Lots of children like to run around, others like to play in the mud. On Saturday, there was a chance to do both.
Under sunny skies, the Glencoe Park District hosted the third annual Great Mud Run at Watts Park. More than 350 children participated in six different heats broken down by age and gender over an approximate 1.2-mile course, Park District officials said.
Competitors navigated their way through mud pits, over a traverse wall and across a balance beam. This year the 12-obstacle course featured new hurdles including a catapult and a human hamster wheel.
Once everyone crossed the finish line, a wash station was a welcome destination.
For the third consecutive year, participation in the event grew, officials said.
“It is the trendy new, hip event in Glencoe that all the kids in schools in Glencoe want to do. They’re all doing it in groups with their friends and crossing the finish line together,” noted Recreation and Facilities Director Bobby Collins.
Everyone received at least one medal and winners took home a free week-long membership at a downtown Glencoe tutoring center.
The top finisher in the Girls 12-14 category was Mallory Jaberg, who had come in third the previous two years.
“I’m feeling accomplished,” Jaberg said. “The hurdles are the hardest part because there are a lot of them.”
Taking the top spot in the boys 12-14 category was Aerik Jahangiri. He hopes his win will set the stage for other triumphs.
“It means in the future, hopefully, I’ll be able to compete in larger and more extreme competitions,” he said.
As for the adults, they too were enjoying themselves, even if they were staying clean.
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“It is fun seeing all the kids together and having fun,” said Adam Goettsche, whose daughters, Lilly, 13, and Ashley, 11, competed.
Sapna Mukherjee echoed a similar sentiment of enjoying watching the kids have fun, as she came with her three children. She was not bothered by how dirty they got.
“You just have to make sure you bring clean clothes and towels for them so the car isn’t a mess when you get home,” Mukherjee said. “It is just part of growing up.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.