The Arizona Republic Travel Section

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Mud,

sweat& beers BOB YOUNG

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THE REPUBLIC

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Flagstaff obstacle race invites you to play dirty Bob’s Bucket List An avid runner, cyclist and triathlete, Explore Arizona reporter Bob Young is sampling a different outdoor event somewhere in Arizona during every month of the year. Follow along in the Travel & Explore section and at travel.azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobYoungTHI. Or sign up for an event and join him!

What’s next: On Aug. 30, he’ll run the Arizona Trail North Rim Half Marathon. It’s a lungsearing 13.1 miles over singletrack trails and forest roads with views of Marble Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs. Find out more at www.aztrail.org/ halfmarathon_northrim.

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have wanted to dip my toe into a mud-obstacle race for a long time, if only to find out what makes them so darned popular.

The growth of non-traditional running events has exploded, and mud-obstacle events have led the way. According to RunningUSA.org, there were about 150 participants in alternative running events in 2010. By 2013, there were more than 4 million.

That number also includes people who took part in color runs, zombie runs and other themed races, but social-media numbers indicate that mud races are leading the way.

For example, Spartan Race, a mud-obstacle series with events across the country, has 4.8 million “likes” on its Facebook page. Tough Mudder, another national series, has more than 4 million likes. By contrast, the Facebook page for Run Disney, the series of events at Disney parks, has 458,000 likes and it’s one of the most popular pages for traditional running events.

So I figured there must be something to this. All I needed was a race that wasn’t going to get me electrocuted.

See MUD, Page 5T

Check out must-sees, then explore Washington, D.C.

Baby steps: Traveling with a toddler to Puerto Rico

NANCY BENAC ASSOCIATED PRESS

AMBER HUNT ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — We were in paradise, surrounded by lush trees and waterfalls in El Yunque rain forest.

But the pint-size traveler on my husband’s back was more concerned about our dwindling Goldfish supply than the marvels around us.

“Look, Hunt, a waterfall!” I pointed.

He responded by touching his pinched fingertips together and saying, “More, more, more.”

I slipped him another cracker and repeated our mantra that this trip would be good for him.

Seventeen months after my first son was born, my husband and I were itching to go abroad. We love travel and experiencing new cultures. And because we hope to instill that love in our offspring,

MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC

Chris Herber splashes into the water.

ELIJAH VAN BENSCHOTEN/AP

Amber Hunt plays with 17-month-old Hunt Van Benschoten in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Trips with a toddler require changes in planning, expectations and itineraries.

we decided to bring him along.

Some friends and family were perplexed. “You know he won’t remember it, right?” they asked.

Sure, we knew. But we also knew that what kids experience shapes their brains and futures, whether they remember those experiences or not.

And we knew we’d miss the bugger like crazy if we left him behind.

So we set some parameters. We See TODDLER, Page 3T

WASHINGTON, D.C. — You could easily spend a whole visit to Washington exploring the museums, galleries and monuments along the National Mall.

But that would be wrong.

You’d miss out on all the energy, nightlife, parks, culture, sports and interesting food and drink in D.C.’s thriving neighborhoods.

See the must-sees like the White House and the Smithsonian. But carve out some time for the things locals love, too.

What’s new Be forewarned: Washington is under construction. A large swath of the grassy National Mall is torn up between Seventh and 12th Streets for a turf restoration project that won’t end until January 2017. The Capitol dome is encased in scaffolding, and there are renovations underway inside the Capitol, too. The Rotunda will be closed through Sept. 7. And there’s more con-

struction near the Washington Monument, where the National Museum of African American History and Culture is rising on the last available spot on the mall. It’s scheduled to open in 2016.

Updates from the White House: Tourists finally can take photos on the public tour, and the newly redecorated Old Family Dining Room has been added to the tour route. Outside, you can gawk at the extra spikes that have been added to ward off White House fence jumpers.

Born to shop? Check out the high-end retailers in the new CityCenterDC neighborhood.

A convenient new way to get around: Hop on the $1 “Circulator” bus that makes a loop between Union Station and 15 stops around the Mall.

Classic attractions You can’t beat the free and plentiful historic sites and museums at the heart of the city. But do some homework to zero in on what most interests you. Or, surrender to happenstance and be surSee WASHINGTON, Page 4T

ADVENTURES IN WORLDS OF WATER PAGE 5U

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Explore Arizona BOB YOUNG OFF THE COUCH

Phoenix 10K will celebrate 40th running in November

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hen 1,500 runners toed the line for the first Phoenix 10K, Raul Castro was the governor of Arizona, Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world and Jim Fixx still was a year away from publishing his best-seller, “The Complete Book of Running.”

It was 1976, and the first running boom hadn’t even hit its stride yet.

