Here’s mud in your eye ... hopefully

Over 5,100 registrants for inaugural Mud Immortal race today

Over the past number of years, Tely 10 organizers have watched their numbers climb to the point where the last two races have topped out at around 3,500 entrants.

And while the marquee race of the province’s road running series will likely continue to see registration grow by small increments in the years to come, it has a long way to go if it hopes to match the interest in this weekend’s inaugural Mud Immortal.

Over 5,100 people will take part in Saturday’s five-kilometre obstacle-strewn adventure challenge in Butter Pot Provincial Park, making it arguably the largest single fitness event ever held in the province.

“We had initially planned to max out at 2,500,” says Mud Immortal brainchild and managing director Jonathan Brett. “We were there about a month and a half in.

“So I went back to Butter Pot and reevaluated our obstacles and almost tripled the size of our course to accommodate double the amount of people.”

Mud Immortal’s concept isn’t a new one. Brett says the “mud-style races have been the craze now for the past five years around North America.”

Some of the well-recognized brands include Tough Mudder, the Spartan Race and the Canadian-based Mud Hero. Locally, a company called Glory Dash held two such events in Clarenville and St. John’s recently, albeit with significantly less people taking part.

“We’re certainly in the same category as those, but I think we differentiate ourselves in that we’re branding to the every day person rather than the elite athletes,” explains Brett.

Some of the similar-style events on the mainland are a little more sadistically designed with obstacles that include ice baths and mild electric shock.

“Our obstacles are certainly difficult for the everyday runner up to the elite athletes, but I think they’re can be completed by everyone,” Brett says.

As such, some of the tougher obstacles, like the monkey bars, will have an easier alternative. What’s more, helping a fellow competitor through and obstacle is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

“Mud Immortal is more of a challenge than a race. We want people to get out there, have fun, bring their friends, bring their co-workers and work with them to get to the finish line.”

But if something looks too daunting to attempt, one can continue the race after accepting a penalty; burpees or two-minutes tacked on to the finishing time

The obstacles were engineered by a Philadelphia-based company (the same one used by the Spartan Race) and were assembled in St. John’s.

The mud, however, is 100 per cent homemade with truckloads of topsoil sent to Butter Pot earlier this week and muddy obstacles placed near sources of water where a pump can be used to make mud.

Party in the park

To alleviate a potential backlog of participants, groups of 500 will leave the start line starting at 9 a.m. until 2:30.

But with over 5,000 people taking part, Brett admits there will be challenges. Parking chief among them.

“It’s probably the most people who have ever been in Butter Pot,” he says, adding that parking on site is limited and comes with a $5 charge. “We’ve rented buses to go every half hour leaving from the Bowring Park area. That also gives them the opportunity to have a couple of beer and relax without having to worry about their vehicle.”

There will be plenty of opportunity for mud-soaked participants to relax following the race with the Mud Immortal kitchen party — complete with two bands, a DJ, a beer tent and barbecue — set up next to the finish line.

Prizes will be award to the top male and female finishers, with secondary prizes for the largest team, best neon costume and best costume overall.

“In the past week we’ve probably had 50 to 60 people emailing us with their costumes, many of which entail a lot of neon. There’s unicorn costumes, Super Mario Bros. and pretty much the most ridiculous things they can find at Value Village.

While Mud Immortal is a for-profit venture, a portion of every registration, 100 per cent of the beer sales, and the $5 fee for the shuttle to Butter Pot will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Brett and company are also partnering with the Salvation Army.

“Anyone who has muddy clothes they don’t want to bring home, we’ll take all that, get it professionally cleaned and donate it.”

Spectators are encouraged to attend and can use the same bus service to get back and forth from Butter Pot.

“They won’t see the inner workings, unfortunately, but they can see the starting line and then they’ll be shuttled down to the finish line.”