The Muddying of a Care Bear T-Shirt

So, I've shown you how to make a Care Bear t-shirt.

And now let me present to you how to muddy a Care Bear t-shirt.

(Disclaimer: the actual muddying process was not caught on camera - because we definitely did not bring a camera on the run. It wouldn't have survived...)

Before:

 Care Bear STAAAAAAAAARE!!!!!!!!!! (You'll just have to imagine the rainbow beams shooting out of our stomachs...the camera couldn't catch the light properly...and I'm not that proficient with PhotoShop)

I totally got peer-pressured into the little care bear ears/pigtails. But they turned out cute enough, and stayed in the whole race, so I can't complain too much about it. That said, I should never be a speaker during DARE week to help kids stay strong against peer pressure (do schools still use that program?!)...

 The Mighty Care SpiderBear...Friend Bear shoots spiderwebs of friendship to engulf her friends so they can never leave her - friends don't let friends get far!

And After:

Most of the mud comes right at the end - in the big mud pit you have to crawl through to get to the finish line. Turns out, muddy water is just as chilling as clean water, when it's kind of cold outside...brrrr.

Care Bears are tough. Don't be fooled - they're still bears...Grrrrr!

 And this is the cross-over show the Care Bears are in talks of doing - Care Bear Wrestlemania!

These guys were crazy. They had just finished running while we were getting ourselves put together. They stopped for a photo blitz near us, and people kept asking to take their picture, so they were there posing forever. So of course, we jumped on the bandwagon and asked for a picture with them. I couldn't decide if I thought they were hilarious, or if I wanted to throw up from their nasty speedos. The guy on the end by me was doing these deep, meditative breaths - because, you know, it's hard work holding up all the air in the sky.

Some Highlights:

Running into friends unexpectedly before and after the race

The WWE guys - total hams for the camera. And we fed their egos.

The string jungle that we had to get through Entrapment style (not really). At the end, Jillian was still in it and yelled to me, "Friend bear - help a friend out!" Thanks for keeping me true to my tummy symbol, J.

Our calls to keep us together - "Care Bears Unite!" Pretty sure that's not from the show or movies, but we liked it anyway

The sunshine that came out for 5 minutes after we finished - if that was all the sun we'd get, we got it at the perfect time

My silky smooth skin after the mud bath at the end

The lake we cleaned off in - not as cold as it probably was for the earlier racers!

Totally got dunked in the water by one of the aforementioned friends we ran into. NOT COOL. Very cold, in fact.

FIVE GUYS FOR LUNCH! Sooooooo good

Getting to use my care bear ribbon that I've carried with me for the last 8 years of my life, just knowing there would come a time when it could be a legit part of an outfit. It was tied around my ponytail, but when I got suckered into pigtails, I tied the ribbon around my wrist. After every obstacle, I raised my arm and the ribbon brought us together and running again.

This was definitely one of the more fun races I've run in my life. Slight burns, bruises, and cuts aside, I had a blast. Here's to repeating it next year! Though hopefully it will be a wee bit warmer then...