“Will you beat the pig? Or will the pig beat you?” That’s the question Jog ‘n Hoggers will be asking themselves when they line up at the starting line this year.

Here’s how it works: A designated “Pace Pig” will jog alongside runners. Once the pig reaches the eating area, he will hang out for 15 minutes, pose for pictures, and do whatever else Pace Pigs do. Once his 15 minutes are up, he will run back to the finish line.

So the question is…Will you beat the pig? Or will the pig beat you?

Cute video on the Hog Blog here.

A note from the race directors regarding tomorrow’s Mother’s Day Run:

The Mother’s Day Race Fun Run/Walk will be held unless Presque Isle closes (this would make the news!).  The Erie Runners Club/Mother’s Day Race has the best volunteers that show up in all conditions.

If you are able to pick up your bib and shirts today, it will save you time on Sunday!

Packet pick-up and late registration on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Achilles Running Shop, 2309 W. 12 St., Erie, PA from 11 am until 3 pm.

Day of Race registration and packet pickup at Beach #1 beginning at 7 am on race day.

So….a reader requested a list of area adventure & fun runs within a 2-hour driving distance and, I was like…sure, no problem. Then I spent like four hours compiling this list because there are so many! Who knew? Now we all do.

Whatever trips your trigger (mud, color, girls-only, seriously tough, etc.), there’s a race for you nearby. Heck, there are 5 cool ones right here in Erie!

BTW — there are many more races in PA, Ohio & NY…I just stuck to the ones that I felt were within an easy driving distance. If I’ve left any off the list, comment below or email me at zipdang22 at aol.

Erie

* Jog ‘n Hog — Presque Isle State Park – June 15  (Run 2 miles, eat pepperoni balls, run back 2 miles)

* Erie Day School Fun Color Run & Walk — Camp Notre Dame in Fairview — June 15 (color run/walk, not timed, very family friendly)

* 3 Mile Isle – Presque Isle State Park – July 27 (Three-mile obstacle/adventure run)

* Beast on the Bay - Presque Isle State Park – September 7 (Erie’s biggest obstacle course — 4, 6, 8 and 12-mile options)

— Join the ERC Beast Team

* Zombie Run (this is LAST YEAR’s info) — Frontier Park – Date TBA (I think it’s 10/12) — 5K Zombie Run put on by the Erie Playhouse

Pennsylvania

* Mud on the Mountain — Seven Springs, PA — May 11 (7.7 mile/26-obstacle mud/adventure run)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Pittsburgh, PA — June 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Project Mud — Wampump, PA — July 13 (5K mud run)

* Run for Your Lives —  Wampum, PA — August 3 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Muddy & Messy 5K — Conneaut Lake, PA — July 27 (5K mud/adventure run)

* Warrior Dash — Long Pond, PA — Aug. 24 (3.32-mile mud run)

* Gladiator Rock ‘n Run — Export, PA — Sept. 7 (5K mud run)

* Savage Race — Albrightsville, PA — Sept. 14 (4-6-mile mud run)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Phillipsburg, PA — Sept. 28-29 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles -hardcore)

Ohio

* Warrior Dash — Butler, OH — June 1-2— (3.2 mile mud run)

* Cleveland Challenge Urban Adventure Race — Cleveland, OH — June 8 (5K “Amazing Race” style scavenger hunt race)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Cleveland, OH — July 20 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Color Run — Cleveland, OH — Sept. 21 (5K “color run”)

New York

* Kiss me Dirty 5K — Kissing Bridge Ski Resort — June 1 & 2 (5K mud run  for women — men can race in drag!)

* Holiday Valley Mudslide — Ellicottville, N.Y. — June 15 (3.5 or 5.4- mile mud run — no shocks, no fire, no barbed wire)

* Color Me Rad — Darian Lake, NY — June 22 (5K color run)

* Tough Mudder — Andover, NY — July 27 & 28 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Color Run — Buffalo, NY — Aug. 17 (5K “color run”)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Swain, NY — Aug. 17 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles, hardcore)

* Run For Your Lives — Batavia, NY — Aug. 17 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Tough Mudder — St. Clairsville, OH — Aug. 24 & 25 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Buffalo, NY — Sept. 7 & 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Muddy Viking — Bemus Point, NY — Oct. 5 (Four-mile mud run)

Meet the ERC Mother’s Day 5K T-shirt artist, Jenna and Jessica Usro. Their mother, Jill Wigham, is the daughter of Greg Wigham,  ERC Mother’s Day 5K co-race director, Teresa Wigham’s husband.

