Hundreds enjoy Sunriver’s sloppy ‘March Mudness’ run

The first day of spring was a rainy one. But while some folks might have been out dodging those mud puddles on Sunday, others spent the day diving right in.

Weather didn’t stop about 950 participants in Sunriver’s fourth annual mud run. It might have even enhanced the experience.

“They can expect a lot of mud — we have extra water on order today, apparently, to make more mud,” event coordinator Emily Savko said with a smile.

The Sunriver Home Owners Association hosted its spring break mud run “March Mudness,’ a mud-filled, 1 1/2-mile obstacle course.

“There’s wall climbs, there’s sloth crossings, army crawls, mud trenches, tunnels. We’ve got a little bit of everything,” Savko said.

The event is designed to allow a wide variety of participants. The first wave is a competitive run for those 16 and older. After that, there were several non-competitive waves sent off in five-minute intervals.

The course itself is family-friendly, and skipping obstacles is allowed in the non-competitive runs.

Because of its broad accommodations, this mud run attracts a wide age range. The youngest competitor was 2, while the oldest was 77-year-old Larry Cole.

“I love it. I love life,” Cole said. “I love doing this. I don’t know, I’ve just never grown up,” said Cole — who also said he’s always liked playing in the mud.

A portion of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society, the Shop with a Cop Program, the Seattle Scott Firefighters Stairclimb Fund and the La Pine High School JROTC.

For more information: http://www.sunrivermarchmudness.com/