The winner of that race, along a canal near 40th Street and Camelback Road, was Frank Shorter, who often is credited with launching the running explosion with his marathon victory in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The event, now called the 3TV Phoenix 10K and Half Marathon, was started by Dr. Art Mollen. It will celebrate its 40th running on Nov. 1. There also are a 10K wheelchair race, a 5K run and the Mollen Mile for kids.

Art Mollen “Never in my utopian dream would I have thought it would still be going 40 years later,” Mollen said.

The race grew out of a running group Mollen formed that included some of his patients. It soon grew to 400 people running through Paradise Valley on Sunday mornings.

“The police finally shut us down,” Mollen said.

So the group moved to the canal near what was then called the North Bank restaurant. Mollen knew the owner, who allowed the runners to use his parking lot.

When Mollen decided to form the race, the North Bank sponsored it for the first five years.

“We thought we would have about 500 the first year,” Mollen said. “We had tongue depressors numbered 1 to 500 to hand to them as they crossed the finish line. That’s how we were going to mark the finishing order. We had 1,500 runners. Needless to say, nobody after the first 500 knew where they finished.”

These days, everything starts and finishes at CityScape in downtown Phoenix.

A half marathon was added in 2012 because of the booming popularity of that distance.

Mollen handed off race-director duties to Harvey Beller 35 years ago. To

shirt!

“I miss the tongue depressors, though. We still use them around the office. They’re still a good way to look at the back of a throat.”

Details: 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. CityScape Phoenix, 100 W. Jefferson. $35-$65 through Sept. 30. Mollen Mile is $10. phoenix10k.com.

Laces and Leashes We love pets, especially puppies. We love running. We love virtual races, which allow participants to run their “race” on any course at any time.

The Laces and Leashes Virtual 5K combines all those things and benefits the Arizona Humane Society.

Because there is no overhead, the full entry fee goes to the Humane Society.

For an additional $5, runners receive a finisher medal. Here’s how it works: Run 3.1miles any time between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30. Run with friends or alone.

Run on a flat course or a hilly one. After the run, post a photo of yourself on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #LacesAndLeashes5K and tag @runeattweetaz in your photo to win prizes from race sponsors.

Of course, since the race is virtual, you can take your dog. Or your cat. Or your virtual dog and cat.

Details: $25. runeattweetaz.com/virtual5k.

‘Run Free’ again PHOENIX 10K

The Phoenix 10K dates to the early days of the first running boom in the U.S.

celebrate the 40th running, they have a few special plans: » A $1,040 prize for any man or woman who breaks the 10K race record.

The men’s record of 28 minutes, 11 seconds was established in 1996 by Kenya’s James Bungei and tied two years later by another Kenyan, Lazarus Nyakeraka. The women’s mark of 32 minutes, 35 seconds is almost as old. Kenyan Jane Omoro set it in 1997, breaking the mark held by Mary Decker Slaney. » A souvenir shirt with 1970s-style lettering. » A 40th anniversary medal for halfmarathon finishers.

Mollen said about 10,000 runners are expected in all the events, and the Suns

have signed on as a partner. A shoe drive will soon be under way, in which runners can donate old shoes, which will be cleaned up and given to shelters. In return, they’ll receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes, including Suns tickets and shoes signed by players.

Meanwhile, Mollen marvels at all that has changed about running in 40 years.

“Women now make up 50 percent of the field or more,” he said. “Back then it was maybe 5 percent. The participation in the half marathon has really taken off, too. There’s much more pomp and circumstance — color runs and night runs and mud runs.

“And it’s more expensive. We charged $5 the first year — and that included a T-

THEN & NOW

A May 7 screening of the documentary film “Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco” played to a sellout crowd at Harkins Theater in Tempe, so a second screening has been scheduled for Aug. 11 at the Graduate Hotel in Tempe.

The film has been honored by the Arizona International Film Festival and Indie Fest. It won the 2015 Bud Greenspan Award from the Track and Field Writers of America and has been nominated for best documentary at the Madrid International Film Festival.

The documentary tells the story of Micah True, known as “Caballo Blanco,” the central figure in Christopher McDougall’s 2009 best-selling book “Born to Run.” Details: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11. Graduate Hotel, 225 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. runfreemovie.com.

TRAVEL BRIEFS

S c o t t s d a le p o lic e t r ie d e x o t ic B r ic k lin in m id - ’7 0 s b u t d r iv e o t h e r c a r s t o d a y

See ‘Willie G’ motorcy cles Fans of motorcycle culture have until Labor Day to see an exhibit at the HarleyDavidson Museum in Milwaukee that celebrates the design work of Willie G. Davidson.

