Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 20, 2010
2010 Mud Run promises good, clean fun for a great cause
David Laprad
On August 28, nearly 1,000 participants will run, jump and belly crawl their way through more than three miles of muck as they try to complete Habitat for Humanity’s 2010 Mud Run. The run will take place at Greenway Farms beginning at 8 a.m., and will feature a five-kilometer course packed with “Survivor”-style obstacles. Proceeds from the event will go toward the construction of homes for people in need.
- David Laprad
Parents are always telling their children to stay clean when they go outside. But on August 28, nearly 1,000 moms, dads, kids and other initially spotless participants will run, jump and belly crawl their way through more than three miles of muck as they try to complete Habitat for Humanity’s 2010 Mud Run.
The first annual Mud Run will take place at Greenway Farm beginning at 8 a.m., and will feature a five-kilometer course packed with “Survivor”-style obstacles. Attendance is free for spectators. The organization is not looking for more participants, as the maximum number of mud runners has registered for the event.
Van Patton, a representative for Habitat for Humanity in Chattanooga, says the organization is thrilled with the turnout.
“We were trying to think of ways to generate more revenue for Habitat, and thought the people of Chattanooga would love this event. We hatched the idea back in January, and here we are in August, sold out.”
Patton says Habitat does need volunteers to help with parking and monitoring the obstacles.
“Greenway Farm is a wonderful place, but we’re going to have to be creative when it comes to parking. With the help of a few strategically placed volunteers, we should be able to accommodate up to a thousand people.”
Habitat could also use help making sure no one gets stranded at the obstacles. Those volunteers, as well as spectators located along the course, will also be able to get an up-close view of the mudslinging action.
“The obstacles should be fun. We’ll have a waterslide that should be cool, but nothing too out of this world, and a ramp that leads up to a mud pit so participants can dive in and then crawl through on their bellies. The main spectacle will be the mud pits, though,” Patton says.
The organization will be keeping it local, too, with a haystack.
“The obstacles won’t be on the scale of ‘Survivor,’ as we don’t want to people to think of this as a competition. It’s really about having fun and getting muddy,” Patton says.
The Mud Run is also about raising money for a good cause. To register for the event, Habitat charged $125 per team, with teams consisting of five participants. The organization will spend the proceeds on expanding its ReStore home improvement store from 5,000 square feet to 9,000 square feet. Habitat ReStore is a brick and mortar facility at which the organization sells new and used building materials, home supplies and tools for 50 to 80 percent less than retail.
“ReStore is one of those places where you can never
know what we’re going to have. Last November, Whirlpool donated over 150 brand-new appliances. We’re still selling those,” Patton says.
Habitat is also in the process of earning capital to obtain LEED certification for the new ReStore facility. Patton says it will be the first LEED certified ReStore facility in America.
“We’ve made a ton of progress on the building. We hope to start construction in October,” Patton says.
A nonprofit housing organization, Habitat has been building “simple, decent and affordable homes” in Chattanooga since 1986. The organization partners with volunteers and low-income families to build affordable houses sold to the families at no profit and with no interest.
Volunteers provide most of the labor, while individuals and corporate donors provide money and materials to build the houses. Partner families invest hundreds of hours of labor, called “sweat equity,” into building their homes and the homes of others. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity, which is used to build more houses.
Proceeds from ReStore are applied to the construction of more homes for people in need.
Greenway Farms is a beautiful 180-acre park featuring a nature trail that runs alongside parts of scenic Chickamauga Creek. To go to the park, take Highway 153 North out of Chattanooga; at the second traffic light past Chickamauga Dam, turn right onto Hamill Road and go past the hospital, follow Hamill Road to just over the North Chickamauga Creek Bridge, and then turn right across from the entrance to Bethel Bible Village.
To get a feel for what a Mud Run is all about, Patton recommends Internet users visit YouTube and search for “Camp Pendleton Mud Run.”
Patton also asks that people take a few moments to visit the Web sites of the Mud Run’s sponsors, which include: Capital Toyota and Toyota of Cleveland, the title sponsors of the event; Greenlife Grocery, which will be providing food; Coca-Cola, which will be providing beverages; Regions Bank; Big River Grill; Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union; WDEF; Academy Sports + Outdoors; Strauss; Rock Creek; Outdoor Chattanooga; and Front Runner Athletics.
To learn more about the Mud Run, visit www.chattanoogamudrun.com; for more information about Habitat in Chattanooga, visit www.habichatt.org.
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