I did Warrior Dash this year. It was fun. I wouldn't do it again because it wasn't a huge challenge but it was fun. I would like to do Tough Mudder, though: http://toughmudder.com/
As for how to prepare, eh, if you're even sort of fit, you'll be fine. They really are designed to be accessible to all people and aren't particularly hard. If you want to be competitive in it, then sure, run more, longer and work on strength training. You'll be fine and you'll have fun.
My wife and I did the Warrior Dash in June this year in OH, plus I did it last year by myself. It depends on what kind of goal you want to set for yourself. If you're shooting to come into first place, then you need to increase your endurance a ton. But if you just want it to be a fun experience, then I wouldn't worry too much about training to get into shape for it. You can go either way with it. If you can run 1.5 miles w/o stopping now, I'd just continue to build on that. Not a whole lot of upper body strength is needed. My wife did fine with it at the age of 48. I hung back myself so I could help her along, but still we finished the course in about 45 min. Not a big deal...it was more fun than work. Last year when I did it by myself, I completed it in 35 min.
The one in OH had steep hills the first 1.5 miles. Try running up will kill you. It's better to do a fast walk/hike. There's also a lot of mud (go figure). I trick I used both last year and this year was that I wore Yaktracs on my shoes. They're designed for running on ice and snow, but they work great in slippery mud. None of the obstacles were difficult, except one....kind of. We had to jump in a lake that was chest deep and then climb up these floating pontoons that were anchored in the middle. Problem was that there was no good place to put your hands on to pull yourself up. All I could find were a couple hinges that stuck out about 1/2 inch on the side that I could use to grab on to. Once I got up on top, then I stayed there and helped up 3 or 4 other people, including my wife. Afterwards, she agreed that if I had not of helped her, she would not have been able to do it by herself. That really was the only difficult obstacle. Every course is built different, so the one you're doing may not be hilly, or may not have the same obstacles we had. One thing to remember is that there's other people running with you to help you along if you get stuck on an obstacle....like I did.
Don't sweat it. But have a blast! Great party afterwards, too.
Original Post by kelrantymus:
I did Warrior Dash this year. It was fun. I wouldn't do it again because it wasn't a huge challenge but it was fun. I would like to do Tough Mudder, though: http://toughmudder.com/
I signed up for the AZ Tough Mudder again
Original Post by anthony_christianson:
Original Post by kelrantymus:
I did Warrior Dash this year. It was fun. I wouldn't do it again because it wasn't a huge challenge but it was fun. I would like to do Tough Mudder, though: http://toughmudder.com/
I signed up for the AZ Tough Mudder again
I think next year it coincides with Ragnar and my tri team is fielding a few Ragnar teams plus an ultimate.....so no Tough Mudder again for me.....
Original Post by DallasT77:
So I signed up for warrior dash and I'm sooo excited! But I've never really done anything like this before, not even a regular race. I was just wondering, has anybody done one of these before? If you have, what should I focus on training most, strength or endurance? I'm currently doing both, but focusing on upping my endurance because i think that's probably my weaker point. I can run about a mile and a half fairly easy at this point, the warrior dash is 3.11m. If anybody has any advice, tips or pointers on what to expect and prepare for, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks :)
First, if you're running with friends, prepare for a good time. While the more hardcore people might dismiss WD as being a sort of "beginner's obstacle run," it doesn't mean that it's not fun. 
Second, practice your running as well as obstacles. There is a greater focus on fast intense cardio (Crossfit-style jumping, leaping, ducking, and rolling) than pure strength. Some obstacles do require some upper body strength in climbing, but it's not a sustained sort like weight lifting.
If there's a playground near you, take advantage of it. Run to it, then climb, jump, crawl, and leap all over the equipment (careful not to run any kids over!). If there are hills near you, run through them.
Although the distance of the Dash is short, the leaping, crawling, ducking, and climbing will use up more of your cardiovascular energy storage than just pure, straight running alone.
This year, my friend and I ran together. I'm more of a distance runner than him, but he's a Crossfitter, so some of the obstacles were easier for him than they were for me, but I had greater endurance/recovery during the straight runs. He remarked that I hardly sounded like I was breathing at all while we were running, but he smoked me on the Road Rage obstacle (and waited for me at the end ).
Finally, it's not nearly as scary as their marketing materials make it sound. It is fun, and it is a challenge, but it's not impossible. Oh, and the fire at the end? It's just two rows of Duraflame firelogs, which means that it only looks more intimidating than it is. It doesn't put out nearly enough heat to burn anyone or anything running over it. 
First and foremost, the Warrior Dash is a lot of fun. As long as your in at least average physical condition, I wouldn't think you'd find it too hard. Every WD is a little bit different, though, and it's possible you'd find one or two of the obstacles pretty tough. I think the most you'll between obstacles is a mile or so, but if you've got the time, training up to 5k distance for running is a pretty good plan. That along with some basic strength and agility training.
Just expect to have fun!
I see a couple other people on here mentioned the Tough Mudder. That one is on another level, if you ask me. I've run both WD and TM and would not compare the two. TM is much, much harder.
