Most of the participants in this year’s Tawasentha Mud Mania race Saturday, June 14, in Guilderland wanted to have some good, dirty fun. But Michelle Davis had a different focus.
The Schenectady resident was after her third consecutive women’s division title, and she wasn’t about to let anyone pass her – not even her friend and co-worker, Meghan Warren.
“I knew what to expect (from the course), but I also had Meghan Warren as my competition,” said Davis.
True to her pre-race prediction, Davis fended off Warren to claim her third consecutive women’s title.
“She was behind me (late in the race), but she said, ‘It’s only me.’ Since I knew she was behind me, I felt comfortable,” said Davis.
“I knew I couldn’t catch her. She’s fast,” said Warren. “I am happy. I improved (my time) over last year, and there’s always next year.”
On the men’s side, Ray Webster had a successful Mud Mania debut. The soon-to-be Capital District resident won the men’s division title in the competitive heat.
Webster, who said he is in the process of relocating to this region from Burlington, Ver., had experience in muddy obstacle course racing prior to his Mud Mania debut.
“I did the Spartan Race (in Vermont) several times. This is a good tune-up for the season,” said Webster.
While the competitive race offered runners a chance to test themselves to complete the 5-kilometer course in the shortest amount of time, the spirit of the day shone through in Mud Mania’s other divisions. Adults and children took on the hilly, muddy course at their own pace and sometimes in costume. One group of runners donned inflatable floatation devices on their arms, while three young runners competed in tutus and tie-dyed T-shirts.
Andrew and Heather Gettle from the Oneonta area traveled with their three children to participate in Mud Mania. They all wore yellow shirts that red “We Eat Mud” on the front and “Hungry 1,” “Hungry 2,” “Hungry 3,” “Hungry 4” and “Hungry 5” on their backs.
“Last year, they all did T-shirts, so we wanted to do it again,” said Andrew Gettle, who designed the shirts.
Children especially enjoyed the opportunity to get dirty. Once the 1-kilometer kids’ race ended, several went back to go down a smaller water slide set up next to the main water slide, while other played in the deep mud created by sprinklers set up on an old softball field near the finish line.
Guilderland resident Maryanne Kerr watched her two daughters, Mya and Avery, as they played with a friend in the mud bog.
“This is their favorite town event,” Kerr said.
Ultimately, Tawasentha Mud Mania allowed families to bond as they helped each other get through such challenging obstacles as running through a creek and crawling through the mud underneath a cargo net.
“It’s something I might need training for,” said Rotterdam native Killian Tallman, who ran the course with his siblings Ashley and Duncan in honor of their late uncle, Bill Harlow. “Just a little (training).”