Davidson became the brand’s first design director in 1963. He created designs that defined the brand’s factory custom motorcycles for nearly 50 years. Classic motorcycles designed by his styling studio included the Super Glide, Low Rider, Heritage Softail Classic, Fat Boy, V-Rod and Street Glide.

The exhibit includes his watercolors and personal memorabilia that inspired him in addition to examples of his motorcycle designs.

Harley fans know Davidson as “ Willie G.” from his frequent participation in motorcycle rallies and other aspects of Harley culture. He is the grandson of one of the brand’s founders, William A. Davidson.

National parks IMAX

SCOTTSDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT

In the mid-1970s, a Scottsdale man, Malcom Bricklin, developed a car called the Bricklin SV-1, which was manufactured in New Brunswick, Canada. To help promote the vehicle, three were leased to the city of Scottsdale for $1 a year. The gull-winged car, often confused with the DeLorean, was used by the police department for school and public relations. Bricklin also introduced cars from Subaru and Fiat (the X1/9 and Spiders) to the United States. In addition, he formed Yugo America with the goal of importing and selling cars manufactured in Yugoslavia at a price of $3,990. Unfortunately, the cars were better-known for their inferior quality and made the list of worst cars of all time, according to Time magaz ine.

A new 3-D film about America’s national parks will be hitting IMAX theaters next year with Robert Redford as its narrator.

The film, “ National Parks Adventure,” is scheduled for release in February to coincide with the centennial of the National Park Service next year.

The film features mountaineer Conrad Anker, his stepson Max Lowe, who’s an adventure photographer, and family friend Rachel Pohl visiting Yellowstone National Park, the Everglades in Florida, Arches National Park in Utah and other places.

The movie captures the beauty of these preserved wild places and unique landscapes with the goal of inspiring travelers worldwide to visit.

Redford also stars with Nick Nolte in “ A Walk in the Woods,” expected in theaters in early September, based on author Bill Bryson’s funny account of walking the Appalachian Trail.

Airbnb in Africa

DAVE SEIBERT/THE REPUBLIC

Today the Scottsdale PD uses different models of cars and SUVs, with the newest model being the four-door Dodge Charger sedan.

Airbnb reports that it has more than doubled its listings for Africa in the last year.

Growth has included a more-than-double overall increase in the number of people staying in Airbnb listings on the continent, as well as a more than doubling of Africans using Airbnb.

For example, in Kenya, there are now more than 1,400 listings available to book through Airbnb, with more than half of them in Nairobi.

Listings around the continent range from a studio on a lagoon in Namibia that promises “ birdwatching from your doorstep” for $45 a night to $60-a-night guestrooms in a beach house on the Indian Ocean on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.

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Your Travels

C o u p le t a k e S e a t t le - t o - S a n D ie g o c o a s t a l t r ip DIANE BJOREM SPECIAL FOR THE REPUBLIC

When my husband and I decided to head to Hillsboro, Ore., for our nephew’s graduation this spring, it quickly turned into a coastal road trip.

We ventured north via the Las Vegas/ Reno route, checking out the usual tourist spots. I zip-lined down Fremont Street in Vegas and stopped for pictures of the famous Reno sign and Truckee River. A quick detour was my first visit to Lake Tahoe.

Once in Seattle, we had to go to the top of the Space Needle. We did this late in the afternoon for two reasons: the prices go down after 6 p.m., and we got to see the sunset and watch Seattle go from sunlight to night lights. We also hit the Pike Place Market, the Experience Music Project Museum and ate Ivar’s famous clam chowder before moving on to Portland.

The Portland Rose Festival and Fleet Week were in full bloom. It was such fun to watch the parade, visit the fair, watch all the people and see the sailors stand at attention while ships pulled into port on the Willamette River. No trip to Portland is complete without a visit to the International Rose Test Garden and the famous Voodoo Doughnuts. Yes, we ate doughnuts for dinner.

Next we drove south to Hillsboro for the graduation, then continued down the coast.

After stopping at Multnomah Falls, we backtracked a bit to Astoria to drive the famous coastal Highway 101. We stopped in Seaside for a drink and a quick view, then rolled through beautiful Cannon Beach. We made our way to Tillamook, where we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour and a sandwich. It was fascinating to see how the cheeses are made, and the samples were wonderful.

As we crossed into California, the Trees of Mystery redwood attraction was a must. We took the Sky Trail gondola ride up to the observation points to look over the treetops out to the ocean and hiked down the 1-mile path even though it was pouring rain.

In San Francisco we saw the famous Pier 39, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park and Japanese Tea Garden, and the Golden Gate Bridge. That old saying of,

PHOTOS BY DIANE E. BJOREM

The rugged Oregon coastline.

“The coldest winter I ever felt was the summer I spent in San Francisco” is true!