The girls and their mom will be participating in this year’s race. I’ll have a Q&A with them next week.

Race participants will also have the chance to honor a lady they love:

“In Honor of__________” and “In Memory of________” are 3 1/2 inches high and 8 1/2 inches long card stock  signs pre-printed with the line for them to write in a name.  The card stock is punched with holes at the top of both sides for easy pining to the back of the shirt. We’ll have them out so the runners can choose one or both, if they want.

Packet pick-up and late registration on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Achilles Running Shop, 2309 W. 12 St., Erie, PA from 11 am until 3 pm.

Additional late registration and packet pickup at Beach #1 beginning at 7 am on race day. No guarantee of a race shirt.

Now, wat’cha waiting for….hurry up and register!

OK, I’ll admit, I scoffed when I first heard about the Barber Beast on the Bay adventure race, primarily because I’m tighter than two coats of paint and was annoyed that the race had a $100 registration fee.

But, after participating in a 3-mile Beast on the Bay trial run on Sunday, I can say with every confidence — it’s going to be worth every freaking buck.

Open up your checkbooks and chalk it up to a good cause (the Barber Center) and one bad@#$ hometown opportunity. This is one race you aren’t going to want to miss.**

First impressions

First impressions count and from their first press conference to the race’s website to this weekend’s trial run (and the very detailed instructions/Parking map/course map we received in advance), race organizers have impressed me wholeheartedly.

These people have their stuff together. This is going to be a first-class race and it’s going to go smoothly and flawlessly. I am in awe of the amount of planning and effort that has already went into this race, a race that is not happening until September, mind you. (Heck, I direct a race a few weeks later and I don’t even have my application done yet).

The very fact that they hosted a test run is testimony to the every-detail-thought-out event that you can expect.  Event organizers wanted to test their registration and bag-drop process, they wanted to make sure the wave times were going to work, and they wanted to try a few of the planned obstacles.

There were more than 50 area runners on Sunday morning who were willing to be the Beast’s guinea pigs.  And, they’ve got the bruised and scraped forearms and bloody knees to prove it.

It’s going to be a beast

Folks, this is going to be a tough race. It is being designed by Erie athlete and former Navy SEAL, John Walker, who, based on my experience yesterday, is not going to go easy on our civilian candy a@#$es.

It’s going to be a challenge. I don’t care if you run 50Ks or 100Ks, running miles on sand and pulling yourself up and over three 10-foot (?) storage boxes with nothing more than a rope and a hand, if you’re lucky, from a strong guy on top, is going to stretch your physical limits.

The little beast trial run

The trial run started at Waldameer. Waves of runners went off every 10 minutes. We ran down to beach no. 1 and were directed onto the sand just after the condos across from Sara’s.  SAND. (Yep…prepare yourself now).  We ran over a few natural obstacles — sand-stick-stone hills, a driftwood-strewn obstacle and up and over at least a half dozen sand mounds.

Then, we came to the metal storage boxes with ropes dangling from the top. Three in a row. And we had to get up and over them — twice  (it was an out and back course). These were definitely the most challenging obstacle on Sunday and they left most runners, including yours truly, with bruised, swelled and bloodied forearms and knees.  Getting down was almost harder than getting up.

If you think I’m complaining, you’ve never done an adventure race.  War wounds are expected and, frankly, I think most participants would be disappointed if they didn’t have bruises to show off and brag about the next day (see my photos below! ) .

The turn around consisted of about 9,567 tires (well, it seemed that way) that you had to high-step it through.

