Sports

Countdown to Mud Run Begins

Organizers expect at least 2,000 participants to converge on Historic Downtown Murrieta on Saturday for a slipperly, sloppy time. After hosing down, participants are invited to an after party at Town Square Park.

Real Wives of North County, The Mudxicans and Going Postal are just a sample of teams registered for Saturday's inaugural Murrieta Mud Run.

At least 1,250 people have signed on in teams, as individuals or as families for the 5K run/walk that will kick off at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at  in Murrieta. Organizers expect that number to reach 2,000, and said registration will continue to be taken until the day of.

Murrieta City Councilman Alan Long, who was among those instrumental in bringing the mud run to the city, is on a team with Mayor Randon Lane, Police Chief Mike Baray and Fire Chief Matt Shobert.

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Long said they threw the challenge at Temecula city officials, but have not received confirmation of them accepting.

Two teams made up of Murrieta police SWAT officers will go head-to-head, and Murrieta firefighters and explorers, as well as teams from Paloma Valley High School, Elsinore High School and Murrieta Valley High School are expected.

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Murrieta City Councilman Doug McAllister and his wife Miriam will also compete on a four-person team with friends Kevin and Judy Terry.

"We expected this to be popular, but the response has been greater than expected," said Long. The mud run began as a conversation over a cup of coffee with fellow organizer, Steve Rawlings, he said.

"We wanted to bring a signature event to Murrieta," Long said. "This is a fun event that anyone can do."

The Murrieta Mud Run isn’t the typical weekend 5K run; it’s more like an episode of "Wipe Out" with a touch of Halloween minus the candy, organizers said in a news release.

In order to be ready for race day, crews will set up sludgy fields, slippery slopes, mud pits and obstacle courses.

The course starts in front of the , and travels through parts of Historic Downtown Murrieta, winding up back near the library.

It can be as competitive or carefree as the participant wants, organizers said. Different start times are set for competitive runners, families, teenagers and teams of four.

Murrieta Fire Chief Matt Shobert was looking forward to the competitive side of things.

"I think the team we put together is going to be hard to beat," Shobert said.

"Things are starting to happen," Shobert added. He said the fire department has already done weed abatement on one of the city's vacant lots to be used in the race.

"It is going to be a great event for our community."

Prizes for individual and team winners will include iPods and Kindles, donated by Best Buy.

Runners are also encouraged to wear costumes to compete for prizes; contestants must wear their costume during the race to be eligible for a prize.

Registration and fee information is available at Murrieta-mudrun.com.

Proceeds benefit Riverside Recovery Services, a nonprofit headed by Temecula real estate developer Bernie Truax. The organization is "committed to building stronger families and communities by providing alcohol and other drug prevention, intervention, education and rehabilitation services," according to a news release.

Riverside Recovery Services treats more than 1,500 individuals each week in Southwest Riverside County and has more than 500 high school students involved in its BETA program. 

Murrieta Mud Run will be followed by an after party with bands HollyDaze, Serpent Underground, Hillbilly Floyd and Roadwork. There will also be a special guest appearance by local country rock recording artist, Michael Mandella. Until 3 p.m., the festivities at Town Square Park will include food, craft and retail vendors.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the event should contact Michelle Lambing at 951-674-5354 or mlambing@riversiderecover.org.

See Patch's previous article on the Murrieta Mud Run by


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