As promised, this post is all about the results of The Warrior Dash, a hardcore 5k plus obstacle course race that requires both physical fitness and a slightly elevated level of craziness to complete. What made it even wilder was that it was scheduled to take place during Mardi Gras, New Orleans’ uniquely chaotic Carnival season. People flock to the city for parades, partying and various other forms of revelry, with the resounding theme of the journey being a search for adventure.
Adventurous is just about the only way to describe Saturday, March 5, 2011 for my favorite three Warriors—Kaiti, Melissa and Taylor. Armed with rain gear, bandanas, old sneakers and fierce competitive spirits, Kaiti, Melissa, Taylor, our friend Amy and I left Tulane and headed toward Norco, Louisiana where the event was to occur. We left at 11 a.m. in a slight drizzle, which only made the three runners more excited to wade through mud, climb over obstacles and jump over fire.
With her excellent sense of direction, Melissa volunteered to be the driver (and navigator) for the trip. This went smoothly until about twenty minutes into the trip, when it started to rain harder—much harder. Suddenly, the radio cut to an Emergency Weather Update from the National Weather Service that warned of tornadoes and thunderstorms headed directly for Norco—and the Warrior Dash. Next thing we knew, Amy was on the phone with a fellow Warrior, who told her that the police were evacuating the event due to imminent tornado threats for the area.
As Amy relayed this information, a silence fell over the car. Likely, thoughts of loss filled our minds—lost entrance fees and lost opportunity for Warrior bragging rights being at the forefront, of course. The silence was broken by Melissa, who in a disheartened voice asked, “So… does this mean we aren’t warriors anymore??” This question caused us all to break into laughter, after which we assured our three friends that they were definitely still Warriors, if for nothing else than for braving the weather to get to the event.
Instead of heading right back to campus however, we decided to continue our excursion by exploring Metairie. We visited Haydel’s Bakery for some of the best King Cake any of us had ever tasted and ended our day with a visit to Whole Foods, Arabella Station to comfort ourselves with healthier fare (plus, it was Saturday—samples, anyone??).
What was supposed to be a day of physical exertion and outdoor adventure detoured into a jaunt that fed the foodie in all of us. While we happily traded one for the other, there was an overwhelming atmosphere of disappointment over the lost opportunity of completing The Warrior Dash. However, everyone agreed that there is always next year to show off the warrior in all of us.
I should also note that our risk-taking tendencies were clearly in overdrive in honor of the task our warrior friends originally had before them. Melissa solidified the award for best quote of the day, when she said, “Well, if we’re not going to be Warriors, can we be Storm Chasers?!