By Amanda Amsel
Staff Writer
Children and parents slipped and slid during the first Mud and Madness run at Blacklick Woods Metro Park on Oct. 10.
The free race was the third in a fall series and attracted about 200 people.
“This was the first mud run series for Metro Parks,” said Josh Laughbaum o Metro Parks. “The idea behind this was from our new director, Tim Maloney, who suggested we try a new type of event at Metro Parks that centered more around families running together as opposed to an individual competition.”
The first two races in the series took place at Sharon Woods and Three Creeks and attracted about the same amount of participants.
People of all ages participated and everyone was a winner. As runners crossed the finish line everyone received a wooden medal, something even the smallest child enjoyed.
“One of the things that attracted me to this event was that it is a family event,” said Lee Carr, a participant in the Mud and Madness run. “It is great that Metro Parks gave us an opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature before the weather gets cold.”
During the 1.6 mile course, participants had to climb over logs, scale a straw and mud wall, run through ravines and run down a mud hill into cold water.
“The course was great because you really got to see everything Blacklick Woods has to offer,” Carr said. “We definitely will be coming back to explore the park more.”
Organizers said the objective of the event was to encourage people to stay fit and utilize the parks.
“We wanted to give more people an opportunity to see parts of the park that you normally don’t get good access to,” Laughbaum said.
Participants loved that the mud run was not as intense as other mud runs they have participated in.
“I’ve participated in a lot of mud runs and I liked that this one was a little more laid back than the ones I typically do,” said Jason Cadden, a participant in the Mud and Madness run. “It is great seeing kids and whole families out here getting fit together and enjoy the park.”
“This was less a competitive race and more about families and friends spending time together outside,” Laughbaum said. “We were not trying to be similar to other mud runs and in fact structured it more as an off trail adventure as opposed to a highly competitive individual race.”
For information on upcoming Metro Parks family events, visit http://www.metroparks.net/.
