February is the month of Love! And like many people, you may have visions of red roses and candy hearts dancing in your head. But if you are looking for true romance, you may want to add a little mud into the mix. Really? Yes! Sure Obstacle Course Racing is rugged and intense, but it also has a softer more romantic side. Yes, romance is alive and well and is fueling many mud soaked OCR racers who are putting their heart into more than just each obstacle.
Life changing Experience
Just ask Melissa Bibeault of Cumberland, who admits romance was definitely not foremost in her mind when she set out to tackle her first Boldrdash. Her boyfriend Dave encouraged her to try a 5K earlier that year. It went well, so they took their relationship to the next level (so to speak) and decided to try an obstacle race. She didn’t think anything of it, when towards the end of the race, Dave asked if he could push forward and go for it alone. So imagine her shock when she got to the finish line, her family was waiting, along with a question that would change her life. “Dave is an original guy. I should have known his proposal would be something unlike other guys out there. I was so happy, excited, etc. I couldn’t wait to say yes! The other thought that ran through my mind was how dirty I was!! All the dirt and mud, I didn’t want to put the ring on and get it dirty!!!!” The couple married the following August, built a house and are living out their happily muddy after.
Click the link to the right to see the proposal! BoldrDash Stories from the Heart
About The White Dress
How many brides have their wedding dresses tucked neatly away in storage with the hopes that one day their daughters can look at the dress with disdain and say, “no way mom, I am not wearing that!” That’s why Deb McCrohon knew she was going to do it differently. She and her husband to be, Tim are an active, outdoorsy couple who had competed in two Tough Mudders. This fun loving couple already knew their ceremony would be anything but typical, as their lakeside nuptuals would kick off with the groomsmen water skiing in to start the ceremony. I explained to my mom about the trash the dress tradition. I was a little worried about how she was going to react, but she said, “Go for it!” The wedding took place on a Saturday, and that night, the bride spent time altering her dress, cutting out the lining and cutting off the train so that it wouldn’t hamper her on the Boldrdash course the next day. “I felt no regrets, but I was a little worried about the fact that it was a strapless dress. Didn’t want to lose it on any obstacles!”
On their first day as man and wife, the couple drove to Rhode Island, dressed in their wedding attire from the night before, and took on the course. She admits that the dress did make the course more challenging. “My legs were a bit restricted, so there were several times, like on the tires that were having from ropes, when I had to hike my dress up over my shoulder and just go for it. It was the most fun I have ever had doing any kind of race. There was just something so special about that day. Everyone was so nice, the Reserves and volunteers who worked the course were so much fun! And at the finish line when Tim scooped me up all muddy and carried me over the line, I felt so lucky to have married such a sweet, romantic guy! ”