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How To Win A ‘Mud Run’ Race

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The girl done up like Superwoman looked pretty good. The guy in the tutu? He made me feel strangely overdressed.

I was at the starting line of the Eddie Bauer Mud Run, a popular “competitive” event at the GoPro Mountain Games. Dressed in running shorts and a tech shirt, no bling on my body, I felt a bit out of place.

At the “GO!” the pack surged, and I started to jog forward with 300 or so other mud runners on what would be one of the weirdest races of my life.

Three laps, 5 kilometers of distance, and much mud lay ahead. The competitive runner in me couldn’t help it, and soon I found myself heading toward the front of the pack.

(See “6 Tips For Your Mud Run”) on page 2 of this post.)

Mud runs are a trend around the U.S. They mix a race format with obstacles, knee-deep sludge, standing water, and a vibe that’s more “Mardi Gras” than a competitive event.

Perhaps it was my lack of costume, but at the Vail race instead of partying with the pack I found myself duking out the lead spot with a young runner pacing hard. We crested the course’s first hill. I took the lead, and I never looked back.

The author, left, crossed the finish line first, but the dude at the right was the real winner. Photo by Patrick Murphy

By the finish line less than 20 minutes later, I was wheezing and muddy, sprinting into the end in first-place so hard that the event announcer didn’t even notice.

I had won the mud run, and nobody cared. They were too busy having fun.

Continued on next page: “6 Tips for Your First Mud Run”. . .

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