Next we ventured to San Jose for a tour of the Winchester Mystery House.

The tour includes 110 of the 165 rooms of the mansion as well as the grounds. The history of Sarah Winchester, widow of William Winchester and heiress of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. is enthralling.

We were running out of time, so we settled on one theme park to visit. With its 60th anniversary celebration going on, Disneyland and California Adventure won. The new World of Color light and fireworks show is worth the frustrations of the summertime crowds.

Finally, it was down to San Diego. We always make a quick visit to the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery (my husband is a retired Navy veteran) which has views of downtown San Diego on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

Then we enjoyed a visit to Cabrillo National Monument, enjoyed a scrumptious burger at Hodad’s and watched surfers at Ocean Beach to round out an amazing coastal trip.

The writer lives in Glendale.

Space Needle in Seattle.

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

TELL US WHERE YOU' VE BEEN: To contribute to Your Travels, send a large, high-resolution JPEG attachment photo and a description or essay of up to 400 words to traveleditor@arizonarepublic.com. We' ll contact you when your item is scheduled to be published.

Toddler Continued from Page 1T

wanted a spot that was affordable, wouldn’t be a nightmare to fly to with a toddler, had plenty of kid-friendly attractions and would expose him to another language.

Puerto Rico fit the bill.

Our passports are colored with trips abroad, but although we didn’t need passports for Puerto Rico (it’s a U.S. territory), we did have to toss out all we thought we knew about traveling.

We were no longer a (somewhat) lowmaintenance duo, sharing two carry-ons and one checked bag. No, this was a four carry-on, two-checked bag endeavor, plus a gate-checked kid carrier.

Necessities from previous trips — like laptops and pro photo gear — were nixed to make room for baby supplies like swim diapers. For photos and surfing the Web, we used our iPhones.

As with parenting in general, we prepared well on some fronts, but flubbed others altogether.

Things we did right: » We brought things to keep the tyke busy on the plane and beyond: books, crayons, paper and even annoying noisemakers we’d cursed relatives for giving us but which ultimately proved invaluable. » We researched San Juan well enough to know that a stroller would be a pain. We opted instead to bring a hikingstyle child carrier. This made our jaunt through the rainforest easy and it was a great conversation-starter with locals.

One woman literally stopped traffic to tell us how cool she thought it was. » We got a two-room suite. It cost $50 more a night and felt strange for me — my first trips abroad were hostel-hopping budget fests. But having two rooms let us keep Hunt on his normal sleep schedule, while letting us talk, read and more between his bedtime and ours. » We stuck with his nap schedule, too, by tackling one outing in the morning, then returning to the hotel for a noon break before going back out. That limited our itinerary, but we knew skipped naps would be a hell we preferred not to endure. » We did things that weren’t kidfriendly like San Juan’s historic forts and the Arecibo Observatory, just as we would have without him. We walked miles a day to see how people on the island live, and we shopped at a farmers market. When Hunt got impatient, one of us broke away with him and let the other finish the experience.

Things we did wrong: » We broke our don’t-disrupt-the-baby’s-routine rule by booking a late flight on the way home, and, oh, did we pay for it. While we managed to mostly shield fellow travelers from our anguish, my husband ended up with a shiner from a tiny, flailing fist during one particularly potent tantrum.

PHOTOS BY AMBER HUNT/AP

Elijah Van Benschoten carries his 17-month-old son, Hunt Van Benschoten, while visiting Castillo de San Cristobal in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Research about the destination ruled out using a stroller, so the family brought a hiking-style baby carrier.

We were no longer a (somewhat) low-maintenance duo, sharing two carry-ons and one checked bag.

Hunt Van Benschoten wades at a beach. There was probably a nap shortly before or soon after the outing.

» We didn’t ask the hotel about noisy scheduled events. Big mistake. We loved our hotel, but didn’t love the bar-style thumping on our second night. » We occasionally expected our tod-

dler not to be a toddler. We never overtly lost our cool when, say, Hunt threw himself on the ground for no apparent reason as we went to show him his first view of the ocean, but we did catch ourselves

snapping at each other from the stress.

What it taught us: Time-outs are good for adults, too.

But once he reached that beach, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped and he was more ecstatic than I’d ever seen him.

He rushed to the water’s edge and stopped to let the waves lap his little feet, then reached willingly - for the first time ever - for my hand to guide him. I’d been studying Spanish for the trip, so when another little boy approached with toys, I was able to ask in Spanish if my son could play with him. The two played in the sand with no language barrier — toddlers don’t need words to understand meaning.

I don’t know if the trip was as good for Hunt as I’d hoped. But one thing is certain: It was good for me.

