sucked so bad that this has to be the best. The race takes place on Dollinger farm waay out in the burbs. It's become one of the best mudders around. The obstacles and mud ratio are top notch. I look forward to this race every year and can't wait till next years. read more

This year was a complete disaster and it was very unfortunate. To start, the lines everywhere were ridiculous. 30+ min to get your packet, then you move to the next 30+ min line to check in your bag. The start of the race had no build up, no fire, no enthusiasm. You quickly take off to then stop dead in your tracks. This was the theme the entire race. Hurry up and wait. One of the new slogans for the Warrior Dash should be "Test your Patience". So, every obstacle was backed up, the course layout was horrible, and it really took away from the entire experience. I can tell you that I am not looking to win this thing, and only to have fun, but to walk the majority of the course was absurd. Then, once you finish you wait in more lines for beer and food. Seriously, it was like the vendors had never served beer to a crowd before. No sense of expediency, and really didn't care. I did call Red Frog and provided them lots of constructive criticism. Here are my final words. I think that Red Frog has taken their eye off the ball and that ball is the consumer. They really didn't do much to change the course or adapt to their growing interest. I am sure that they are making piles of money, yet all of their help is volunteer. So, what do you expect when people don't show up. Hmm...maybe pay people. They need to adjust everything about the event. Double the size and help in the check in tent, double the size and help in every aspect of the race. Build bigger obstacles so you can put more people through them. So, Red Frog, thank you for the four years of the Warrior Dash but goodbye. Even if you provided me a free entry to the race I don't feel that I would ever participate again as I don't think that you will take the constructive criticism to heart. read more

This was the worst warrior dash ever. Hard to call it a dash when it took 2 hours to complete a 5 K because of the huge lines throughout the race. The configuration of the dash was also poor as it caused major back ups. They need to go back to 30 minute intervals between runs versus 15 minutes. Thus was a huge letdown this year. Even the beer venue was out of control. Waited 30 minutes in m Line then decided to go home. Shame on the warrior dash for an awful event. This tarnishes their reputation. I can't tell you how many people we spoke with that we're very upset. D minus grade overall. read more

i popped my warrior dash cherry at the 5pm wave this past saturday. it was a lot of fun to say the least, and it was everything i expected. i wish i could have trained a little more, so i wasn't one of the last few straggelers, but my group and i had a lot of fun. i would like to try some of their paintball courses in the future. they looked pretty cool. read more

The warrior dash is a very fun but very poorly planned event. In order to avoid the race being too crowded people are scheduled to run at intervals throughout the day. Due to the extreme heat all the people who were supposed to run in the afternoon were switched and had to run in the morning. This made the race much, much more crowded. For us, we had to wait about 20 minutes at each obstacle. Normally in crowds I lose my faith in humanity and get annoyed but it was not the case here. Everyone was really polite and encouraging. Strangers were even helping each other over obstacles. Almost heart warming, in a very muddy sort of way. What did bother me was the lack of planning. We waited almost a half hour while a bulldozer did construction on one of the obstacles. Seriously? Did they not know the race was that day? The shower situation was also a disaster. The line was so long we ended up just skipping it and going home muddy. Most of the event also seemed to be run by volunteer high school kids. I get they're volunteers, but most of the ones I saw were sitting looking at their phones instead of handing out water, tshirts, etc. I still plan on doing the Warrior Dash next year so hopefully they'll work out the kinks. read more

Warrior Dash-Midwest - Before and after - Festivals Near Me - Channahon, Illinois

I just completed the Warrior Dash for my first time. It was a perfect day out for it. Tons of obstacles over a 3.28 mile course. The terrain was definitely uneven grass and mud with lots of hills inbetween. There were 10 obstacles such as running through mud, water, fire, climbing over wooden thing and climbing rope. It was definitely a great experience that everyone should try. Just when you think it's done you have to crawl through a mud pit with barbed wire. Let me tell you, you get so muddy!!! But dont worry you get hosed off when it's finished! The beer and festivities are great. It'll be that car ride home sitting in dry mud that won't be fun! haha But do it if you haven't! Become a Warrior TODAY! read more

This is the most fun you can have legally. The participants are out to have fun and everybody is supportive and helpful along the way. Although, there have been some disappointments, like tragically long lines this year, the event people at Red Frog offered discounts for next year already, they are listening and things will be improved. The obstacles are intimidating to look at but all very doable, mind over matter. If an out of shape 40+ old like me can do it, so can just about anybody else. You can also easily walk around anything you think you need to avoid for safety's sake, without compunction. Great time. read more

I think Warrior Dash is fun but not really that hard. Check out the review on Travlete, where they got a B+ . Tough Mudder got an A+ by comparison. http://travlete.com/2010/11/22/tough-mudder-tri-state-englishtown-nj-2/ http://travlete.com/2010/10/06/warrior-dash-windham-ny/ read more

If you are looking to become a warrior, then this is probably a good place to start. As in, finish that Tall Boy you are guzzling, toss the remote, and wipe off the cheeto crumbs, you are basically ready to run the warrior dash. While the event is well organized and pretty fun, it is not hard at all. Basically any old schlub can do it, I think I saw some a woman who was clearly pregnant in my heat. Or it was just a fat guy with long hair. Anyway, I digress. I did the dash once, and that is enough for me. Onto bigger and better mud runs, or even some good old fashioned trail runs. My friends brother in law did the dash after drinking 8 beers, and finished pretty high up in his heat. The warrior dash is good for making you feel tough and getting you dirty, but it is kind of a false toughness. My grandma saw footage on the internet and burst out laughing. I said "what up granny?" She said, "Your generation are pussies." read more

The warrior dash in shannahon il was not as good as years past. They have stopped the timeing chips for everyone but the earlier runners- HUGE LET DOWN. There was hardly any fire at the end of the race- Well its not a race anymore no one is timing you. All I did was stand in line for the obstacles because you can start the event anytime you want. Getting an I.D. wristband took 30min. Getting a beer took another 25 min..This event was understaffed. That was my last year. I'm done with the Warrior WALK. read more

2012 was my first year and I LOVED it! I've always wanted to do it, but was never in shape or had the time. I finished in and hour and 20, despite the fact that I didn't train at all and I was probably one of the heaviest people out there. I walked it and everyone was very respectful, even the hardcore runners. The course is tough but a ton of fun. read more

Loved the dash itself - but I feel the owners are VERY GREEDY - do the math - we had 24,000 people participate @ 50.00 a head and 10.00 per parking spot, plus concession stands. I'm sure they cleared 1 million dollars in profit after everything was said and done. They donated 0% to charities. They do allow the participants to donate the used shoes after the dash. There are several other Dash type events that donate a large percentage of profits to a charity. I will look for that type of event going forward - unless the Dash steps up and starts to donate 20% of profits to a charity. I would look for another event that contributes to a charity before I signing up for the Dash. read more

This was a dash everyone should try!!! I was hiped up in october when I signed up.Ah (by myself ) no running buddies for this warrior...Nobody wanted to get muddy!! Got really nervous when they started sending me the course..But was not backing out!! This was a race for anybody dont let it intimadate you! You can go at your own pace theres no pressure. Except when your crawling through the mud.. I was trying to pick up some time there but got the booo so i had to take the full dive into the pit..Only complaint for 55 dollars there should be free water before not just after the race ..and you could deffenaitly use more wash your face and hands stations!! But be sure this warrior will return every year!!! read more

This year the Warrior Walk sucked. Four other reviews were bumped to the bottom and "not recommended."