Is That Mud In Your Teeth? City Sports Texas Magazine, September 2006 by Erin Prather
Saturday night my fiancé gave the speech as the best man in his brother’s wedding. Dressed in a tuxedo, he raised his champagne to the newlyweds and then took me onto the dance floor. A friend told my mother she thought the two of us “had never looked better” as we spun around in our fancy garb. She had no clue we would soon be diving head first into a nationally renowned mud pit as participants of the Land Rover Certified Muddy Buddy in Austin.
I’d heard about the Muddy Buddy adventure race for years but hadn’t participated because of my limited mountain bike experience. Luckily, my fiancé was a huge BMX bike fiend in his younger years and gave me some pointers. At first, he was hesitant upon hearing the proposal that we run the race a few hours after his brother’s reception. Yet two features convinced him to take part: 1) a portion of Muddy Buddy proceeds go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and 2) he would have a chance to actually scamper through that infamous mud pit.
Austin’s Muddy Buddy sold out well before race day with 850 teams signing up. Overall, there are eight races in the 2006 series, stretching from San Jose, Calif. to Boston. The event involves running, mountain biking, and negotiating obstacles at five different transition stops. Each team consists of two “buddies” who leapfrog each other while switching from biking to running and vice versa at each obstacle.
Austin’s obstacles included cargo nets, balancing beams and a tower complete with an inflatable slide. The final challenge was the aforementioned mud pit that buddies must crawl though to the finish.
Austinite Rebecca Douglas says the 2006 event was her third Muddy Buddy. When asked why she keeps coming back, Douglas laughs, saying that it’s very addicting.
“Simply put, it’s a great event,” she adds. “Laid back, fun, and everyone participating has a smile on their face. The volunteers have always made sure things are running smoothly and raising money for CAF is the icing on the cake... or should I say mud on the pie?”
This year, Douglas and her partner, Kerri McLaughlin, elected to participate in the best costume competition. Adopting the team name “Cha Cha Coconutz,” the two women wore leis, hula skirts and coconut tops. Although teams have dressed in costumes for years, 2006 was the first time in which an actual contest took place. The winning team, dressed as none other than a pair of Nacho Libres (in tights), received National Geographic Road Atlases. Overall time winners were Wooch Graff and Jason Barrows of team “Toga Toga Toga.”
With the help of a Frog
One costumed individual who has become a race mainstay is Muddy Buddy founder Bob Babbitt. Dressed as a frog, Babbitt often resides at the mud pit to cheer on teams as they crawl their way to the fi nish. This year, he was approached by Houston participant John LeBlanc. LeBlanc, an amputee who was recruited by CAF to run the race, wanted to thank Babbitt for creating an event that assisted athletes like him.
“It was amazing to meet someone who, through their support of the foundation, has made a huge impact on my life,” says LeBlanc. “I was hit by a car less then two years ago. My left leg was amputated below the knee, and I had a lot of recovery issues with the right leg. I was athletic before the accident and knew I didn’t want to give up the lifestyle. CAF’s assistance ensured I didn’t have to.”
After the accident, a friend of LeBlanc’s suggested he submit an application to CAF for a prosthetic running leg. A few weeks later, the foundation contacted him to say his request was approved. Through CAF’s coordination, LeBlanc was outfi tted with his new leg in time to train for Oregon’s Hood to Coast race. He believes exercising helped his recovery and made him feel whole again.
“Most people experience depression after living through something like this. Personally, I found exercising was just as helpful as therapy. I encourage others going through tough times to give it a shot,” says LeBlanc.
The 2006 Austin race was LeBlanc’s first Muddy Buddy. He and partner Wes Jacobs say it was an awesome experience. LeBlanc encourages anyone interested in adventure racing to participate. His next event is CAF’s largest fundraiser — the San Diego Triathlon Challenge. LeBlanc is committed to raising money for CAF because he personally understands the importance of their mission.
“Because CAF has made such a huge difference to me, I want to raise money for the next person that comes along,” he says.
Can’t Get Enough of Your Mud
In addition to first timers, the Land Rover Certified Muddy Buddy series has many returns including one team racing every 2006 event. Manned by Scott Kochaney and Gordon Jackson, “Team Tiki Man” plans to attend all eight Muddy Buddy sites. The Chicago duo say their reasoning is simple: They love this race and the camaraderie enthused by its participants.
Austinite Jill Hartfiel (who paired with Harold Guihurt as team “F-Square”) agrees.
“The excitement surrounding this event was defi nitely contagious. It was my fi rst race of this kind, and I loved not knowing what obstacles I’d encounter. And you can’t beat an ending that’s a gigantic pit of mud,” laughs Hartfiel.
And adults aren’t the only ones with affection for the mud. The Mini Muddy Buddy race, occurring after the adult race concludes, consists of a short obstacle course before kids themselves have the opportunity to squirm their way through the pit. Douglas mentions that her niece and nephew participated and that both took great delight in getting dirty from head to toe.
As for my fiancé and I, we enjoyed every moment of the race. Well, except for the part where we each took a bike spill. Despite those slight setbacks, “Team Wedding,” as we dubbed ourselves, grinned while entering the pit. It was our first adventure race together and I have a feeling it’s not the last. More importantly, I know the fiancé is here to stay. After all, how many men can endearingly say, “Hon, you still have some mud stuck in your teeth.”
For more about the Land Rover Certifi ed Muddy Buddy, go to www.muddybuddy.com. For information about the Challenged Athletes Foundation, visit www.challengedathletes.org. Erin Prather is a writer living in Austin; more about her can be found at www.eprather.com.
