The Mud Run 2010: Good clean fun!
Posted by Suz Koch for Adventure Racing - Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:53
This weekend I took part in the Mud Run. I must point out that ‘Mud Run’ is a misnomer; or at least it is 50% misleading. There was definitely mud. More mud than I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve spent a week at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark where people often give up on the concept of clothing due to the amount of mud you need to negotiate throughout the week. So you could say that I'm well acquainted with large quantities of mud.
What I don’t agree with is the use of the word ‘run’. When signing up to this event I was told that ‘It’s basically a 5km trail run with a 20m long mud pit at the end’. I'd like to suggest that the proportions would be more accurate if we stacked them in the opposite direction. Of the whole course there were only a few small patches where you could do anything that might have been interpreted as running. For the rest of it you were slipping, falling, sliding, wading, crawling, swimming, trudging, paddling or wiping out in vast expanses of mud. Thankfully the other thing you spent most of your time doing was laughing.
After your first fall any idea of remaining somewhat clean is abandoned as you shift focus to the concept of simply moving in a forward direction. For many parts of the course there is thick, muddy water resting atop a completely obscured and uneven muddy base. There is no way to anticipate whether you’re about to step into a hole, trip on a log or get your entire shoe ensnared in a particularly greedy patch of mud. Even if you think you’re following the same route as the lucky sod in front of you who doesn't seem to have as many problems remaining upright, the mud seems to take on a life of its own and you go from standing to falling without much of a transition between and certainly without warning. At one stage I became unwittingly part of a slapstick scene worthy of the Three Stooges, when a girl to my right did a comedic skid which threw her legs into the air. As she was crashing back to the earth she grabbed onto my arm, clearly deciding that if she was to suffer such a fate, that she would be taking someone down with her. It was awesome.
Other parts of the course involve running in a river (hazards include submerged logs and unexpected drops in the river bed), swimming across a very fast moving part of the river (hazards include being kicked in the face by someone’s muddy trainers or being taken downstream), using a rope to pull yourself up a sheer, slippery mud wall (hazards include loss of dignity when your colleagues have to pull you up the wall by your arms because you can’t find a foothold to help you up) and manmade mud slippery slides (hazards include extreme fun and the potential of ripped pants).
By the finish line we were getting pretty tired. Under normal conditions, a 5km run wouldn’t have proved too challenging for Team Banzai, however when you’re having to extract your feet from thick goop each and every step of the way, as well as spending half your time getting up from another fall, you definitely use a substantial amount of energy. A special mention must go to one team member who completed the run having had only 20 minutes sleep following what must have been one of the world’s most epic weddings. A stomach’s worth of champagne was almost left behind but she powered on without complaint, in true Banzai fashion.
We crossed the finish line triumphantly, in all our muddy glory. Heading down to the river to wash off yielded variable results; when you have 2,000 competitors all using the same water to try to clean themselves you start to wonder whether you’re actually removing the filth or just swishing it around.
Having been forewarned about the leeches in the area, we were all pretty keen to make sure we weren’t unwittingly harbouring a little blood sucker betwixt our toes – or somewhere worse. I’m happy to report that we all came home free of creepy crawlies, but there is one legacy that we’ve all taken with us; the stench.
After the Shower Number One I definitely felt less dirty, but wouldn’t have been bold enough to describe myself as clean. Following Shower Number Two I felt like I could safely mingle with the public again without fear of offending anyone hapless enough to be caught downwind. Unfortunately upon waking on Sunday, the smell seemed to have come back with a vengeance, so it must have been seeping out of my pores whilst I slept. This morning I thought I’d be all clear, however upon completing my morning run I could smell the increasingly familiar odor of decomposing vegetation, mud and animal faeces. It would seem that I’m still not in the clear and that the only way to get rid of the smell is to do whatever possible to sweat it out. Some of the others have reported having small desposits of mud falling from their ears and other various places, so this is a race that stays with you whether you like it or not.
The only other legacies are all the aches and pains. Thankfully no one came out of it having sustained any lasting injuries besides a bump and bruise here or there. However, by the afternoon after the race I had started to seize up. Interestingly, the legs were fine. It was my entire torso that was causing problems. Arms, abs, shoulders, pecs – every part of my body which was used to either stop myself from falling, or pick myself back up when I hadn't managed to stay upright, made itself known slowly as the buzz of the race wore off.
In summary, regardless of the mess, the aches, the smell, the pain and the somewhat false advertising, the Mud Run was the most fun I’ve had in longer than I can remember. Any event which allows you to embrace your inner child yet still hands you a beer as you cross the finish line is a winner in my books. If you have the opportunity to compete in this event next year, or can find one near where you live (check out our Adventure Events page!) I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.