There were water stops, an enthusiastic and crowd-rallying DJ, an entire photo/video crew, a costumed mascot, and a mini party, complete with bananas, granola bars, water, free “Beast on the Bay” tumblers, and beer at the finish line.  And, THAT was just for the “test” run.

The verdict

This is a don’t-miss event if you’re the type who likes a challenge and isn’t afraid to get a little banged up to get your kicks.

Want more opinions?

Ask any of these people who battled the Beast on Sunday.

A few lousy photos

Here are a few photos I took. I’m sure there will be many, many more photos of this event based on the five-man crew Erie photographer, and runner, Rob Frank from Rob Frank Photography had there. UPDATE: There are now 284 photos here.

**  There are a few types of people I’d recommend miss this race: pregnant women, kids, those who aren’t physically fit and/or don’t run, runners who don’t want to get injured (or take the risk of getting injured), and those who are planning to run the Erie Marathon the next week because you will get banged up, bruised and bloodied and one week before your “big race” is a really bad time to do that.

The Bull Dam Trail Run  (at Eaton Reservoir in North East) is back again this year and race director Stephen Haeseler is, once again, offering two distances — a nice, flat, grassy 5K and a more challenging 10K that weaves through the woods.

From the Bull Dam Trail Run website:

Plenty of racing options this past weekend with two Presque Isle 5K races and another 5K and a 1/2 marathon just down I-79.

Run for Parkinson’s 5K

Nearly 150 participated in the 5K Run for Parkinson’s on Saturday with Adam Rowe, 32, (Ripley, N.Y.) taking first overall with an 18:09 (5:51 pace) and Kristen O’Brien,  23, (Westminster, M.D.) taking first female with a 22:46 (7:21 pace).

Complete 5K Run for Parkinson’s results here.

Miles for Mercy 5K

Ninety-two finishers completed the Miles for Mercy 5K on Sunday morning with warm, but windy conditions.  Top honors: Joseph Hunt, 32, Erie, with a 20:55 (6:20 pace) and Dawn Betza, 45, Erie, with a 24:27 (7:25 pace).

Complete Miles for Mercy 5K results here.

Thunder Run 5K

Just down I-79, Meadville hosted the Thunder Run 5K on Saturday morning with more than 100 finishers completing the race.

Results here.

Prep for Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon

Dan and I drove down to Sandy Lake, Pa., to Goddard State Park (about an hour down I-79) to participate in the Prep for Pittburgh 1/2 marathon. It was a nice race and we’d definitely do it again. As I was warned (AFTER I signed up), it was far from flat. There were plenty of hills, but they weren’t as bad as I had built them up in my head (I made mountains out of rolling hills) and I found the course to be a nice change of pace and  a chance to use different muscles and challenge myself to run a 1/2 on something other than a totally flat course.  That said, I was totally cursing the race director when I came upon a fairly big hill just after the 12-mile marker.

There were less than 100 participants, so Dan & I did well.  Dan was 13th overall and took 2nd in his age group with a 1:34 (7:13 pace). I was 20 minutes behind him, finishing with a 1:55:11, but got 1st place in my age group. Sucks to be a guy, eh?

We didn’t see anyone else from Erie there, but here are complete results. 

By the way…. the Prep for Pittsburgh course has permanent wood mile markers that say HM (see photo below)…and you can see the course here…so you could drive down and run it anytime. There’s a prologue at the beginning to make up the extra mile. But…you could skip it and just run around the lake for a nice 12 miler.

It’s a nice paved trail that would also be fun to bike. There are restroom facilities with running water and dogs are welcome (on a leash…pick up after them).  It’s much like Presque isle’s Multipurpose trail, but with more hills…and, it would seem, less traffic. But, I can’t say that for sure because I’ve never been there in the summer.  It’s also mostly shaded by trees.

Looking to test your race mettle and maybe even bring home a medal from a place other than Presque Isle State Park? Check out the Spring into Spirit 5K in Edinboro.

Benefitting McKean Elementary School, this 5K fun run/walk is a family-friendly event that begins with a cannon start on the campus of Edinboro University near Sox Harris Stadium.

