Copper Man Run (or walk in my case)

There is this tumblr that makes may day. Its called Text From Dog and its iPhone conversations between a guy and his dog. It is pretty funny. I guarantee it will make you smile.(if it doesn't make you smile then you are a. heartless or b. not a fan of dogs or humor).

Today was the Copper Man race. It had sounded really fun online when they were talking about it.  We got to dress up as lumberjacks though. (I enjoyed that part the most. I got so many complements on the beard and outfit all together).

We were supposed to be "husband and wife"

 We got bags that had a cool beer mug, a t-shirt, a couple snacks and a cape. I wore mine as a bib, while others let their dog wear it.

When we got up to Copper Mountain we looked at the course and thought we would run through the trees first and continue on. We were wrong. The first part of the course you had to run up a hill, I'm talking a huge freaking hill. Imagine you went skiing or snowboarding and you dropped your glove or hat and it is your favorite glove or hat and you are done for the day. You can see your glove or hat a little ways up the slope you had just come down, so you decided to walk up the hill to get it. It was like that, but much steeper, maybe a little less hard since we did it in combat boots.

we had to run along the slide if you can tell where that is

Once you got up the hill you then slide down it on your ass.  (I got video of mom sliding down on her ass, but mom did not get me sliding down unfortunately...)

We then ran through a bamboo pole forest and crawled through a tube.

 

 Its not a very big bamboo forest, nor was the tube.

We didn't get any pictures that are usable of going in the tube, but people could ski over the tube as you can see.
After the tube we had a little ways with out any obstacles besides the slushy snow/ice of the trail. We then came around a corner and had to climb over hay.

Mom climbed over, I was lazy and didn't

After the hay was another area without obstacles until you get to the beach ball pit.

Which you got to run through and kick the balls and have fun. After that we had to go through a maze/ choose a side. I choose right and won the maze. Mom went the wrong way and then climbed under the fence. After that we had to run for a ways (or walk because my lungs hate me at 9500 feet above sea level). In the forest (the regular one) they had a bunch of string which you had to climb through.

There we are climbing through. Mom got stuck and fell down and hurt her hand a little bit with a few scrapes. I made it through unscathed besides the whole lung issue. After the ropes we then were headed to the finish line and the "giant pit of 'hot' chocolate". (It was neither giant nor hot, thus the quotation marks.)

Mom Crossing the pit

Me crossing the pit

After the pit of hot chocolate there was very little distance to the finish line.

All done with that insane idea. (It was a good idea to me, until I actually got there and started it).


P.S. Mom pointed out to me that I messed up on one thing and that I forget something. Apparently in my oxygen deprived state I mixed up where the maze was at, it was actually after the rope climbing through area. The thing I left out is that we were not in fact last. I think that is a great accomplishment on my part since I wanted to quit around the hay stacks. (We had three people that finished way after we did).
Another thing that I left out but Mom didn't point out to me is that I got hurt before the race even began.  You know those things that you lean your skis up against while you go inside to get some hot cocoa or just to pee? Well at Copper Mountain there are some of those inside in a hallway. I had seen them when we were walking to get a locker, but I got distracted by a guy in a penguin suit. I walked straight into one. Normal people might get away with hitting it at a fattier part of their body, but I'm short and clumsy. I hit it so hard that I felt like I was going to puke from the pain. I did not puke but I did get a nice bruise from it on my bicep/triceps area (upper arm near the shoulder). It actually made my whole arm go numb for awhile.