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C a p e M a y , N . J . ’s c h a r m i n g V i c t o r i a n h o m e s BETH J. HARPAZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAPE MAY, N.J. — Summer on the Jersey shore is all about going to the beach.

What makes the seaside town of Cape May special is not just sand and shore, but the city’s many Victorian homes.

They constitute what the National Historic Landmarks program calls “one of the largest collections of 19th century frame buildings” in the United States.

The entire city, in fact, was designated a National Historic District in 1976, with more than 600 summer homes, hotels and commercial structures in all.

Their gables, towers, domes, arched windows and inviting front porches, often trimmed in bright colors, create charming and whimsical streetscapes all over town.

Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, a local non-profit, publishes an excellent guide to 57 structures. The $5 “Cape May Bike Tour” booklet can be purchased at MAC’s headquarters on Washington Street. If you don’t want to go around by bike, though, you can also head out on foot, starting from Washington Street, and hit many of the homes listed in the booklet in just a few hours. The publication includes a map, street address and description for each structure.

In addition to Washington, key routes include Ocean Street, Columbia Avenue, Hughes Street, Beach Avenue and North Broadway. Among the highlights are the Stockton Row Cottages on Gurney Street; Leith Hall, The Breakers and Columbia House at 22, 24 and 26 Ocean St.; the massive Congress Hall hotel at 251 Beach Ave.; and the Southern Mansion at 720 Washington St. Many buildings today house bed-and-breakfasts, eateries or shops.

If you have time, take a guided tour of the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, located right next to the MAC offices, with free parking onsite. The tour of 15 restored rooms takes about 45 minutes and offers a good introduction to Cape May’s history and a close-up look at Victorian interiors — including oddities like decorations made from human hair. You can also buy a combination ticket that covers a guided trolley tour around town along with admission to the Physick home.

Cape May became a popular summer resort in the mid-1800s, but a massive fire in 1878 destroyed 35 acres, and Atlantic City eventually overtook Cape May as a destination. The city’s lack of development in the early 20th century helped preserve it, and the historic landmark designation staved off demolition

PHOTOS BY BETH J. HARPAZ/AP

The Southern Mansion, an Italianate-style building built in 1863, now used as a hotel in Cape May, N.J. It' s one of hundreds of 19th-century structures included in Cape May, N.J.' s National Historic Landmarks designation.

If y ou go Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities: 1048 Washington St., Cape May, N.J.; http://capemaymac.org or 609-884-5404. “ Cape May Bike Tour” booklet, $5, lists sightseeing route for 57 homes. Guided tours of Emlen Physick Estate offered several times daily, schedule subject to change; $12, children $8.

Cape May Beach: $6 daily pass required 10 a.m.-5 p.m. sold at beach entrances and City Hall tax office, 643 Washington St. (children 11 and younger admitted free). national Historic Landmarks: http:// tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=943&ResourceType.

of the old houses in the late 20th century.

A pedestrian mall on Washington Street offers ice cream, souvenirs and more. You’ll need to buy a day tag for the beach. Other local attractions include a lighthouse and national wildlife refuge.

The Stockton Row Cottages on Gurney Street in Cape May, N.J., dates from the 1870s.

Was hingt on Continued from Page 1T

prised.

Important Lesson One: The Smithsonian is not one building. It’s 19 museums, 12 public gardens, nine research centers and the National Zoo. You can’t cover it all. Would you rather see the giant pandas (National Zoo) or the Hope Diamond (Natural History Museum) or the StarSpangled Banner (American History Museum) or Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis (Air and Space Museum)?

These are the kinds of choices you must make: www.si.edu/visit/.

Important Lesson Two: You probably won’t get inside the White House if you don’t plan months in advance and line up tickets through a congressional office — www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-andevents/. You’re also better off booking advance tickets for the Washington Monument and to tour the Capitol — www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail .do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=77811 and www.visitthecapitol.gov/ plan-visit/book-tour-capitol.

Tips Avoid getting glares from locals when using Metro escalators: Stand on the right side, walk ahead on the left side. Clogging the escalators is the biggest peeve locals have with out-of-towners.

Pick up the Smithsonian’s 35-page Visitor Survival Guide for a $1 donation; it distills the essentials into one pamphlet.

Park your car and use other ways to get around. Ride the Metro: It’s cleaner than New York’s subway system though less extensive — www.wmata.com/.

Rent one of the thousands of bikes stationed around town by Capital Bikeshare, www.capitalbikeshare.com/. Take the red Circulator buses that loop through different sections of the city, http://dccirculator.com/ . Take a guided Segway tour, a fun way to see classic sites while trying out a new mode of transportation. Check out monuments from a new vantage point by kayaking the Potomac. Try the hop-on, hop-off tour options, including Old Town Trolley Tours, D.C. Ducks (land and water) and Big Bus. Visit the monuments at night or book an evening tour. It will be cooler and less crowded than during the day. Fall is a nice time to visit: the summer heat and humidity ease, and you miss the hordes of school kids who come in the spring.

