Dances with Dirt Gnaw Bone recap

'Welcome to the dark side of running.

Weak, wimpy, treadmill running pansies who are afraid to get some dirt in their shorts need not apply.

Expect to be scratched, muddied and bruised by the beauty of this unpolished gem.

Expect to get out near the edge where life is full color.

Expect a day that leaves you knowing you are fully alive, awake and crankin' on all cylinders.

Expect insanity, stupidity and nirvana. '

That is the welcome you get from the DWD website.

Yesterday 14 friends and myself danced with dirt and mud in the hills of Brown County State Park (yes, there are hills in Indiana, ask anyone who rode in the PanAm cycling road race back in the 90's what they thought of the hills). This second year race, attracted teams from as far away as Florida! They give out awards for the best costumes. Some folks were chasing beer cans hanging from their hats. Other fun costumes included, men running in kilts, tie-dyed hippies, a team handing off a fuzzy pink bunny rabbit backpack at each exchange, men wearing Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets on their heads. While there are some super fast runners, most are here for fun. Probably half of the runs are on established trail, half are off trail through the woods, follow the flags, if you miss one you could be lost for a while - last year one person was lost for 4 hours! Last year every one on our team got lost once. This year we fared much better with not a single person getting off track. It was a perfect day, sunny, highs near 70. Lots of mud, lots of water crossings, lots of smiles, and laughs.

If you have 4 friends you want to enjoy a fun day in the woods with, give this event a try.

And, yes, there really is a town in Indiana, called Gnaw Bone! Population 5, or something like that.