There are many ways in which humans are similar to other animal species on the planet.
To name a few, we are protective of our young. Some people are hunters, some gatherers, and we all have an inherent desire to flounder in mud like pigs.
Wait, what?
For those of you who haven’t discovered this third trait about yourself, you have an opportunity to see just how much fun splishin’ and splashin’ in mud can be.
UltraMax Sports in Columbia will host its second Epic Mud Run at noon Sunday at the Midway Travel Plaza off Highway 70.
“This is the perfect venue for the event,” Epic Mud Run coordinator Kaela Rorvig says.
If the words “mud run” aren’t sufficiently self-explanatory for you, here’s the deal: participants in this event run three miles on a track made almost purely of mud. There are also multiple obstacle courses, such as tires to navigate through, wooden bars to circumvent and two enormous Slip ‘N Slides to ensure not an inch of your person is left clean.
“This event attracts anybody and everybody,” Rorvig says. “You don’t have to be a professional runner to sign up and be able to do it.”
The race releases 19 different waves of people every 20 minutes. There will be concessions and a beer garden available to interested and legal contestants and spectators.
Last year the Mud Run involved almost 1,000 spectators and participants, including MU senior Siån Evans.
“It was so much fun, there was so much energy,” Evans says. “I recommended it to a lot of people to go this year.”
This year, more than 2,500 people have already signed up, but your chance to sign up for Sunday’s race has not passed.
Registration is still taking place online at [UltraMax Sports’ website](http://ultramaxsports.com/epicmudrun/home.html). You can also register in its retail store, located at 2902 Forum Blvd. If you want to compete in a group, you can register teams of three or four. You’ll need a photo ID, especially if you plan to drink in the beer garden.
“Come off the couch and have a good time,” Rorvig says. “It’s more of a laid back atmosphere. You don’t have that competitive vibe that maybe a 5K or a half marathon would have.”
The event costs $65 for individual participants ages 12 and up. Team discounts vary, and although this may seem like a pretty penny, the money goes to support the MU Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network, according to the Epic Mud Run website.
Obviously this event will be legen…_wait for it_…dary. If it wasn’t, they would have titled it something like the Mundane Mud Run or the I-Don’t-Have-Anthing-Better-to-Do Mud Run.
No. This is the _Epic_ Mud Run.
