The F3 Super Bowl is the CSAUP of F3 Nation. The Marine Corps hosts the Mud Run and it draws the Nation like bees to honey. Wet…gritty…sandy…muddy…stinking honey. It gets in every orifice, will not wash off without a serious effort, soap and a towel you will probably throw away when finished. It’s a 4.5+ hour car ride on a Friday. Riding down with Strokes and Cousin It in the eco friendly Fusion Hybrid got the 2nd F off to a good start. Later we found out that Cousin IT was getting the sauna treatment in the back of the car because Strokes had the vents closed! The ride home was much more comfortable for him with open vents. The 2nd F continues upon the arrival at the hotel. Joker and Duff proved to be excellent host as we watched a live cop show where Lt. Brown (cousin to Lt. Dan) in his attempt to chase down criminals. Unfortunately the only thing he caught was a not enough oxygen because he was still red-faced and puffing like me at the end of the show. We kept the excitement high when we headed out to see The Gamecocks take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Our tickets were waiting at will call thanks to Wimpie (who is the MAN!) Third base line row 2. YHC Joker and Duff went straight to the chicken-on-a-stick guy for dinner. Our 2nd F was enhanced by the USC fans and their lamentations about the team. Especially the Grumpy old men and their wish for a new shortstop. The Gamecocks almost game back but fell short of victory. Still a good time was had by all. YHC, with Strokes as co-pilot headed back to the room to get some rack time. Just about the time YHC entered the land of nod “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!” Wimpie, Spin Cycle and Under Dog arrive and Wimpie wants to go clubbing’!! YHC and company ignored him and went back to sleep. Breakfast the next morning (not at the Waffle House) in the hotel and we loaded up and headed out.
Arriving at the Mud Run is just plain cool. Off the highway, down a country road and into farm. Yep. It’s a working farm with lots of cows as the boys of ENC would soon find out. Those of you who have been to this CSAUP know what I mean. A huge field and the Stealth Mobile was parked. Off loaded men and flags and we had arrived. YHC has been to the Mud Run on 2 previous occasions and was prepared for the cow patties. However this time the patties were in full effect. Fresh, fragrant and plentiful. YHC wants all the Pax in the East to know that a part of the magic of this CSAUP is arriving and planting flags on the site with your brothers. YHC instantly knows he’s a part something bigger than himself. Humbling. Cousin IT picks up the shirts and bibs, we number up and then it comes…The Ball Of Man. OBT and Major Dad open it up and the organization Hidden Wounds talked about their work with veterans where all the money goes to those who serve and have been wounded in the defense of Our Country. (One of the guys had a Clemson Paw on his glass eye!) After the Pledge and Prayer it was time to head to the start.
Get in line based on bib number. They write a number on each arm and leg. Someone speculated about the reasons for this. YHC can be squeamish so lets just say I came home with everything attached. ENC has 2 teams and team 1 hit the course and we were right behind them for awhile. The Super Bowl is a team event. You have to work together to get over some obstacles and you have to encourage your teammates to get through others. Either way its about the team. We start and head out and the first obstacle is Bear Crawls. YHC wanted to be Mellow Johnny but when Belding Bear Crawls sometimes its a real crawl. Then a Crab Walk up parallel bars each higher than the next and then back down the other side. Run some more and other obstacles and then to the Creek. This particular corner of the creek is wonderful. If you like soupy, black muck that is full of cow crap! A Pax runs past yelling “Ya’ll a bunch of (female vaginas ” and jumps in. YHC has to question the wisdom of cannon balling into a substance that is 1 part water and 9 parts cow flop. The Marines at each obstacle are there to “encourage?” the Pax. “This is a Mud Run not a nature walk!!!!” Over under logs, through mud holes, teaming up and getting over the 10 foot wall, the cargo nets, and running. (It’s hot there fellas so be sure to hydrate!) YHC made it through the tires this year without damaging anything. Running obstacles and sandy, wet, stinking glorious mud. As you get near the end you can hear the crowd and you see the obstacle sign that says #35 get through, run up the hill and its #36…the Buddy Carry. YHC loaded up Joker and away we went. Near the end he taps YHC on the back and says the following, “You’re a beast but you’re crushing my …” Have you ever been in a buddy carry that became very uncomfortable because you are a male? A good laugh and we lock arms. We finish as a team. YHC is spent. Water, banana, pictures. Rinse off. Gatorade and more water. This year the Summerville guys put together the F3 Games. Sandbag relay, tire flip and Tug of War. ENC Crossbones was represented in the relay and tire flip. Now consider this. 5 plus miles, 36 obstacles and Pax still competing. Cousin It and Spin Cycle will win it next year! Load up and head back to Greenville. The 2nd F continues with a serious discussion of The Matrix. In case anyone hasn’t noticed the Stealth Mobile has a Matrix like color to it….just saying.
The Super Bowl is hard. Its supposed to be. The drive. The fellowship. The comradeship. Mix that with a generous helping of mud, sweat and cow flops and you have the magic. T-Bone recently said something to me that’s a reminder of what this is about. We all have a different path. The blessing is getting to share different parts of that journey with different Pax along the way. This morning we celebrated as a Pax the impact of Papa Smurf He encouraged YHC to get out there and go for it. The Super Bowl marks YHC’s F3 anniversary. It was all the more significant because each of us went with his spirit of laughing, doing good work and pressing on. Go. See. Feel. The Super Bowl is about a lot of things and the most important of them all is #IAMTHIRD! It ain’t all about you, or YHC its about US! Being there for my brothers and having them pull me through reminds YHC that he is not on a solo journey. That DFQ is real and so are YHC’s F3 brothers. Sasquatch is coming and it will be tough. HOT. We will all be together. That’s what counts.