Check out more photos from the race.
Team Banzai pre-event
What I don’t agree with is the use of the word ‘run’. When signing up to this event I was told that ‘It’s basically a 5km trail run with a 20m long mud pit at the end’. I'd like to suggest that the proportions would be more accurate if we stacked them in the opposite direction. Of the whole course there were only a few small patches where you could do anything that might have been interpreted as running. For the rest of it you were slipping, falling, sliding, wading, crawling, swimming, trudging, paddling or wiping out in vast expanses of mud. Thankfully the other thing you spent most of your time doing was laughing.
After your first fall any idea of remaining somewhat clean is abandoned as you shift focus to the concept of simply moving in a forward direction. For many parts of the course there is thick, muddy water resting atop a completely obscured and uneven muddy base. There is no way to anticipate whether you’re about to step into a hole, trip on a log or get your entire shoe ensnared in a particularly greedy patch of mud. Even if you think you’re following the same route as the lucky sod in front of you who doesn't seem to have as many problems remaining upright, the mud seems to take on a life of its own and you go from standing to falling without much of a transition between and certainly without warning. At one stage I became unwittingly part of a slapstick scene worthy of the Three Stooges, when a girl to my right did a comedic skid which threw her legs into the air. As she was crashing back to the earth she grabbed onto my arm, clearly deciding that if she was to suffer such a fate, that she would be taking someone down with her. It was awesome.
Other parts of the course involve running in a river (hazards include submerged logs and unexpected drops in the river bed), swimming across a very fast moving part of the river (hazards include being kicked in the face by someone’s muddy trainers or being taken downstream), using a rope to pull yourself up a sheer, slippery mud wall (hazards include loss of dignity when your colleagues have to pull you up the wall by your arms because you can’t find a foothold to help you up) and manmade mud slippery slides (hazards include extreme fun and the potential of ripped pants).
Making a dash for the finish line.Those clothes have since been binned.
By the finish line we were getting pretty tired. Under normal conditions, a 5km run wouldn’t have proved too challenging for Team Banzai, however when you’re having to extract your feet from thick goop each and every step of the way, as well as spending half your time getting up from another fall, you definitely use a substantial amount of energy. A special mention must go to one team member who completed the run having had only 20 minutes sleep following what must have been one of the world’s most epic weddings. A stomach’s worth of champagne was almost left behind but she powered on without complaint, in true Banzai fashion.
We crossed the finish line triumphantly, in all our muddy glory. Heading down to the river to wash off yielded variable results; when you have 2,000 competitors all using the same water to try to clean themselves you start to wonder whether you’re actually removing the filth or just swishing it around.
Having been forewarned about the leeches in the area, we were all pretty keen to make sure we weren’t unwittingly harbouring a little blood sucker betwixt our toes – or somewhere worse. I’m happy to report that we all came home free of creepy crawlies, but there is one legacy that we’ve all taken with us; the stench.
Team Banzai at the finish line; some team members commited to the mud more than others, with muddy teeth being one outcome!
After the Shower Number One I definitely felt less dirty, but wouldn’t have been bold enough to describe myself as clean. Following Shower Number Two I felt like I could safely mingle with the public again without fear of offending anyone hapless enough to be caught downwind. Unfortunately upon waking on Sunday, the smell seemed to have come back with a vengeance, so it must have been seeping out of my pores whilst I slept. This morning I thought I’d be all clear, however upon completing my morning run I could smell the increasingly familiar odor of decomposing vegetation, mud and animal faeces. It would seem that I’m still not in the clear and that the only way to get rid of the smell is to do whatever possible to sweat it out. Some of the others have reported having small desposits of mud falling from their ears and other various places, so this is a race that stays with you whether you like it or not.
The only other legacies are all the aches and pains. Thankfully no one came out of it having sustained any lasting injuries besides a bump and bruise here or there. However, by the afternoon after the race I had started to seize up. Interestingly, the legs were fine. It was my entire torso that was causing problems. Arms, abs, shoulders, pecs – every part of my body which was used to either stop myself from falling, or pick myself back up when I hadn't managed to stay upright, made itself known slowly as the buzz of the race wore off.
In summary, regardless of the mess, the aches, the smell, the pain and the somewhat false advertising, the Mud Run was the most fun I’ve had in longer than I can remember. Any event which allows you to embrace your inner child yet still hands you a beer as you cross the finish line is a winner in my books. If you have the opportunity to compete in this event next year, or can find one near where you live (check out our Adventure Events page!) I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.
Check out more photos from the race.
