The new weekend obsession is partaking in exciting races with friends and family. These customized races are not only for the competitive athlete, but individuals who want to get out with their family and friends and do something other than the same old song and dance. If you haven’t participated in one yet, or you are looking for a new fun one to dive into, check out www.imudrun.com or www.wickedwinerun.com.
I had the pleasure of getting to experience one of the original mud runs this weekend, in Waller, Texas. It’s called I Mud Run, the company is headed by a family and close friends, who want the experience to be more of a personal experience than a corporate one. There were multiple heats for the variety of athletes throughout the day. For the competitive athlete, there is a 10k race with 30 obstacles, mud, cargo nets, barbed wire and the most outrageous obstacle course on earth, with prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. For the athletes coming out to just get muddy, and attempt some of the obstacles and for the enjoyment of being with the ones you are closest to, there is a 10k and 5k non-competitive run, and the day ends with a family encompassing 1-mile kids run. 
This group also always supports a local charity with their races, so in the mix of all the heats was a Run4Mark, supporting a local tri-athlete, Cypress Firefighter who lost his life on his bicycle. All the proceeds went to his lovely wife and two children.
I Mud Run could be made into a full day event if you wanted it to, there were two foods stands, Yummy’z and Hal’s Gourmet BBQ, free St. Arnolds Beer with your choice of Lawnmower, Summer Pils and Brown Ale. There were anti-aging cream raffles by Nerium, free monster energy drinks, and wick-away head bands and arm bands with amusing and quirky sayings, like “I run so I can Eat” or “Suck it up, Cupcake” by Bondiband. There was a silent auction for Run4Mark, and a place to donate your old muddy shoes that would be sent to Africa and other 3rd world countries, with proceeds going to www.cancerfed.org. And we can’t forget the DJ, making everyone let loose and dance after their mud filled race.
As competitors came in from this event, I continuously heard how much they enjoyed that there were so many obstacles. Paul, who heads the events, loves to add as many obstacles as possible, but let’s people know if they are too difficult, you can most definitely skip them. With over 30 obstacles currently on the race path, I would say the hardest one I ran into was the rolling hurdles. The hurdles are bright orange and the roll bars have been greased up
, you are already soaking wet from jumping into the lake, so you have no grip. You are to run at this rolling pin, which is about chest high on me; I stand 5’8, and jump over it. The tough part is, when you jump, the pin rolls you backwards, and if you actually make it on the pin you have to hold your abs so tight and push your body weight to the other side to make sure you don’t flip and splat your face in the mud under the pins. Then once you make it over the first one, you still have another one to jump over. The most entertaining part of the race is the very last obstacle; you are to army crawl through the thick mud to the finish line. I was running with the kids and decided it would be a fantastic idea to slip and slide through the mud, but I failed to close my mouth and eyes completely in time. I can testify that mud isn’t the finest tasting item I have had. After you complete the race there is a huge lake that many of the participants jumped into to enjoy the refreshing water with the hot temperatures and to clean themselves off.
If mud isn’t your thing, don’t shy away though, I Mud Run did a survey to ask their participants what other types of races that would interest them. Paul, the owner of I Mud Run listened and he has taken action. Athletes wanted an event where they could enjoy some refreshing beverages on a hot day, but still maintain some sense of activity, so he has created the 5K Wicked Wine Run. He says, “Sunday is for Football. Saturday is for WINE. The hottest Ladies night in town is the 5K Wicked Wine Run. Wine Run is the 5K Run with a Drinking problem! Run the race at the most beautiful vineyards in America and enjoy a glass of wine when you finish. Date night, night on the town, Girls night out
, just fun, fun, fun! LIVE music, Wine and a party with the craziest group of runners you’ve ever seen! For you non-runners there is 1K walk with four samples of wines from the local area and you can dance with the band too. Join the fun and Register today at www.wickedwinerun.com”.
Whatever your cup of tea is you should check out these events. They might be coming to a city near you soon, so check out their websites!
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