Third annual Madison Academy MudRun promises messy good time for a great cause

One of the obstacles at the Mustang MudRun is the “backslider”. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – If your mother ever told you to stop playing in the mud, here is your chance to ignore that advice. The 3rd Annual Mustang MudRun 5K will be held at Madison Academy on April 6. Runners can expect to slip, slide, climb, jump, slog and swing their way to the finish — all while getting really dirty.

The Mustang MudRun 5K, presented by Madison Academy, is a premiere Mud Run offered in North Alabama. “The 3.1 mile obstacle course will challenge participants with more than 20 obstacles along and through Indian Creek and the adjacent wooded areas on Madison Academy’s campus,” said Terri Speir, Mustang Mud Run Co-Director. “It’s very messy, and very fun. We will be running multiple heats, including one for elite racers and an open heat for racers ages 12 and up.”

Participants will sludge their way through the unforgiving course, which will feature crawling through grimy mud, climbing over tire walls, tromping through four creek crossings, and conquering obstacles packed throughout the muddy course.

In addition to the 5K, the event will feature a 1K obstacle run for kids.

“The Lil’ Muddy 1K obstacle run is for all of the awesome future mud runners aged 6-11,” Speir said. “Lil’ Muddy racers will have a fun filled course with challenging obstacles and plenty of mud!”

For the past two years, the MudRun has drawn an average of 250 race participants, plus 60 volunteers.

“We had participants from as far away as Ohio, and this year we already have registrants from five states,” Speir said. She also said the number of male to female participants is almost a dead split. The average age is 33, the youngest is 6 and the oldest is 69.”

The event begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 6, and ends at 11 p.m. A free t-shirt will be given to all participants and medals will awarded to everyone who crosses the finish line.

“This year we are offering a trophy to the largest team,” Speir said. “We have several local gyms, including Crossfit Nomad and Powerhouse/Precision Personal Training, which are assembling teams to try to score the Mustang Mud Run trophy.”

Teams and individuals can still register at www.mustangmudrun.com.

Speir said the funds raised will go towards enhancing the student education for grades PK3-12 at Madison Academy. “In the spirit of giving back to our community, Madison Academy will also be supporting the Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen with proceeds from the 5K,” Speir said.

The Rose of Sharon family strives to serve the less fortunate with the word of God, food, toiletries and love.  They provide a non-judgmental sanctuary for those to come and ‘dine with dignity’ in a friendly home-style environment, serving over 4,000 meals a month.

“We will also be asking our racers to bring a non-perishable item to donate during their packet pickup time.” Speir added.

Make plans to come out and have a messy time at this fun family-friendly event, and help out a good cause at the same time. It will be held rain or shine, cold or hot.

Sponsors for the event include AEgis Technologies, Alabama Pediatric Dental Associates, NOW Soccer, Fourroux Prosthetics, ETS, P3 Chiropractors, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Madison Electric, Simtech and 53 Farm and Hardware.