Slogging as fast as they can by Linda McIntosh
CAMP PENDLETON – Nancy Wood is good at running, especially through mud.
The first time she participated in the base's Mud Run, last October, she won in the female division. The second time, in June, she won again.
Then she was invited to compete in the Mud Run at a sister branch of the base's YMCA in Hampton Roads, Va.
Yes, she won again.
Now the 27-year-old physical education teacher is joining thousands of others preparing for the 12th annual SDG&E Armed Services YMCA 10k Mud Run at Camp Pendleton Oct. 18.
Wood looks forward to the hurdles.
"I like when it's grueling. Even the hard parts are fun," she said.
Hard – as in up to your waist in mud.
"It slows you down, and you come out looking like a swamp monster," Wood said.
Sometimes runners charge through; sometimes they clomp or crawl.
"If you crawl, you use your arms to power through," Wood said. "You have to be mentally tough."
Part of the appeal of the race is that it is not pure running.
"There are the slimy mud pits and slippery military training obstacles," said event organizer Katrina Robinson.
Robinson is coordinating the efforts of 450 volunteers who will make sure the event runs smoothly.
The race is hosted by the YMCA with help from the Marine Corps Community Services' Semper Fit Division. Proceeds from the annual fund-raiser go toward programs and services offered by the Armed Services YMCA for base military personnel.
When Wood heard about the race near her hometown of San Clemente, her family encouraged her to join.
Her husband, father and brother ran in last October's race with her. Her mother joined the summer run.
"They said, 'Why don't you try and win it,'" said her husband, Mike Wood.
A runner in high school and college, Wood continues to train for triathlons.
"I like endurance running," she said.
She does a lot of running on the hills near her current home in Northridge.
"Most people poop out on the hills, and that's when she passes them," her husband said.
