Mudder event a big splash
Hundreds of people muddied their dress-ups in the annual Mudder event on a farm near Marton. Warwick Smith was spoilt for material.
Participants in Rangit¯ ıkei’s fifth Mudder that ran through obstacles on Andrew and Kylie Stewart’s farm were not under any time pressure this year.
Andrew Stewart said they decided to give up on the timers, and instead, reward everyone with a medal for making it to the end of the 3km, 5km and 8km courses through water and mud, natural and a few man-made obstacles.
He said the aim of the exercise was not so much to reward winners, as to give everyone a chance to dress up and have fun, all wrapped up in what for city folk was a rare opportunity to spend a family day out on a farm.
‘‘We are really trying to promote is the link between physical exercise and mental health.
‘‘We hope to encourage people to start working on fitness, by doing something completely different, and hope they feel really good about doing the event, and carry on.’’
Stewart said holding the event in September worked well because it was an otherwise quiet time of year on the sheep and beef farm, 12 kilometres north of Marton. The mud-runners were serenaded during the event with music by Brian Baillie and Jeff Carr.
Stewart said once the fees were in and the bills were paid, any money left over was poured back into activities to support mental health.
The event would again contribute to running of the Black Dog Ball, which in turn raised funds for free counselling in the region.
Last year proceeds had been used to pay for 12 people ‘‘going through tough stuff in their lives’’ to attend a weekend retreat in May featuring life coaches and sessions on nutrition and fitness.
The Mudder also provided a venue for the Bulls Volunteer Fire Brigade to help on the course and raise money from a barbecue food stall to buy some new gear.