Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Blizzard Blast 2018

Blizzard Blast is traditionally my first race of the season, and 2018 was no exception. A race of approximately 3.5 - 5 miles in length, the focus is the seasonal theme (i.e. winter) and a focus on fun.


For the second year in a row, Blizzard Blast took place at Shedd Park in Lowell with the festival at Wamesit Lanes, a bowling alley and family fun center. Last year, parking was about a 1/4 of a mile from check-in at Wamesit Lanes, and I was able to walk. For 2018, participants had to park quite a distance a way, which meant that we had to take two bus rides in each direction. One bus to check-in at Wamesit Lanes and a second bus ride to Shedd Park. The buses went very smoothly. I never had to wait and the rides were brief. However, this bit of logistics is kind of a drag and does add to the time one must allow before and after the race. Combined with a 90 minute ride for me to get out to Lowell, this is kind of a drag for a race that takes a little over an hour to run, no matter how fun.

Blizzard Blast did deliver on fun. Check-in at Wamesit Lanes was a snap. I grabbed my long sleeve t-shirt and bib in just a minute. Before I knew it, I was in a very loud room (seriously Wamesit Lanes is so loud) surrounded by fellow NE Spahtens. After not seeing folks since OCRWC, it was great to have time to mingle and say a quick, "Hello," before hopping back on the buses to Shedd Park for the race.

Many people run multiple laps at Blizzard Blast. For me, I am a one and done person for this event, which means that I miss seeing many of my friends. I was pleased to see that many of the members of the NES multi-lap crew were around at 11:15 a.m. for a quick team picture and a greeting before we headed off to the starting line.

Similar to last year, the course was 3.5 miles in length. This is a bit shorter than in past years when Blizzard Blast was at Four Oaks Country Club. I like the new venue and shorter, more obstacle dense, version of this race. It's a big improvement. Race day on 2018 was fairly warm -- in the upper 40s -- which meant that the course was muddy and light on the snow.

The course and obstacles were fairly similar to past years, though with much of the course a reversed format from 2017. The park was relatively flat with a few hills thrown in the mix. Definitely run-able. As always, Blizzard Blast has two main themes with regard to the obstacles: pine trees and kegs. To keep with the winter-focus, there is also always a sled ride. There was the traditional Christmas tree carry, two keg carries, a keg drag, a keg hoist, and my favorite obstacle Keg Kingdom, in which racers have to make their way across a rig of hanging kegs. This is Blizzard Blast's signature obstacle and a real favorite of mine. (Honestly, it keeps me coming back year after year.) This year it was especially challenging for some reason with the kegs at vary random heights, making swinging and reaching the next keg extra hard. I actually had to try a number of times before I made my way across. On one notable occasion, my keg and the keg of a racer in the lane next to me swung to the side instead of to the front and we collided. Yikes!


I had 100% obstacle completion at Blizzard Blast this year. In addition to the themed obstacles, there were some traditional walls, crawls (under holiday lights) and a rope climb. There was also a football toss (at which I was terrible) and a paint ball target shooting obstacle. Additionally, there was an a-frame with rungs, analogous to devil's steps, though with the rungs farther apart, which allowed for racers to use hands and feet. Finally, there was a new obstacle this year -- a low rig. This obstacle had racers start by crossing a metal frame on top, lying on one's stomach. Mid-way through, one had to flip to underneath and traverse gripping with hands and feet before finally swinging around to the top again to finish the obstacle. This was a solid addition to the race and enjoyable.

I crossed the finish line in 1:16:37 (42/336 by sex, 14/100 for age group, and 118/641 for all open racers), completing all the obstacles and certainly not running hard -- this is an off-season race for me, and I don't compete in winter races. 2018 Blizzard Blast was fun as usual. After four years, some of the obstacles are seeming familiar to me, and logistically getting to Blizzard Blast is a huge drag for me. By no fault of Blizzard Blast, I might sit this one out in 2019, despite how much I love Keg Kingdom and how organized this race is. That being said, new racers, definitely add this in for your season. It's a race everyone should experience at least a few times during their time doing OCR.