1995
The Slobber Monkeys name was born in an AP Math course in Cottage Grove, MN at Park High School in 1995. A unique birth place for sure, it was the name of an in-class group and a doodle was created and added to every document turned in for the class. After the spring semester had ended and the boys left the hallways of PHS for the summer, the Slobber Monkey name went dormant for a number of years.
2002-2003
It wasn’t until 2002 when Eric T Tarasewicz woke the Slobber Monkey name from it’s 7 year slumber, using the name for a touch football team name with a group of friends from PHS – none of which were a part of the original Slobber Monkey group. A very clumsy attempt at design created the first official Slobber Monkey graphic/logo and it was printed on ‘goldenrod’ shirts to be used as jerseys. The team played in a C-class league and was merely a bunch of guys playing football together. The team lasted for a couple years and the majority of the ‘jerseys’ have most likely all been sent to the rag box.
2011-2013
The start of the Obsticle Course Runs (OCRs) chapter of Slobber Monkey lore officially started in 2011 at the Warrior Dash in Afton, MN. Once again, it was Eric T Tarasewicz who revived the name by wearing one of the old jerseys to the run. He was instantly hooked on the concept of the OCRs and signed up for several over this 3 year span – each time sporting a worn and weathered Slobber Monkeys jersey. The jersey has since been retired from OCRs because in 2014…
2014
The Rebrand started when, after multiple requests to friends and family, a team was created for the Twin Cities Tough Mudder run in Somerset, WI by Eric. Such a team needed a name and it was to be called Slobber Monkeys. The opportunity to set a logo on the ‘team page’ coupled by the inability to find the original graphic created in 2002, sent Eric to the drawing board to create a new and updated version of the logo. Working with former co-worker and good friend Rosalie Wolff for design ideas/suggestions as they commonly did whilst working together at Pheasants Forever, Eric created the new logo and printed shirts for the Tough Mudder team. Wearing the new shirt to Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, MuckFest and Rugged Maniac – the Slobber Monkey name started spreading like wildfire.
2015
In 2015, the Slobber Monkey Nation expanded to more than just a Tough Mudder team in the OCR world. Eric T Tarasewicz was joined by friends Randy and Kara Topper for a myriad of OCRs in 2015, thus the “Road Tour” of 2015. Kicking off 2015 in style, Eric was joined by wife Katie along with Randy and Kara for the Flaters Triple-R Triathlon in Holcome, WI over Mother’s Day weekend. Then, in June Eric, Randy and Kara did the Spartan Sprint at Welch Village in MN. Katie joined the group again for the Warrior Dash again in Afton, MN as did Kris Johnson and husband Mark (spectator).
The weekend after Warrior Dash was the 2015 Twin Cities Tough Mudder outside of Hudson, WI at Game Unlimited. Due to some wicked weather that ripped through MN/WI in the early morning, the Saturday event was cancelled and the record-breaking 13 Slobber Monkeys scheduled to run the event were very sad. The event was allowed to continue that Sunday and 9 were able to make the second day. Eric “Coach T” Tarasewicz, Darlene Neff, Heidi Kolonko, Andy Neff, Randy and Kara Topper, Mandy Tietz and Matt and Melina Van Alstine rocked the course on a beautiful day and the adventure was captured by photographer Katie Tarasewicz.
The finale for 2015 was at the Rugged Maniac in September. The Slobber Monkeys team saw ‘the usuals’ of Eric, Randy and Kara in addition to Matt and Melina, there were two trial members of the Slobber Monkey squad in Melina’s sister, Mikayla, and her husband, Jessie. As an aside, Matt Van Alstine wore his vintage 2002-2003 Slobber Monkey jersey to the Rugged Maniac.
2016
The Slobber Monkeys demonstrated their versitility in 2016. The season started off with the Eau Claire Marathon where Katie Tarasewicz, Mandy Tietz, Kara Topper and Randy Topper all ran the 26.2 miles in a relay whilst Eric Tarasewicz rode a bike and donned the camera for the quartet (riding over 31 miles for the day).
The Slobber Monkeys hit the road again. Someone (possibly Eric) put it into the minds of Eric and the Toppers that “Hey, wouldn’t doing the Spartan Trifecta be a cool thing?” So we did. The 2017 road tour started with the Spartan Beast in Ohio, a 15 mile course that made the rest of the summer seem like a walk in the park. The second leg of the Trifecta was the Super a 10-mile jaunt in Illinois – a muddy and challenging course. The final stretch was the hellacious Spartan Sprint at Welch in MN. The average age of the Monkeys dropped significantly as Joseph & Jonathan Tarasewicz and Cruz Topper ran the Spartan Kids race.
The MN Tough Mudder (actually held in MN this year) was the first double-digit Slobber Monkey event (since everyone showed up for one of the touch football games). Eric, Randy & Kara were met with some familiar names – Kris Johnson, Darlene Neff – and also introduced to some new Monkeys – Kyle & Jason Baker, Marty & Carey Paulson, and Rick Stewart. Again, photos courtesy of Katie Tarasewicz.
The Monkeys mucked their way through the Warrior Dash the following weekend in Le Sueur, MN and even a wicked thunderstorm induced delay couldn’t keep Eric, Katie, Randy, Kris and Mark Johnson from enjoying the celebratories after the course was completed!
Rugged Maniac in September introduced three new OCR virgins to the Slobber Monkeys team as Jonathan, Luke and Grecia Nelson joining in the fun.
A rain-soaked Wisconsin Tough Mudder completed the 2016 season. Eric & Randy slipped and slid while a sore-footed Kara cheered them through the finish line.
2017
2017 brought us the largest gathering of Slobber Monkeys yet (at Tough Mudder MN in July). 2017 we put less miles on the vehicle, but the fun will continue. Two relay teams for the Eau Claire Marathon, three Tough Mudders this year, and the Rugged Maniac.
We’ve also welcomed our first two sponsors (to help with the cost of our race shirts). Many thanks to Mauer Sports Nutrition and Massage Envy in Woodbury, Roseville and Blaine and owner Gary Myers!
2018
A milestone year for two Slobber Monkeys, Eric Tarasewicz & Randy Topper both earned their black headbands (10+ TMs completed) at the MN Tough Mudder! While Randy had held the lead over Eric for the number of Tough Mudders run by one, Eric managed to sneak in an early season TM in Michigan with co-workers to earn his 3rd pink headband prior to the MN Mudder. Both able to share in the glory that the black headband brings together.
Two relay teams at the Eau Claire Marathon again kicked off the 2018 running season. Both teams (Slobber Monkeys and Slobber Monkeys II) showed improvement over the previous year’s times.
As we have the last few years, we wrapped up 2018 with the Rugged Maniac at Wild Mountain. It was another super fun 5k and beautiful day! As we drove home, thoughts of the next OCR season danced through our heads, but first we had to endure one of the oddest winters we’d seen in a while.
2019
Due to family obligations, the Slobber Monkeys are taming things down a spell. With one team running in Eau Claire, we have decided to focus on the Tough Mudder in MN and the Rugged Maniac in the fall. We should still have a number of monkeys at the TM and a good-sized group for RM. Stay healthy this summer – the trails, they are a-callin’.