Mud runs are all the rage these days. Just drive by any open field or wooded trail on an event weekend and glance at it. There are hundreds of people there at any given time, either relaxing after a wave or slogging through one.
Stop by, and one may notice that many of these runners aren’t the hardcore fitness freaks of the mud runner stereotype.
Why are these mud runs all the rage now, rather than a typical, obstacle-free 5K around town? As it turns out, the mud-run designers and runners are on the same page.
“I’ve done runs for about eight years,” Mud Titan founder Mike Nelson says. “Two years ago, I had the wild idea to branch off. You kind of get bored, sometimes, planning straight runs, and I wanted to do something that was a little more challenging.”
It’s the idea of doing nothing but running that bores Nelson, as well as many Mud Titan participants. Some may like the repetitive nature of pounding their two feet on the ground and going until they cross the finish line, but many prefer obstacles and other unusual encounters.
Nelson drew upon his experience as a football coach, a homebuilder and a fan of “American Ninja Warrior” to do something different — something that incorporates more than just a cardio workout.
“No matter where people are in fitness, I want them to have something they can work towards,” he says. “And, I want them to leave with a sense of accomplishment. ‘Hey, there were 35 obstacles, and I did 30 of them, so I feel really good about that.’ All of us are in different places.”
He gets the hardcore men and women, the ones who travel from out of state just to conquer the Plant City offerings, and he also gets the Average Joes and Jills looking to try something new.
NEW TO THE GAME
One of those is Plant City resident Angie Frierson, an accounting manager at a company in Tampa. Frierson completed her first mud run — the Mud Titan — in May. Since then, she has been preparing for the next one.
“I don’t like a typical 5K run,” she says. “To me, the straight-up running is boring. It was the obstacle part that lured me to it. I like a challenge.”
A course like that one looks daunting, at first. Monkey bars, cargo nets, suspended rings and big walls line the course and, in the case of Mud Titan, two of the last obstacles involved crawling through live electrical wires and jumping over a burning fire.
“It was the first one I’d ever done, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Frierson says. “But, there was a little bit of excitement. You run a little bit, and you’re like, ‘OK, what’s coming up? What do I have to do?’ And you figure out what you’re supposed to do, and you’re like, ‘ Oh, I can do that.’ Or, ‘Oh I’m not sure if I can do that.’ But, it was really good.”
For competitors such as Frierson, the payoff isn’t tied to completing the whole thing and winning the race. Rather, the satisfaction comes from conquering an obstacle or two that presents a greater challenge.
“I was really proud of myself for being able to climb the rope ladder, because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do that,” she says.
Frierson is excited for Saturday’s Mud Titan event and plans to run it with a friend from her church. And, she’s excited to help any new mud runners she meets.
“Just try them all,” she says. “You never know. Even the ones that seem the most intimidating — you’re cushioned by the water when you fall. You get a bath; you’re not gonna hurt yourself.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR READERS
Mike Nelson and the Mud Titan crew are offering a special deal for Plant City Times & Observer readers that haven’t registered yet.
Anyone from this area can use the code “Observer” at registration – which ends at 5 p.m. today – to sign up for $49. According to Nelson, that’s a $40 discount. If you’re unable to register by 5 p.m., there will be walk-up registration at the course.
To register online and find more information, visit www.MudTitanRun.com.