Washington.org, the go-to site for tourists, has a long freebies list: http:// washington.org/100-free-and-almostfree-things-do-dc. It also offers sample itineraries focused on various interests.

Search under “DC Itinerary.”

Hanging out When you max out on history and patriotism, ditch the Mall and explore

PHOTOS BY CAROLYN KASTER/AP

Canoeists paddle into the C&O Canal after launching from the Boathouse at Fletcher' s Cove in Washington, D.C. The Boathouse at Fletcher' s Cove has rowboats, kayaks, canoes and bicycles for rent.

Emma Keyes (left) and Ciara Jacobs toss plastic balls at “ The Beach,” an interactive architectural installation inside the National Building Museum in Washington.

some neighborhoods.

Have weekend brunch on Capitol Hill at Eastern Market, the city’s oldest continually operated fresh food public market, or in the restaurant mecca along Barracks Row on Eighth Street SE. Spend Sunday afternoon at the Dacha Beer Garden — http://dachadc.com/ — in the newly cool Shaw neighborhood. Grab dinner along Maine Avenue at the fish market on the Southwest waterfront.

(Think crabs steamed 30 seconds ago on a floating dock on the Potomac.) Also popular on the waterfront: Cantina Marina — www.cantinamarina.com/ — for cheap-ish eats and drink.

Check out special events at the National Building Museum — the Great Hall has been turned into a “beach” made of translucent plastic balls through Labor Day, http://nbm.org/. Rent a kayak from Fletcher’s Cove boathouse —

Eastern Market is Washington' s oldest and continually operated public market.

www.fletcherscove.com/ — and paddle the C&O Canal; pick pawpaw if the pulp fruit’s in season. Enjoy a free Friday-night concert or other activities at Yards Park — www.yardspark.org/ — in the emerging Navy Yard area. Play bocce on the outdoor plaza at Vinoteca in the U Street corridor, www.vinotecadc.com/. Have some serious barbecue from the pitmaster at DCity Smokehouse, http://dcitysmokehouse.com/.

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M u d Continued from Page 1T

Seriously, I’m happy to wallow in muck and shimmy over walls and cargo nets, especially when the company is paying for it. But crawling past live wires that are going to leave me mumbling in the mud like I’ve been stunned by a Taser?

That’s not passing a test of endurance.

That’s failing a test of intelligence.

That’s why I decided to sign up for the Flagstaff Extreme Terrain Mud Run when I put together Bob’s Bucket List of races in cool places around Arizona. Terrain Racing offers categories including “elite� 5K and 10K divisions, regular 5K and 10K divisions and a 20K, each for men and women. I signed up for the regular 10K race.

Unlike some mud-obstacle promoters, Terrain Racing avoids the pseudomilitary approach. No barbed wire. No tear gas. No electro-shock therapy, the obstacle made famous by Tough Mudder races, administered in a mud puddle.

But no shortage of fun.

It didn’t hurt, either, that the event takes place in late July amid the tall pines at Fort Tuthill County Park just south of Flagstaff. Terrain also has a race in Tucson, one in Las Vegas and two in the Valley, including one coming up Nov. 7. “The time of the year makes a big difference,� race director Jerry Foreman said, explaining the Flagstaff event’s popularity. “Everybody gets excited to come up and run in Flagstaff this time of the year. Most of our athletes come from the Valley.�

And many sign up on teams with their friends, co-workers and families. The course is set up so that kids as young as 7 can compete with a parent. There also is a separate kids course for ages 2-10. “We’re really big on that,� Foreman said. “When parents and kids train together and exercise together, it creates a bonding relationship with the family and motivates kids to stay in good shape. We hear from a lot of parents about how it motivated their family to stay in shape.�

Motivation wasn’t an issue for me.

However, how to train for my first mud event was a mystery.

I studied video on the company’s website to get an idea about what it takes to be a “mud monkey,� as the Terrain folks like to call their participants. I could expect to swing on monkey bars, climb ropes, clamber across cargo nets, scale walls, crawl through pipes, tote tires and sand bags, leap over flaming logs — all

PHOTOS BY MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC

A competitor slides down a slippery slope during the Extreme Terrain Mud Run in Flagstaff.

while rooting around in mud pits like a pig.

To my disappointment, there were no burning logs. It probably had something to do with all of the pine trees.

Anyway, to prepare, I added more push-ups, chin-ups and planks (which strengthen the core) to my routine. I began through Riverview Park in Mesa, which has a great playground with webbing obstacles to climb and swing on, plus a rock wall to hop onto and off of.

