A Little Dirt Never Hurt
![Linda and Isabelle Moore jog side-by-side near the shore of Lake Wawasee during Saturday's Mudtastic Classic. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)](https://www.inkfreenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Linda-Moore-Isabelle-Moore-Oakwood-copy.jpg)
Linda and Isabelle Moore jog side-by-side near the shore of Lake Wawasee during Saturday’s Mudtastic Classic. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)
SYRACUSE — It was a day for muddy buddies.
The 2nd Annual Mudtastic Classic was held Saturday at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation’s trails near the Levinson-LaBrosse Lakes and Wetlands Education Center. After a huge success with its inaugural running last year, the challenging event increased in participation and fun.
For the second year in a row, the nearly three miles of trails on the WACF property were put to very good use. The event, organized by the Syracuse Parks and Recreation Department, brought back most of its obstacles from last year, including wall climbs, mud pits and tires. But, as interest grew for the second running, so did imagination.
The course sported a few new obstacles this year as participants were now treated to trenches, a blow-up water slide near the finish and a foam machine. A giant tube slide dumped runners in to a man-made trench full of muddy waters. Another trench challenged participants to use a rope swing to get across.
It’s far from the traditional mud run that most places put on, but that’s what makes the event unique and helped it grow to 150 participants this year. Last year’s inaugural running had just under 100 people.
This year’s events started at 9:30 a.m. with its first wave of kid competitors followed by six waves of adult and kids groups. 10 more groups of adults followed that to help keep the trails busy all morning.
For the awards session of the day it was Cameron Collins reigning supreme with the Youth Best Costume as he dressed as Captain America. Best Adults Team Costume went to the Muck Rakers. The group made up of Mikias Ayalew, Miranda Baker, Matt Hinzman, Eugenia Munoz, Jason Rhodan and Hayley Shaw donned cops and robber themed costumes to show up the competition.
Ages of participants in this year’s event ranged from eight to 62.
Volunteers from Turkey Creek Fire Territory, Syracuse Parks and the WACF made the event possible along with local sponsors: Dynamic Spine and Rehabilitation Center, Crossroads Bank, Ace Hardware, Logan Rogers Realty, Lakeside Fitness, Bass Audiology, The Papers Inc., Anchor Down Tattoo Company and the K21 Health Foundation.
- Max Walton-Clark gives the rope swing a try.
- Julieta Walton-Clark basks in the glory as she nears the completion of the two-mile mud run.
- Jeff Morgan does a 180 after losing his shoe in the mud trench.
- Jason Rhodan helped his group win best costume with a cops and robbers theme.
- Alex Castro sports a look of relief as he slips down the water slide.
- Alicia Treece shows that a little dirt really doesn’t hurt.
- Fabiola Sewell escapes the tire obstacle, just barely.
- Jason Miller goes down the tube slide and into the mud trench.
- Tara and Kayla Smith enjoy the foam machine.
- Hannah-Marie Lamle and Cal Heinisch run through the first part of the course.