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What every muddy Warrior Princess (or Prince) needs to know!

From

Warrior Princess Mud Run - Maria mariat@harborhousedap.org

Date/Time Sent:

10/02/2012 10:32 PM
Thou Finest Royal Runners: The Muddy Moment you've all been waiting for is nearly upon us: Harbor House's 1st ever Warrior Princess Mud Run 1st-ever (presented by naming sponsor West Corporation) is THIS Saturday at Mosquito Hill in New London. Countless hours of planning are about to come to life for 1,373 excited runners. We cannot wait for you to get the ROYAL TREATMENT! So here are a few last-minute details - your dirty dozen, if you will - to address some of the questions we've been getting: 1) Will there be a place to wash off and change? e Yes, Absolute Plumbing has created two custom wash stations, sponsored by Anytime Fitness, so all participants can rinse themselves before changing clothes and jumping into their vehicles to head to one of the after-parties. Changing tents will s. also be available, thanks to Verizon Wireless; one large tent for women, another smaller tent for men. These are enclosed tents and changing will be like a lockerroom scenario with limited privacy. The gear check area will allow you to stash a clean set of clothes while you run, wash off and then retrieve the clean clothes to change into after. 2) Will there be parking? Yes, thanks to the generosity of the Thern Family and our parking sponsors (Goodwill Industries, Hillshire Brands and New London Tourism Commission), in a large field located across Highway S and just 0.3 miles northeast of the beginning of Rogers Road (the entrance into Mosquito Hill), there is parking available at no charge. Volunteer parking attendants will assist and the Outagamie County Sheriff's Department will provide traffic control. Look for the large parking banners, as well as the Outagamie Sheriff's squad parked by the lot. We ask a couple of things: a) Please carpool wherever possible. In holding an event at a Nature Center, we would be remiss in not suggesting that event participants - especially those in teams - consider this environmentally friendly option. We are also a little nervous about whether we have ample space for the number of people coming throughout the day. Given this is our first year, we don't throughout know for sure. b) Absolutely NO campers, busses or RV-type vehicles will be allowed to park on the Thern property. We have secured -type parking at Wolf River Lumber, which is located about 1.5 miles northwes of the Rogers Road entrance (on Highway S, northwest heading toward Highway 54) for these types of vehicles and if necessary, overflow parking. We hope we won't need overflow parking, but... we want to be prepared. 3) How early should I plan to be there? Runners should plan to be at the event 1 hour before their scheduled Wave time. Waves will run on time. This will allow you time to pick up your goody bags, which contain your race bibs (plus a lot of other great stuff), as well as take photos with your team for the photo contest. 4) When can I pick up my packet? Packet pick-up will be onsite at the event only at the tables near the parking lot, marked "Registration." You will need to up provide your name and phone number only. Participant goody bags contain: Numbered bib (required to run) with pins

