Here's Mud in Your Eye

As I see all of the pictures over the summer from folks at the new obstacle races like the Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder and others, it lead to me raising a toast and saying, "here's mud in your eye" for finishing.

Now the origin of this toast according to the internet is the speaker is really congratulating himself, for the saying comes from the world of horse racing where the winning horse will kick mud into the eyes of those following.  Others state the origin of this phrase is Biblical, when Jesus spat in the dirt and rubbed the wet dirt (mud) into they eye of a blind man, which healed the man's sight. "Here's a cure" sounds the most plausible given the circumstances under which it is most often used.

For me "here's mud in your eye" has a personal meaning as it is truly a toast to those who complete these races, because a year ago I finished the Warrior Dash, but not without a bit of a scare.  

I started the race dressed as "the accidental tourist" clearly lost and out of place at this race at Copper Mountain (see photo to the left below).  I finished it unrecognizable and blind in one eye (see photo to the right).  After cleaning up, the folks at the first aid station tried to treat me as best they could.  Fortunately my fellow Warrior Dashers headed for home soon after the race as I did my best wounded patriotic drummer imitation (see photo below).  However, it was only after a three-hour ride home on a packed I-70 and a visit to the emergency room did I learn I had severely scratched my cornea (see http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/corneal-abrasions for details).

The good news is that your eye is one of the fastest healing parts of your body and that my vision returned after it had healed in 3 days.  The bad news was the scare was enough that I had to vow to my wife to not do these races.  Despite many temptations to the contrary, I have honored that commitment to my wife since she already puts up with so many of my other adventures.

Pre Race

Post Race

Wounded Warrior and Friends