I quickly learned that the heart rate spikes while attacking even easy obstacles. Of course, I would have known that sooner if I had spoken with Lashay Marks before the race instead of after it. “As soon as you go over an obstacle, you have to get back to that same running pace you had before you got to it as quickly as possible,� said Marks, who was the master of ceremonies for the race and trains people for mud-obstacle races at Phoenix Evolution OCR Training in Chandler. “That’s the hardest part about doing this.�

On weekends, I tried to include a long trail run, with lots of climbing and rocks.

I also added short, hard hill repeats.

Still, when I arrived at Fort Tuthill, I wasn’t really sure what I was up against.

And that was half the fun!

I signed up for the 10:30 a.m. wave and

Bob Young (center) studied up on becoming a “ mud monkey� before starting the race. He finished in an hour and 32 minutes.

arrived about an hour before my start.

There is a $10 charge to park at Fort Tuthill, but finding a parking spot and going through the check-in process was a breeze.

I attached my bib number, warmed up and went to the water tank everybody

jumps into at the start. I figured I’d be able to finish the 10K course — 6.2 miles — in about an hour, maybe a little longer.

I figured wrong.

The first mile or so was mostly a nice See MUD, Page 6T

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DURANGO

ELIZABETH MUNAFO 602-444-4384

emunafo@republicmedia.com

DURANGO AREA TOURISM

Durango has something for everyone, from arts and culture and a historic steam train to superb dining and brew pubs.

Durango offers a dozen vacations in one destination Durango is an epicenter for a great number of things: outdoor pursuits in the surrounding high desert and mountains, fresh food raised at high-elevation farms, Native American history and Old West heritage, arts and culture, an historic steam train, superb dining and brew pubs.

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The quantity of independent restaurants, quality of ingredients and breadth of menu selections in this town boldly challenge the sophisticated culinary offerings of any metropolitan hub. In addition, with six breweries and two distilleries, Durango is one crafty little mountain town!

History: West of Durango, Mesa Verde Country is the archaeological center of America: Mesa Verde National Park, the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, Hovenweep Na-

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Durango boasts over a dozen galleries carrying treasures from American Indians, Contemporary Western and Southwestern works of museum-quality art represented with sculptures, pottery, paintings, fine-art photography and more.

However you decide to spend your time in Durango, you will experience a vacation like no other. It’s less than a day’s drive from Phoenix or a direct flight will have you here in less than an hour – and you’ll feel like you’re a world away.

For more information and a free travel planner, visit durango.org.

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Alternative Running Events

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trail run, with some rocky, technical sections that climbed into the forest. The only early obstacle was a slog through the mud beneath a cargo net that we would cross over later in the race. But there were plenty of natural obstacles.

And not much oxygen at 7,500 feet of elevation.

Soon, the real obstacles started coming. There were 23 on the 5K course and about 32 on the 10K, not counting a dozen barriers that are part of an equestrian cross-country course we went through.

I quickly realized that it wasn’t simply a matter of reaching an obstacle, getting past it and running on. There were brief delays at many obstacles, where runners waited for those ahead of them to complete the obstacle. At two, the wait was significant. In fact, several 20K racers in line with me decided to skip a rope obstacle on their first pass through the course and try on their second time through rather than wait any longer.

I didn’t mind the holdups. They gave my lungs a chance to locate a few more oxygen molecules in the thin air. And I was running for fun, not for time. I didn’t even wear a watch, figuring it would end up ruined in the mud (although many participants wore watches and other devices).

It’s worth noting that there were a lot of strength-related obstacles, too.

Nothing required the strength of Atlas, but the lifting challenges could have left unprepared legs wobbling. Twice, we had to tote 25-pound“Wreck Bags” around part of the course. Another obstacle required carrying a tire up and down a steep hill. A volunteer at the top gave each runner a code to repeat at the bottom, preventing anybody from turning around early.

There was a stop to flip a truck wheel over four times and another in which a bar with tires hanging from chains on each end had to be hoisted onto the shoulders and carried around a loop.

The only lifting involving mud was at an obstacle that required runners to fill a bucket, carry it up a short climb and pour it on a tarp, which they would then slide down into a pit.

In most instances there was more muddy water than the gooey, sloppy stuff. Still, bounding into the pits is not a

PHOTOS BY MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC

Competitors tackle the monkey bar drop, one of the less-grubby Extreme Terrain Mud Run obstacles.

good idea. Just step in. Otherwise the feet sink into the muck below the water — often losing a shoe.

To combat this, I used duct tape to “spat” my shoes, which kept mud and rocks out, and my feet in. It worked great.

