The inner child of hundreds of runners and participants alike gleamed at the 2014 Mudathlon. Three miles and 40 obstacles was the challenge for teams and anyone who wanted to take on the course. The event promised, “Mud. Obstacles. Beer.” and surely lived up to expectations with a beautiful, warm day.
Live entertainment and all kinds of vendors lined the giant field that held the event at Graeber Family Farms. The kids at the event even got to play in the mud by participating in the Mini-Mudathletes Kids’ Course.
The obstacles included a 75-100 foot slide that runners slid down yelling with excitement as they ended with a splash in the mud puddle waiting at the bottom. Participants trekked through a 100-yard mud pit twice and conquered natural terrain obstacles along the way. Teams, family and friends embraced with a muddy hug at the finish line as they accomplished this fun course.
“Its an opportunity for team/relationship building, a weekend retreat from a stressful house or office, a new way to challenge yourself, or whatever you want to make it. Either way, you're going to get muddy and you're going to have a Mucking Good Time!” said Logistics Coordinator Dan Phistry.
After the course, there were cold refreshments and plenty of food to refuel after the long journey. Of course, there were showers and lots of hoses to try and salvage what was left of peoples shoes and clothes. A little country and rock ‘n roll played in the back to complete the atmosphere.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing the smiles on peoples faces," said Mudathlon founder Jeff Graves. "It’s really team oriented. There are a lot of family and people who are getting together to have a good time."
Nine large teams and more than 50 others ended up participating in the Mudathlon. Northwest Indiana charity teams such as St. Jude Research Center and many others took to the course for a great cause. Sponsors that helped bring the event together included Ideas in Motion Media, Extra Mile Fitness Company, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and Coors Light.
“The most fun part about being here is the mud! It's like a nice day at the spa,” said Mark Owens, a runner for the "Corn Fed Spartans" team.
As the runners made it through the finish line with smiles across their faces, they high-fived each other as they completed another year of the challenging, yet fun obstacles at the 2014 Mudathlon. No matter your age, you are never too old to play in the mud!