The YMCA of Parkersburg will host its third annual Mud Run in the City of Vienna, West Virginia, on Saturday, June 3. The race is a 1.25 mile-long, family-friendly course and will include at least 12 obstacles. Most obstacles offer a kid-friendly alternative. However, the race is not suitable for children under the age of five.
Criss Welshans, the chief operating officer at the YMCA of Parkersburg, said the idea for the event first came up during COVID-19 shutdowns in the spring of 2020. The Y was trying to find outdoor family programming to get people out of the house in a safe environment.
“There were no family-type Mud Run obstacle courses in our area,” said Welshans. “Since the YMCA of Parkersburg doesn’t have enough property to host the event, we chose to contact the City of Vienna and ask them to partner with us on the event. They loved the idea. I now work closely with their Parks and Recreation department to develop new obstacles and prepare the course for the event each year.”
Now, Welshans said the race is a huge hit with the community averaging over 150 participants per year. Because of the Mud Run’s reach, the Y can better reach and serve the community outside of its brick-and-mortar location in Parkersburg, West Virginia, by offering a family-friendly event.
Mud Run Specifics
Popular obstacles from last year’s Mud Run will be returning, such as the mud pit, military crawl, 70-foot slip and slide, cargo net climb, horizontal climbing wall and ninja warrior steps. Welshans said the YMCA is excited to be including new obstacles like the water crawl and slack line.
Also new this year will be a team event called the Mud Run Cup. In addition to the traditional divisions, teams of five can compete for the honor of Mud Run Cup champions. The winning team will hold the title until next year.
“The winner of the traditional divisions will be determined by the individuals with the fastest time,” said Welshans. “The winning team for the Mud Run Cup will be determined by adding the completion times of each team member. Each year we either added new obstacles or improved existing ones, all in an effort to move the event forward. I am excited for the addition of the Mud Run Cup. We feel this is another great way to build community — one friendship at a time.”
Runners will compete in heats of up to 10 racers every 10 minutes. Team heats will begin first at 9:30 a.m. and the first heat of individual runners will start at 10:20 a.m.
Event Setup and Advice
The entry fee for the Mud Run is the same for both youth and adult divisions. Y members receive a discounted rate of $24 while the fee for non-members is $30. In making this a family friendly event, member families (three or more members) will have a total fee of $60 and non-member families will have a total fee of $70. Registration is open online and in-person.
The three divisions include: Adult ages 16-plus, youth ages 11 to 15 and a second youth group ages five to 10. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to a male and female in each division.
For any community rec center looking to add a similar outdoor family programming option, Welshans said to first begin by using the surrounding environment to your advantage. She said her Y uses the hills, ravines and downed trees as part of the obstacles.
“We have worked with local businesses who have sponsored obstacles where we might need to purchase items, such as cargo nets or slack lines,” said Welshans. “We get volunteers to help us monitor all the obstacles. Local EMS work the event to ensure medical services are close. Start small and build the event with one or two new or improved obstacles every year.”
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