Racers and spectators invaded Rabun County, Georgia on May 14-15 for the second year in a row to participate in one of the most extreme, 3-mile obstacle races that wound through Camp Blue Ridge.
Some racers, including Rabun County resident Dolly Ramey, were there to beat their time from last year. But others were there just to have fun.
Tiffany Horn of Cumming said she was glad she made the 2-hour trip to Mountain City. She was thrilled with her time of 35 minutes and 52 seconds since her average 5-kilometer time was 33-35 minutes. “I'm definitely proud of that one,” she said.
“I recently started running and training for 5k's and Warrior Dash seemed like a good ultimate goal to reach. So I trained for about 3 months … off and on,” horn said.
She said every person she talked to was nice and welcoming. “It was like we all were helping each other finish the race,” she said. “Like, if someone slipped or was having trouble on an obstacle, others would help out.”
All of the obstacles were challenging, including jumping through flames, a muddy car graveyard, steep trails and cargo nets.
“The next most difficult thing was the trail through the woods. I thought I was walking up Brasstown Bald for a little while there,” Horn said. She is already thinking about signing up for the September Warrior Dash event in Tennessee.
While racers enjoyed a fun day of comradery, mountain views, exercise and beer, the rest of the county enjoyed a much needed economy boost. Rabun County is a perfect locale for outdoor recreation and relaxation, but it isn’t the best place to find a job.
As of April, the county’s unemployment rate circled 15 percent. What once was an oasis for blue-collar manufacturing industries, is now a community thirsty for sustainable jobs.
Tourism has become Rabun County’s no. 1 economic engine so restaurant owners and merchants were thrilled the hear Red Frog Events, Warrior Dash organizers, had chosen Camp Blue Ridge in Mountain City as one of its 10 U.S. locations in 2010 and returned this year.
It’s hard to say for sure what economic impact the weekend event had on the county, but the Rabun County Convention and Visitors Bureau has an idea. Every room in the county and surrounding counties were booked during the weekend and restaurants were packed. That means more hotel/motel tax funding to promote tourism and more sales tax revenue for the county.
Red Frog had shuttles from downtown Clayton taking racers and spectators directly to the race in Mountain City, but that didn’t stop entrepreneurs along Highway 441 from offering up their property for parking at $10 per vehicle.
According to CVB executive director Pete Cleaveland, Red frog Events also encouraged participants to donate to the American Red Cross to assist in tornado cleanup. He said the organizers also donated $1,500 raised in the axe-throwing contest to a local charity.
For more information on Warrior Dash, visit www.warriordash.com.
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