MUDZILLA MUD RUN
WHEN: May 18; assigned a heat; Elite races start at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Corners of Prevatt and Coronet roads
SPECIAL PROMO: MUD70
COST: $69 until April 13; $79 April 14 to May 15; $89 walk-ups
ONLINE: facebook.com/MudzillaMudRun or www.mudzillamudrun.com
Who knew that a little mud and obstacles could turn into a million-dollar industry? But, for huge mud runs, such as the Warrior Dash and Spartan Race, it has.
“Adventure racing is very hot — like mud runs,” Eric Peer, race series president for Tampa’s Erro Events, said.
That trend has led to an increase of mud runs in rural areas such as Plant City and Dover.
Hog Wild has hosted three runs off Kirkland Road, in Dover. A fourth is planned for September. Romp in the Swamp will take place in October, in the Lower Green Swamp Preserve. Keel and Curley Winery hosted a mud run last year to benefit Morgan Pierce, who has childhood cancer.
The newest race on the Plant City circuit is MudZilla. The 3.1-mile race was designed by Mike Nelson and his brother, Steve Nelson. Steve is an ex-Marine and a daredevil adventurer who likes to skydive. Mike has organized the Strawberry Distance Challenge 5K for years.
But building a mud run is a little different than organizing a simple jog over concrete.
Partial proceeds from the MudZilla Mud Run will benefit The Youth Alliance, for which Mike is COO. The Youth Alliance is a non-profit organization that helps inspire students to excel academically. The alliance also helps to combat bullying by going to different schools and giving motivational speeches. Big names, including Harlem Globetrotter Seth Franco, have given speeches on The Youth Alliance’s behalf.
Currently, the mud run is under construction and is being completed for its May 18 debut.
So what does it take for a mud run to be successful? How do you even begin putting such a course together?
Mike shared his experiences building MudZilla.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Mike has only participated in one mud run, but he has completed many interviews with avid mud runners to learn what works.
“They love the mud,” Mike said. “They love the sticky, black mud or the clay. They’re not looking to just run a 5K.”
The main demographic that has signed up for MudZilla so far has been women, ages 30 to 40.
With the demographic, the obstacles are challenging. But there is also an option to skip them. Still, there’s a consequence that will be enforced by volunteers, such as burpees or push-ups.
“The challenges need to be doable,” Mike said. “We don’t want them to leave in an ambulance. We want them to leave tired.”
Once the course is built, avid mud runners, who participate in 25 to 30 races a year, will run the course and offer a critique. Adjustments will be made in time for the public race.
THE OBSTACLES
In addition to the mud, obstacles are what differentiate a mud run from a normal 5K.
The MudZilla Mud Run has 28 obstacles planned, with more in the works. A team of five has been busy building the challenges, which include inverted climbs, three slides, monkey bars, rope climbs, hay mountains, low-voltage shocks, barbwire and sprinting through a path of old junk cars. Three special obstacles will remain surprises.
So far, the obstacles have cost about $5,000 to build.
They must be built to withstand hundreds of runners.
THE MUD
The most important element of the race is, of course, the mud.
But, how do you get those sloppy mud pits to last heat after heat?
They’re called slips.
Slips are tarp-like sheets that are placed on the floor of a pit. Then, mud is put on top of the tarps. The tarps keep the mud from soaking into the ground and hardening in the sun.
MudZilla has more than 1,600 feet of mud slip areas.
For the mud, darker, black soil is the best. But when it comes to mixing thousands of gallons of water with the soil, it’s trial and error, until the consistency is right. The unknown outcome of the mix keeps the race exciting. Some pits will be more watery, while others will be thicker and clingier.
“There’s not a whole lot of science to it,” Mike said.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Mud runs are all about the obstacles and getting down and dirty. Picking a property with features that will enable those challenges is key.
Mike advises finding a property that has at least 60 acres. MudZilla is on a 100-acre property owned by friend Kimbal Wetherington. Wetherington agreed to lend the property to help the charity.
About 1.85 miles of the run will take place in a wooded area. The property also has an open field and a cleared area, with piles of dirt the designers have nicknamed “mountains.” The different types of terrain make themselves perfect for different obstacles.
“Runners are looking to be pushed, physically and mentally,” Mike said.
BY THE NUMBERS
225 — The number of runners in each heat
28 — The number of obstacles to date
100 — The number of acres of the property
$5,000 — The approximate amount for insurance for one day
3 — The number of slides in MudZilla
70 — The number of tires in obstacles “>http://nappi-training.com/poluchenie-kreditnoy-karti-po-pochte.php