I walked along an unsealed carpark with my 11-year-old recently and while I carefully avoided the puddles and mud, I watched him gravitate straight toward them.
Mud and puddles, of which none of us have been able to avoid in recent times, just call to some kids.
The same way things beg to be climbed by them whether they’re purpose-built climbing structures or not.
And that is why I’ve found muddy obstacle course races one of the best weekend activities for my kids.
Well, two out of three of them anyway. One isn’t so much a fan of dirty hands, let alone a full-body mud bath.
Obstacle course races combine so many positive elements (but don’t ask my washing machine’s opinion, it doesn’t agree).
If you form a team, you’ve got camaraderie, a feeling of belonging and that sweet, sweet sensation of team victory you can all share together when you cross that finish line and earn your medals.
If you run for time, you’ve got that friendly competitiveness that stimulates drive, motivation and fierce effort.
If you attempt all obstacles, you can push way outside your comfort zone, find satisfaction in conquering the ones you do and give yourself a full body workout.
You’re outside in the elements, using nature (along with human-built structures) as your playground, getting exercise and spending quality time with other people having a laugh.
Long before my kids started running these races, I ran them myself.
From Spartan to Muddy Hell and Raw Challenge to our local hometown event, the Mad Cow Mud Run, I’ve jumped on planes to Queensland and Tasmania and travelled hours by car to Sydney and Gippsland to do races, such is the draw and addiction of these races, even for adults.
More and more events added kids’ races to their categories, so we were able to make whole family weekends out of them.
But the most convenient events for families are the ones where there is a family specific race on the bill, or the option to run alongside your kids in a kids’ race (and still be allowed to have a go at all the obstacles yourself).
Our local Zaidee’s Mad Cow Mud Run has this option and another nearby one — The Milawa Oxley Fox Run — also has a popular a 2km family race (as well as offering 8km and 5km distances), but COVID-19 has seen that one not take place for a couple of years and I’ve seen no sign of its return as yet, so I’m not sure if it will be back again. (I sure hope so because it had one of the best vibes, cutest branding and was so affordable compared to big international races like Spartan).
If you’ve never been to or seen pictures of a muddy obstacle course race before, some of the things you might expect to find yourself doing on course include running, crawling, smiling, carrying, dodging, sliding, climbing, laughing, swinging, boosting (teammates up), being boosted (up by teammates) and hurting (in all the best ways).
While I’ve lost the desire to spend big bucks on the sport and travel interstate for it, I’m sure we will always make the effort to run in our local events.
At least I know my 11-year-old will anyway — because it’s that one time Mum is getting vocal at him from the sidelines to jump IN the mud, rather than getting vocal at him in a carpark to stay OUT of it!
THE LOWDOWN
Local event: Zaidee’s Mad Cow Mud Run
Where: SPC Ardmona KidsTown
Entry cost: $25-$80 (different price tiers for early bird tickets, adults and kids)
Next event: February 25, 2023
Tickets: humanitix.com