Cache Valley competitors prepare to get dirty
Running isn’t an activity everyone enjoys, but playing in the mud has been a fun childhood occurrence for many people.
Man vs. Mud is a 5k obstacle course that allows people to get dirty while at the same time supporting the American West Heritage Center – a local child and family support outlet – along with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The race will be held Aug. 31, and registration is open online.
Rebecca Getz, administrative assistant at American West Heritage Center, has been involved in the Man vs. Mud obstacle course for three years.
“This year, it has evolved into more of a partnership,” Getz said. “We help a lot with the labor and setting up of the obstacles, whereas the first year we hardly did anything to gain the generous profit they earned. I have been a tester of the obstacles to make sure they are safe and fun for the contestants, and that is quite the experience.”
Matt Sweet, a junior majoring in physical therapy, participated in the mud run in 2011.
“It probably took my team forty five minutes to an hour to run it,” he said. “I was covered completely top-to-bottom in mud. On a scale of one to 10 – one being clean – I was most definitely a 10.”
With lots of mud, trenches, tunnels and contestants, keeping a steady pace for the entire run is not common. The trenches are waist high, making it nearly impossible to run through. When an entire team makes it to the mud pit, they will be able to have a picture taken of them to capture the muddiest moment of it all.
“The obstacles themselves weren’t very hard, but the slippery mud made it difficult to run through the whole course,” Sweet said. “I remember a specific trench full of mud took my team at least five to 10 minutes to plow through.”
There are more than 30 different obstacles during Man vs. Mud, and people of all ages attend the non-competitive relay event to have a good time. Spectators can enter for free and food will be provided.
“I will never forget that first obstacle,” Sweet said. “We were all soaked with water after running through the woods and getting splashed with water. My team all army-crawled through the first obstacle without hesitation and that is when it all began. We had no fear. The mud was everywhere within seconds.”
Caitlin Moulton, a senior majoring in photography, ran in the relay a few times with her friends in the past. Moulton was a fan of the obstacles and enjoyed getting dirty with her friends.
“I ran it in 2011 and 2012,” Moulton said. “My favorite memories would be the deep trenches that were up to our waists, and I can’t forget the climbing obstacles. It wasn’t too much running, more so just a lot of obstacles.”
Man vs. Mud supports non-profit organizations and hosts various contests and competitions throughout the race, including competitions for best costume, funniest team name, dirtiest girl and boy and the best mud pit performance.
“My team went to the D.I. and bought white pants, suit jackets and ties,” Sweet said. “Some of the other teams costumes were crazy.”
Moulton said her team didn’t dive into the costume contest as much as other teams even they looked unified as a team.
“We all wore matching bandanas, skirts and shorts for my sophomore year Mud Run,” Moulton said. “There were people in tutus and other legit costumes. It was crazy.”
There will be an obstacle course for children ages 3-11, and kids ages 10-14 are allowed to run in the actual event but must run with an adult. Anyone more than 101 years old will not be allowed to register for the Mud Run. There is no limit to the number of members on a team, but event organizers encourage everyone to participate if able.
“I will most definitely be running it again in the future,” Sweet said. “It’s one of the best times my friends and I have had up here in Cache Valley.”