Good Times at the Runamuck Festival 2009

The first annual Runamuck Festival 5k mud run was held last Saturday at Lake Needwood near Rockville, Maryland. It was an awesome day for the race: it was over 90 degrees and sunny, which probably was rough on the guy dressed up in a gorilla suit like DK from MarioKart. Although it was the first year of the event, the concept--running people around a 5k course interspersed with ridiculously long and deep mud pits--was pioneered by the Marines down in Quantico and has since spread around the country.

The organizers did an awesome job incorporating local vendors and musicians in the event, and were rewarded by a huge turnout. Over 2,000 people participated in the race, and were joined by all sorts of friends and family. Best of all, the organizers collected hundreds of shoes that people discarded after the race, which will be donated to African aid groups. I was glad to see such a response for a rather off-the-wall event, and glad that this won't likely be the first and last Runamuck.