If you like your obstacle courses to be particularly muddy, check out this list of the UK's best mud races.
What are mud races all about? Well, in a nutshell, they’re everything you love about races with a whole load of mud thrown in for good measure. Mud races are perfect for people who love to combine their passion for fitness with a passion for getting muddy. Get down. Get dirty. Get mud racing. Oh, and leave those white trainers you’re so precious about at home. There’s no place for that sort of footwear here.
On the basis that if you weren’t that fussed about mud racing, you’d have left by now, let’s spend the rest of this article discussing the UK’s best mud races. Where in the UK are they? How much do they cost? What are they called? And, most importantly, how muddy are they? Hint: They’re extremely muddy. If you like running in mud, you’ve come to the right place.
Photo – via Tough Mudder website.
Arguably, the most famous mud race/obstacle course on the planet. Tough Mudder is the event that people tend to think of when they think of mud racing. Known not just in the UK but around the world, Tough Mudder usually takes place over a distance between 10 miles and 12 miles. There’s no prize for finishing first or clock to race against, as this event is all about championing teamwork over the individual.
Throughout the year, Tough Mudder stage events across the UK. “Toughness”, as their website labels it, can be equated to which challenge you take on. There’s the 24 hour challenge, a standard 10 mile to 12 mile event, or a five-mile “Half” event. In terms of mud, there’s lots of it. And in terms of obstacles, there’s always more than 20 for you and your pals to tackle.
A single late entry ticket for standard registration, not including fees, comes in it at £129.99. There are certain deals for groups doing the challenge as, for example, a corporate team building exercise. If you want more information on pricing, and/or locations of the UK-based Tough Mudder events, check out the Tough Mudder website.
Photo – via the Back 2 The Trenches website.
War. What is it good for? Answer: absolutely nothin’, or so the lyrics of that famous song by Edwin Starr would have you believe. The organisers of ‘Back 2 The Trenches’, you see, have managed to put a very different spin on the horrors of war. They have, if you can believe it, managed to theme an entire mud race around it.
Back 2 The Trenches is what happens when a battlefield meets an obstacle course. You and your fellow “troopers” must scramble out of the trench, when you hear the whistle, and run out into “No Man’s Land. Over whichever distance you participate in (whether it be 5km, 10km, or 20km), you’ll have to overcome a variety of mud-based obstacles. Unlike in an actual war, we’re happy to report there will be no one firing machine gun bullets in your direction.
Depending on which distance you choose to compete in, and when you decide to enter, the prices for the next event are currently situated in the £55 to £80 price bracket. For more information, pay a visit to the Back 2 The Trenches website.
Photo – via the Mud Monsters Run website.
The Mud Monsters Run is an award-winning obstacle race. In 2015, it was awarded the Mudstacle Award for ‘Best Event For Mud’ (which means it’s got some seriously muddy credentials). The MMR, as we’ve decided to dub it here, will take you on an epic journey across muddy fields. You’ll run through woods, wade through mud pits, and battle with bogs in a bid to cross the finishing line and bag yourself a medal.
Based in the West Sussex Countryside, the MMR has three available distances for those people wishing to participate (5km, 10km, or 20km). Prices vary depending on when you enter, what distance you attempt, and whether you enter as an individual or as part of a team. At the time of writing, the cost of entering is in a bracket between £40.50 and £60. Further information on this event, and how to sign up, can be found on the Mud Monsters Run website.
Photo – via Wolf Run website.
The Wolf Run takes place on a course approximately 10km in distance. The HQ for Wolf Run are in Warwickshire, although events are staged at various locations around the country. The type of Wolf Run event on offer, varies depending on the season, and each one consists of a mixture of natural and man-made obstacles. As their website explains, the W.O.L.F in ‘Wolf Run’ stands for woods, obstacles, lakes and fields.
Participants can work as a team, as part of a “pack”, or go solo as a “lone wolf.” Depending on when you enter, or whether you enter as a group or as an individual, the admission fee for signing up to Wolf Run varies between £39 and £59. Something that’s worth bearing in mind is that if you sign up as a team, every fifth wolf runs for free. For more information, check out the Wolf Run website.
Photo – via The Maldon Mud Race website.
The Maldon Mud Race is a legendary event held in Essex on an annual basis. The event draws visitors and press from all over Europe and the rest of the world. It features 300 fund-raising entrants (many of whom like to dress up in outrageous fancy dress costumes). Over 15,000 people come to spectate the event every year, and watch as the competitors attempt a 400m dash over the bed of the River Blackwater.
Places are limited so if this wacky event sounds like your kind of thing, sign up as soon as possible. The cost of entry is a fixed £50 per person. You can enter either as an individual, a group of four or a group of six. For more information on The Maldon Mud Race, check out the event’s website.