Complimentary T-shirt (determined by participant vote in July, it will be a long-sleeved cotton royal purple unisex shirt); additional shirts likely will be available for purchase. Complimentary hand towel, provided by Fox Communities Credit Union, our towel sponsor Complimentary drink coupon to be redeemed for one free Michelob Ultra at one of the after-party sites (Hilby's Sports Bar & Restaurant in New London and Damn Yankees Watering Hole in Hortonville); only available to those 21 and older Princess crown! Free samples, coupons and offers from our sponsors You can get your bag, grab out what you need (Bib, for sure!) and throw the rest in your vehicle, if you like, before heading in. At the bottom of the bib is a gear check tear-off. You will fill that out, got into the park to the gear check station and staple it to your bag where volunteers will watch all your belongings as you run. This allows you to bring in your phone or camera for before and after pictures, as well as money for onsite concessions and your change of clothes. Totally convenient and totally free! 5) Can spectators come to watch? Children? We are really encouraging people to limit the number of nonparticipant members they bring with them for the event. Some similar mud run events actually charge for spectators. We aren't doing that, but again, we are a bit nervous about crowd size in this first year. That said, there will be a few restricted areas where spectators can watch a couple of obstacles, but will not be allowed to freely roam the course. Spectators can also be entertained by great music by B104 DJ near the finish line, awesome concessions with all proceeds benefitting Friends of Mosquito Hill and many great activities at the Verizon Wireless Journey of Hope bus (see details below). Consider the average person will take approximately 1 hour to complete the course and spectators will only be able to see them near the end of the race. You be the judge as to whether this is going to be a good option for your spectator (especially children who tend to get a little antsy when waiting). 6) What about pictures? We will have a photography team on-site (Splendid Photography), so your memories will be captured on film and you will be afforded the opportunity to purchase them within a couple weeks after the event via an e-mail with link to the uploaded photos online. You also should plan to bring in your camera to take before and after shots for a chance to win the costume contest. Here's how this is going to work: McClone Insurance is sponsoring the photo contest. They have gotten two backdrops made up at FastSigns. One will be the "before" photos; the other for your "after" shots. We want you to post your "before" shots here on our Warrior Princess Mud Run FB page for people to vote by no later than noon on Monday, Oct. 8. Voting will continue until noon on Friday, Oct. 12. You'll need to include your team name in the post. The team with the most "likes" on their photo wins the costume contest. Post your "after" photos here for your chance to win Muddiest Team. And yes, we will award a couple of individual costume winners in both the best costume and muddiest participant categories. These have to be photos of individuals only, with that person's name noted on the post. We're not quite sure what the prizes will be for this yet, but we will come through. At the very least, you ALWAYS will have bragging rights! 7) Will there be food? Medical help? As noted earlier, Friends of Mosquito Hill will provide an array of concessions on-site for both participants and nonparticipants, so please bring cash. A participant-only snack also will be available after the event (bagels, fruit, cookies and bottled water), courtesy of food sponsor Piggly Wiggly and water sponsors 4imprint and Premium Waters. Both Hilby's and Damn Yankees, the two after-party sites, also have food options. New London Family Medical Center/ThedaCare is our official safety sponsor for the day. Trained medical personnel will be on-site throughout the day, as will an ambulance. We hope not keep the medical team busy for the day! Safe running to all! 9) Can someone sign up the day of the event? A small number of spots will be available for day-of registration at $85 per person. Cash or checks only. Please allot an additional half-hour to fill out the registration paperwork, as well as medical waiver, before your hoped-for run time. 10) What is Verizon Wireless' Journey of Hope bus? Our mud run will be one of only 8 stops made throughout the country by Verizon's Journey of Hope bus. Sponsored by Verizon Wireless and the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the Journey of Hope domestic violence awareness tour will travel across the country to raise visibility for the issue of domestic violence and provide a means for people to get involved and take action. The bus is equipped with a special smartphone and tablet station where people can record and share stories of how domestic violence has affected their life, what they will do to help break the cycle of violence and other messages of hope. The stories will then be shared on Facebook to help end the silence that surrounds this destructive social issue.

Additionally, there will be an interactive art display called the Wall of Hope, where visitors can post inspirational messages to domestic abuse survivors, using special sticky notes. And there will be a Wheel of Hope, where visitors can spin the wheel for their chance to win awesome prizes and/or learn facts about domestic violence and how to help bring an end to it. EXTRA BONUS: Gather up and bring old cell phones to be recycled through Verizon's HopeLine program. Harbor House will raise $10 per phone for every phone collected at the mud run. These are phones of any brand and any age. They do not need the chargers or accessories. Bring them in, drop them into the box and help give DV survivors a lifeline and Harbor House raise extra funds. We are so thankful to Verizon Wireless for it's involvement in our event and it's companywide commitment to the cause of domestic violence through raising awareness, promotion prevention and offering HOPE. 11) Can I buy extra shirts? Extra shirts, both in royal purple and golden yellow will be available in adult sizes small through XXL for just $10 apiece. We will also have additional commemorative hand towels for sale at $3 apiece. Cash or check only. Sorry, no crowns for sale; special for the runners only! 12) Didn't find your question? Check on the FAQ link on the Website for other common questions and answers. Or, post your question to the Warrior Princess Facebook page and we'll respond there for all to see. Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us for this amazing event. A mud run is really a metaphor for life in that it brings with in many challenges. Sometimes, you'll fall down and get dirty. You'll laugh at how crazy it all is and marvel at how you're making it through. And when things really get tough, you can always lean on a friend or family member to help you overcome what stands in your path to happiness. Yes, life ain't no fairy tale, but we all just want to live muddily ever after, don't we? ROYALLY PUMPED! See you on the hill! Maria