JBLM Down and Dirty Mud Run earns its name

Photo By Capt. Michael Greenberger | A runner crawls through a low-crawl mud pit during the JBLM Down and Dirty 8K Mud Run July 4.  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

07.08.2010

Story by Capt. Michael Greenberger 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

What could be better than an 8K run on the Fourth of July? How about running through and over wall, tire and log obstacles, and crawling through freezing pits of slimy mud and water?

For the 3rd time Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation hosted a Down and Dirty Mud Run to celebrate the nation’s Independence Day.

The course took nearly 600 runners over five miles of rugged hills, sharp turns, challenging obstacles, and of course – trenches full of mud.

“The run wasn’t easy,” said Tricia Brady of Lake Stevens, Wash. “The running and hills made it very challenging, but I loved the mud! We had a great time.”

“The purpose of the run is to have fun and have a great day,” said Jerry Weydert, JBLM FMWR Sports Fitness and Aquatics Director. “Especially on the Fourth of July. And it’s kind of family oriented as well. No one ever leaves the course without a smile.”

In addition to showing up, many runners took the opportunity to get creative with costumes.

“We try to do themes to make it more fun for people,” Weydert said. “The run for Armed Forces Day the theme was ‘superheroes’, something that seemed to carry over to this run.”

“We always do a race on the 4th,” said Courtney Wagner from Northwest Christian High School in Lacey. “So this year when we started talking about going to the same old race and I remembered about the Mud Run and thought it would be fun for all four of the teams from our school to dress up. It was kind of a competition between us.”

Wagner’s team dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while another team from NCHS, dressed as The Incredibles, from Disney’s 2004 animated superhero family film, who took the number one spot for teams.

“I heard about the mud run from friends I run with, who are all in the Air Force,” said Rebecca Clark, a fitness instructor from CrossFit Gig Harbor gym. “The best part of the run for me was being able to run with my friends and encourage each other. It was just awesome to have finished the whole thing!”

The event had the help of 18 Soldiers from D Co., 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. For the second year, D Co. pitched in to lend to the event’s success.

“These things are only going to run as well as they are supported, and that’s where we come in,” said 1st Sgt. Paul Hutchings, D Co., 4/160th. “We support events like this often because it’s a good way to give back to the post and it’s a great way to earn money for our company’s FRG fund.”

For helping out, FMWR “pays” the unit with funds that go to the unit’s participating. SOAR Soldiers got up at the crack of dawn to do some pre-run set-up and took up positions throughout the course and at obstacles to ensure the fun-runner’s safety.

At the end of the race, a cascade of water waited to clean the runners of the mud they now had caked on their bodies. Squeals and laughter filled the air as friends relished in each other’s muckiness as freezing water washed the dirt away, leaving only smiles and jubilation, just as Weydert predicted.

• Date Taken: 07.08.2010
• Date Posted: 07.08.2010 15:59
• Story ID: 52536
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US