Thousands participate in Warrior Dash at Warwick Day Camp

WARWICK — Local residents may wonder why the Village of Warwick was extra crowded last weekend or where all the school busses were coming and going.
The answer is the Warrior Dash.
Warrior Dash is the 12 obstacle course race that anyone can start and everyone can finish.
With more than two and a half million participants worldwide since 2009, the organization reinvented the concept of a 5K run and created an obstacle challenge through mud-caked back roads rewarded with a finisher medal, tee-shirt and fuzzy Warrior helmet.
The Warrior Dash has raised more than $13 million to date for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
On Saturday, May 21, more than 5,000 participants, along with an almost equal number of their families, friends and other well-wishers, took shuttle busses from Sanfordville Road parking areas to Warwick Day Camp at 62 Warwick Center Road.
The Warrior Dash course, designed for a first-timer or anyone who's run, jogged or walked a 5K, is focused on challenging fun. The distance is relatively short, and for the most part the terrain isn't too difficult.
Throughout the morning until 2 p.m. approximately 250 participants in each of 21 scheduled times started a challenge that included a 5K run with about a dozen obstacles including walls to climb, slides into ponds and mud everywhere until the finish line.
Then it was party time with cold beer, snacks, music and before heading home, outdoor showers.
There were a few injuries including a broken ankle that were handled by Mobile Life who were on site for the event. Warwick EMS also were called in to assist when a few people got hurt at the same time.
People crossing the finish line said the event was well-organized and a lot of fun. Many also said they would come back and do it again.
The recent Warwick event was sponsored by Anytime Fitness and was expected to raise more than $50,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases.
All medically eligible patients who are accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.