While some (OK, most of us) runners will treat this as a competitive event, the focus is quite obviously on family & fun. Only the top overall male and female with get awards and there will not be “official” timing, but… there is still tons of good reasons to this race.

Here are the deets (yep, I just said “deets,” cause I’m super-cool like that):

The theme of our event is a spirit run, which is designed to bring the community together through physical activity and team spirit. Each participant will be encouraged to show their team spirit through costumes and apparel and awards will be offered to the most spirited runner or walker.

The 5k fun run/walk event will start at 10:00A.M. on May 4th, 2013. The runners will start at Scotland road and end with one loop on the track.

Due to the nature of the event we will not offer official timing. We will offer prizes to the first male and the female finishers.

Lancer Loop: The Lancer Loop will begin immediately following the 5K event at 11:00 A.M. There will be different age groups and each age group will start the race at a different time. The kids will run a 100m, 200m, or 400m depending on their age. The Lancer Loop will be available to school-aged children, and each participant will receive a prize at the end of their run.

Boro Fitness Frenzy/Event Social – Youth activities will be offered during the 5k fun run/walk and after the youth fun run. A parent/guardian/supervisor must be present with the child during the activities. We will offer a variety of fun activities. The children can go and participate and whatever station they would like. We will offer stations like a parachute game, a hula hoop area, and a dance area. To correspond with our spirit theme; we will have mascots, spirit games, and spirit awards.

The event social and awards ceremony will take place after the kids run. The event social will consist of refreshments, a 50-50 raffle, and continuing with the kids activities.

Date & Time: May 4, 2013
• Same day Registration: 8:30am
• Packet Pickup: 8:45 to 9:45am
• 5K Race: 10:00am
• Kids Race: 11:00am
• Post-Race Social: 11:00am
• Kids events: on-going

Event Pricing
• Kids run (ages 5-12): $7
• 5k participants: $15 for students -$20 for adults
• Late Registration: $25
• Special group pricing: $5 per child with a registered adult; $5 per child with more than one child registered

Online Registration: http://register.bigwhitetrailer.com/search/event.aspx?id=20224

Pre-Registration deadline: April 19th

Premium: Guaranteed only to pre-registration participants. Some may be available on race day.

Breaking news….

Barber Beast on the Bay Trial Run-Thru

The Barber Beast on the Bay would like to 50 to 75 runners  to participate in a trial run of the event.  The main event will be September 7, 2013 with a 12+ mile obstacle course.  This trial will be a mini-version of the big event, allowing us to test communication systems, logistical processes and to get feedback from YOU about your experience!

We are looking for 50 – 75 participants to register and run a 3-mile course (with 4 sample obstacles) at Presque Isle State Park.

Start/Finish:  Waldameer Picnic Pavilions

When:  Sunday  – April 21, 2013

Event begins: 10:00 am

How:  Register now via Active.com .

By participating in this event, you will receive a $50 discount  for the Sept. 7 event  at registration on April 21.  You will also be asked to share your opinions and suggestions in a survey to help us make Barber Beast on the Bay the best event ever!

If you’re interested, register now, there are already 44 signed up including the Mr. & I.

See you there fellow beast slayers!

A whole bunch of running friends and I took advantage of Sunday afternoon’s awesome weather to do another winery-to-winery run. Since then, I’ve been trying to find time to write a really moving blog post about the joy of an 8-mile run on country roads on a 68 degree (!?!?) March Sunday afternoon with 12 women chatting endlessly, but my lovely running friend, Eloise, organizer/brainchild behind the winery runs beat me to it, posting a thoughtful take on the experience at her Lessons from the Lampost blog. (Thank you, Eloise….and I thought I was the only one who could watch raindrops merge all day long — we truly do share a brain, Eloise and I).

So, thanks to my sole sister, all I have to do is post some photos. Consider it done!

P.S. When we run out of wineries…we’re seriously considering doing an ice cream store long-run series. Straw Hat anyone?

* Have you ever gotten creative, mapping out courses to keep yourself motivated?

* Do you run in a group? Do you need a group to run with? Contact me..I’ll find you a running friend — I know people, lots and lots of people.

* What is your favorite local wine/winery?