Of course, you can’t put duct tape everywhere. Some obstacles require squirming through mud-filled tubes and crawling under chain-link fencing. The mud will find its way to places it does not belong. Dark places. Uncomfortable places. Places That Must Not Be Named.

The good news is, you won’t really notice until it’s all over except the gardenhose shower.

For me, that took an hour and 32 minutes. The race, not the hose-down.

If clocking a fast time is important to you, entering one of the earliest waves is a must — even if it means signing up for an elite division.

Other than a handful of people at the very front, who are competing for cash prizes, most of the mud monkeys in the elite divisions are no faster than many in the regular races. And there are a lot fewer of them. Starting earlier also means you won’t be catching up to participants who started in the waves in front of you, which is what happened to me.

I arrived at one of the cargo-net obstacles and found three long lines. It was at least a five-minute wait just to get on the

Barbara McCorgary (right) and Eva Flanagan crawl through the Mother Road Moat.

beam that climbs to the netting.

I didn’t hit a long delay again until about 4 miles into the race, where two ropes were suspended between trees and racers were required to wrap their legs around the rope and pull themselves across, parallel to the ground, with their hands. That bottleneck lasted about 10 minutes.

After that, it was mostly clear sailing.

It was a warm day, but the course was mostly shaded. Plenty of water was available, but no sports drinks or other sources of calories. For someone doing the 20K, carrying an energy gel or two would be a good idea.

The 10K course splits from the 5K onto flatter, faster trails. And with fewer obstacles, the pace picked up considera-

Mud-obstacle races: They come in various distances and difficulties, but all send runners through a series of obstacles that usually involve crawling in, running through or face planting in mud. Terrain Racing has one at Rawhide Western Town on Nov. 7. terrainracing.com.

The Color Run: This includes glow runs and other brands. Participants wear white and run through “ color stations” where colored cornstarch or glitter is thrown around. A nighttime version is coming Oct. 10 to Rawhide Western Town. thecolorrun.com/night/phoenix.

The Zombie Run: This series features “ humans” who navigate a ghoulish 3.1-mile obstacle course while avoiding being infected (tagged) by “ zombies.” Coolest thing? You can enter as a human or a zombie (and they provide a zombie makeover). There’s one Nov. 8 at Wild Horse Pass. thezombierun.com/ phoenix-az.

ThrillSeeker 5K Stunt Run: The obstacles are the kind seen on television stunt shows.

Think running across blocks above water while giant (but soft) swinging bowling pins try to knock you into the drink. There’s one Oct. 31 at Salt River Fields. stuntrun.com.

WipeOut Run: Same idea as the Thrill Seeker, with obstacles inspired by the show “ Wipeout!” on a 5K course. Try it Nov. 14 at WestWorld. wipeoutworld.com/phoenix/.

Scavenger Dash: Teams of two solve 12 clues to reach checkpoints where they’ll scavenge items or take photos of landmarks. A nighttime version starts at the Depot Cantina in Tempe on Nov. 7. scavengerdash.com.

bly except at that two-rope bottleneck.

The grand finale brought mud monkeys up a slippery hill, over the top and sliding down a wet tarp into a mud pit, then up and over a ramp into a dumpster filled with water.

I dropped into the chest-deep water as two brothers of maybe 7 and 10 climbed the ramp.

“That water’s going to be over my brother’s head,” the older one said. So I toted the little guy across to the other wall and pushed him over the top, banking some good mud-monkey karma for another day.

At the finish, everybody received a medal big enough to double as a Thanksgiving turkey platter and, for adults, a free craft beer from Mother Road Brewing Company in Flagstaff.

Ah, free beer. No wonder these races are so popular.

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ARIZONA

ELIZABETH MUNAFO 602-444-4384

emunafo@republicmedia.com

The Original

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Raffle supports Boys & Girls Club per ticket or a lucky threepack for $250; imagine the odds.

Buy a ticket for a chance to win – and escape to the wonderland of your Arizona Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. The 3rd Annual Ultimate White Mountain Get-aWay Raffle offers you the

The 3rd Annual Ultimate White Mountain Get-a-Way Raffle offers you the chance to escape to cool breeze s, green forests and lakes brimming with trout.

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Each year the raffle supports non-profits in Apache County. This year the Round Valley Boys & Girls Club will receive funds to support the operation of the 462 member club that provides homework help, day trips, educational adventures, the development of social skills, and sporting activities. The 2015 Basketball program enabled 262 youth to learn how to play and how to act as a team. The Round Valley Boys & Girls Club begin four years ago serving as a safe and low cost place for children after school and providing full-day sessions during the summer. During the upcoming school year mentors will be on hand to offer homework help. Your raffle ticket purchase is a win-win situation – you may win one of the four prizes and the Round Valley Boys & Girls Club definitely wins.

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