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Time to get a little bit dirty at the Mississippi Mud Run

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The Mississippi Mud Run will kick off on St. Feriole Island at 8:45 a.m. with a special kids’ course. The course is one mile in length, and challenging. The full, four-mile course will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is open to everyone. (Courier Press file photo)

By Caitlin Bittner

Ready to get down and dirty? Then Prairie du Chien’s Mississippi Mud Run, on Saturday, Sept. 17, is the event for you, said event coordinator, Lorie Floyd.

With the water high and muck abundant, you wouldn’t think it would take much to set up, but you’d be wrong.

“Since I’ve been doing it for years, it’s gotten easier. Now, that everything’s in place, I contact people and start coordinating about two to three weeks out and tell them the where and when,” said Floyd.

After receiving permission from landowners, including the state of Wisconsin and the WSOR railroad, event organizers can get in and start setting up the obstacle course.

“Well, there are a lot of people involved. Pete Prew mows the grass and grooms the mud pit for me. The Prairie du Chien Fire Department and the Bridgeport Fire Department bring us a lot of water. Nelson Hardwood is bringing in logs, poles and a semi trailer, which they’ll help set up. Halpin’s Tire Service also gives us hundreds of tires, a service truck and a few employees to help out,” noted Floyd.

Additionally, the fire departments aid in making the spray tree, made by Rickleff Plumbing and Heating, and the water slide. Bob’s Towing and Repair is donating both vehicles and towing services. Crawford County Highway Department is providing culverts and Design Homes is providing the plastic for the water slide and assisting with the placement of the course’s hay bales.  Southwest Bus Service is even donating a bus.

“We also have six inmates from PdC Corrections. They do a lot of the heavy work and provide a lot of manpower,” stated Floyd.

Floyd, who recently decided on the design of the course, said the process of setting a final design depends a great deal on the water conditions. “It’s really wet this year, and that goes into the planning. I kind of map it out in my head. The important thing to remember when setting the course is how many people are going to be doing an obstacle at one time. For example, there are a lot of people in the same place at the beginning, so there needs to be an obstacle that accommodates many.”

Aside from the man-made obstacles, Floyd said she loves to work with natural features and challenges. “We use a lot of natural obstacles. I’m always looking at the water and trees for ideas. Last year, we made a tunnel out of grape vines that people had to crawl through.”

If you’re hoping to end the race squeaky clean, then you’ll be horribly disappointed. “Sometimes, I look at something and I think, ‘this is gonna be really disgusting, but so much fun,’” she said, with a glint in her eyes. “I love finding unique locations along the course for people to have more fun. Besides, isn’t that the point? To get dirty?”

A week before the event, Floyd said she’ll spend copious amounts of time out on the course, marking the trail. “People need to be able to find their way quickly, or they’ll miss an obstacle.”

Lathing, trees, twigs, caution tape and marking paint are all parts of how the trail is marked. 

Sometimes, the course will also need to be cleared prior to the run. “We pick up garbage and get rid of anything that might be hazardous to people, like if something seems like a tripping hazard that no one will see,” she explained.

“I also get into the mud pit and mix it up with a hoe. After I break it up, we string wire over the top so people can’t just walk through it,” she said.

Building obstacles is a big part of the fun for Floyd. One obstacle she has in mind involves a tire climb-over. “It’s fun to look at large equipment tires and decide what to do with them. We use them differently ever year. Sometimes we build tire walls, and sometimes, we build tire pyramids.”

“One of my favorite obstacles is set up on the north end of the island. If the conditions are right, we set it up so that people have to pull themselves through 25 feet of mud,” added Floyd.

The mud run will kick off on St. Feriole Island at 8:45 a.m. with a special kids’ course. The course is one mile in length, and challenging. The full, four mile course will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is open to everyone. “You can come to compete, or just for fun. Run, walk or crawl your way to the end, and if you think something is too difficult, it’s okay to go around it; just keep going. It’s just fun to be out there getting dirty,” said Floyd.

You may register for the Mississippi Mud Run online at www.pdcskatepark.org/registration, at Prairie du Chien’s City Hall or on-site beginning at 7 a.m.

If you’d like to be a bigger part of the mud run, and even get a behind-the-scenes look, Floyd suggests volunteering to help out before, during and after the run. “I think we’ll have the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts, as well as the Key Club, the high school and middle school volleyball teams and the middle school cross country team, volunteering time for us,” said Floyd.

To volunteer, please call, (608) 412-2974. “I’m also looking for someone to takeover as coordinator in the future,” added Floyd.

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