The vision is to inspire others. Hog Dash is about getting off the couch and challenging people in the Rio Grande Valley to living a life filled with excitement and health.
Together, by motivating one another we can make the Rio Grande Valley a better and healthier place, according to founders of Mid Valley Events.
One participant Erica Barrientos, who attends every MVE event dressed up in a “Batgirl” outfit, complete with cape and boots, says she is inspired by her children.
“It’s hard. It’s tough. I really loved it. I’m doing this for my kids. My 10 year old is a special needs kid, she has Down Syndrome and she’s overweight, and I want her to exercise,” Barrientos said.
Hog Dash is MVE’s signature event. The race consists of 26 obstacles throughout a 5k run filled with wall climbs, mud crawls, tire obstacles, tunnel crawls, hurdles and mud pits, finishing off with “The Beast” a 14-foot wood half pipe that participants need to scale before reaching the finish line.
“My cousin put me on this, and I’m happy. They told me to keep on doing this and that’s why I’m here,” Barrientos said. “This one is the hardest. I dress up like Batgirl because of my kids. They like it.”
Mid Valley Events is an organization that promotes multisport events. The goal is to promote a better future by creating events that instill in others the drive to living a healthy and active lifestyle. In a region highly impacted by obesity, MVE founders say the vision is to inspire others to get off the couch and challenge themselves to living a life filled with excitement and health.
Race organizers say they intend to make every race a memorable experience for the participant by creating a unique race environment and an exhilarating course.
“Our vision is just to inspire others. It’s about getting off the couch and challenging people to live a life filled with excitement and health,” said co-founder Amanda Humphreys. “The goal is just to get people motivated, to support amazing causes, and we want people to get up and train. Together, by motivating one another we can make the Rio Grande Valley a better and healthier place.”
The organization began as a side project among friends. Humphreys, along with founders Eric Jimenez and Arlene Jimenez initially created MVE as a hub for likeminded people who wanted to remain physically active.
“I started out around 320 pounds, but what we would do everyday is get out on our bikes and just ride. Every morning we would just get out there and start riding. By doing that, I lost a lot of weight,” Eric Jimenez said. “Our little group got together and thought, ‘if we can do this for ourselves, maybe we can do it for other people’.”
That eventually led to MVE’s first boot camp and first Hog Dash in 2010. The third annual Hog Dash in June was the most highly attended event in the organization’s history, according to Jimenez. More than 4,000 people attended over the weekend, he said.
“Try something different. Don’t live a normal life, sitting on the couch watching TV is not going to do anything for you,” he said. “You have to get out there and live life. Have a good time, and if you exercise you can do all of that.”
