Monday, May 07, 2012

Monday Mentionables: Mud Runs & Spartan Races

OK, has anyone heard of (or done) one of these "Mud Runs" or "Spartan Races" or whatever they're called? This seems to be the latest trend in fitness: a running race that's combined with crazy obstacles like mud, water, barbed wire, fire, hay, huge walls to climb, huge slides to descend...yes, and I'm sure the list goes on. My brother-in-law has done one (I'm pretty sure he ended up bleeding at the end of it), and I have a couple of friends who are planning them for this summer, and I'm just curious as to whether anyone out there has experienced and would recommend one. I don't know that it's my 'thing' - I mean, I do road races and I like working out and everything....I just don't know about subjecting myself to possible (probable) minor injury along the way.

Or maybe I'm just a baby.

I'm also thinking there must be a story in there somewhere (isn't there always?). Two contestants who meet at a Mud Run, maybe fierce competitors, who end up together at the end despite missing a limb or an eye or something...

It's fascinating to me where stories lie, because all you have to do is look around you, or read the news, for inspiration. Life is crazy! Actually, one recent news article has stuck with me, and I'm thinking I need to use it in an upcoming story. Apparently there is a dating website that weeds out its participants based on looks. That is, if you aren't attractive enough, you can't join. I guess "beautiful" people only want to date similarly-described " beautiful" people. This site also apparently ran some kind of "check" on its current members and decided some no longer made the cut, so they were booted from the site even though they'd originally belonged. Wow - seriously?!

Oh, yes, there has to be a story in there...

What about you? What crazy stories have you read in the news and thought, yup, there's a book just waiting to be written?

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