June 11, 2005

I'm Stuck On The Mud - By Stuart Z. Solway

Excitement was in the air, on a sweltering hot Saturday as participants anxiously awaited the start of a race. Muscles were twitching. Nerves were on edge. Athletes were jockeying for position to ensure they got off fast.

Sure, this sounds like most race days this time of year. But there was one marked difference. All the participants in this race were under the age of ten.

Part of this year's inaugural Mud Run, held at Clairville Conservation Area just outside of Toronto, was a Kid's Mud Run - 1.5km of fun, high stepping through tires, weaving along tree lined trails, traversing deep rivers and culminating with a crawl though oozing, gooey mud.

My eight-year-old son Aden took off like a shot at the start of the race, along with me serving as his pace bunny. After a short detour to answer nature's call, he took aim on the pack in front of him. (Writer's note: Taking aim does not refer to what he did when nature called.) When he reached the cascading river, he was faced with a decision. Should he wade through the deep water or gingerly walk across a treacherous path of rocks, risking injury like a sprained ankle or the bite of a poisonous salamander? He opted for the rocks and crossed the river unscathed and dry. I took a detour, avoided the whole river thing and greeted him on the other side with a high five.

From there we ran a series of thatched hills, with him out in front. The path was well marked and there were volunteers egging us on. Although I swear one of them tried to trip me so that the six year old behind me would catch up.

My son's cadence was that of an antelope. Mine, that of a pregnant rhinoceros. One by one we clipped the other competitors. Then we broke into a full sprint at a point I estimated to be the 1.29 km mark. Here we emerged from the forest directly in front of the dreaded mud pit. My son said, "Daddy, let's get muddy." I used the old, "I don't have a change of clothes" excuse. To which he replied, "Too bad, you're going in!" He dove underneath the ropes unfazed by the mud. I attempted to hurdle the first rope, tripped, did a face plant and looked like I had just received an exfoliating treatment at a spa. We then drove hard towards the finish line, gave the old end of race smile for the paparazzi, and congratulated each other on a race well run. (Footnote: we had both established PBs for the mud.)

So, what are my final recollections for this kids event run by Adventure Racing Canada? It was good, not so clean fun. Well organized and well attended. I encourage families to participate in next year's installment. (By the way, the adult run looked amazing. I intend to do it in 2006. Then I'll do the kids event again. You might call it a mud duathlon.) My only negative for the day? I could have done without the trash talking from that six year old whose butt I kicked. Next year, your name is mud!

Note: Stuart Z. Solway is a writer living in Toronto. He is an avid runner and member of MDRC.