Everything You Need To Know About Marine Mud Runs

I did another mud race this past Saturday with my friends over at John Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. We previously did one at Belmont Abbey College in Gastonia, NC back on August 1st. Mud races are growing in popularity as they offer the fitness crowd a challenging alternative to typical road races.

If you have never done a mud race, it is lots of fun as long as you are in reasonably good shape and don't mind getting dirty. By reasonably good shape I mean being capable of jogging for the better part of 5 miles and being fit enough to withstand some obstacles and challenges during the race. The challenges can vary from race to race but usually include pushups, wall or rope climbs, duck walks, low crawls, fireman carry a teammate, squats and lunges. If that is not enough, some of these challenges may have to be performed in a mud pit with Marines barking commands at you. My best advice is to be prepared for anything as the Marines are always looking for new ways to challenge you. The more functional your fitness level the easier it will be for you. It is a fun event for both men and women to test their fitness, practice some teamwork, get all muddy, and just have a great outdoor workout.

Most mud races are set up by Marine organizations or by former Marines. The proceeds from the events usually go to help the families of wounded or fallen Marines - so the races are for a great cause.

As for rules and requirements, some mud races require you to have a set number of team members while others are more flexible allowing varying team sizes. Teams can be all male, all female or any mix of both. In most cases, team categories are set by Student, Community, Commercial, Military, and Public Safety. Unlike typical running events, there are no age group or male/female categories. One of the rules is that teams must stay together throughout the race so it is important to find teammates of similar fitness and running pace if you plan to do the race competitively. Teams must also have matching uniforms and a team name. Some teams get very creative in these area. Some events offer prizes for the most creative team uniforms. For those less creative, it very easy to find inexpensive matching shorts and shirts for the event at Walmart if you are on a budget or just pressed for time.

The best gear that I would recommend for a mud run would be skin tight compression sprint or running shorts. I would advise against wearing baggy shorts or any shorts with deep pockets as they tend to get very heavy with mud which can be quite uncomfortable. Baggy clothes make for a tough time in the mud and after you leave the mud pit. As for shirts, any shirt with water wicking material works fine. The tighter the fit the better - think Under Armour or one of the less expensive competitive brands that you can find at Walmart or Target. As for footwear many wear regular running shoes but I would recommend a trail running shoe. Trail shoes are durable are made to deal with all kinds of terrain including mud, grass, roots and dirt and can be cleaned easily. I have a pair of Salomon trail shoes that I used for numerous trail runs and adventure races including the two mud runs this year and they are still in great shape.

As for other gear, some people recommend ear plugs as some races may have your head fully submerged in the mud and I have heard stories of spending over a week to get all of the mud out of their ears. There are usually enough water stations along the course to keep you hydrated and snack stations to replenish electrolytes after the race. I usually choose to bring my own small cooler with my own drinks and snacks. There are usually a few places to hose off after the race and I would recommend bringing a couple of towels and a change of clothes as well as a plastic bag to put your muddy clothes. In my two races I have not have any clothes ruined by the mud.

As I mentioned earlier, teams must stay together during the race and therefore it is a good idea to know the fitness level of your teammates and it would be an even better idea to train together as a team at least a few times before the event. Doing 3-5 miles runs and some functional exercise workouts will pay dividends on race day. The worst time to learn about your teammates shortcomings is on race day.

So get a team together, have some fun and get dirty. The next mud race near me is in Columbia, SC in mid-September.