Mud challenge test tastes tough

Mud, Sweat and Tears Challenge organiser Russell Lundy gets a taste of the course at Wingatui, as...
Mud, Sweat and Tears Challenge organiser Russell Lundy gets a taste of the course at Wingatui, as he clears debris this week in preparation for the challenge. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.

What better way to celebrate the end of winter than trudging around in mud up to your armpits.

Organisers of this year's Mud, Sweat and Tears Challenge have promised competitors will be washing mud out of every nook and cranny for days after the September 7 event.

The 5km course will take competitors through mudslides, forest runs, a hay bale pyramid, a crawl under a sea of barbed wire, horse jumps, water jumps, wobbly bridges, mud runs, floating platforms and other new obstacles at the Wingatui racecourse.

And if you are a sucker for punishment, you can do the 5km course twice.

Competitors must be 13 years and older, and can run as individuals or in teams.

Event organiser Russell Lundy, of Dunedin, said the event was designed to challenge the physical and mental strength of people of all shapes and sizes.

''It's about how hard you push it. Some people race it, but most people just want to finish it and say they've done it.

''The course is designed to be challenging and if you have average fitness, determination and a sense of fun, you will have a ball.''

But he did warn the water would be extremely cold.

It doesn't matter how hardened competitors are to cold water, a few expletives always escape when they first hit the water, he said.

''Remember, the mud will wash off, but the memories will last forever,'' he said.

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