IRISH VALLEY - The Irish Valley Motocross Park is getting a makeover ahead of the Braveheart Freedom Mud Run and Music Fest.
The tracks designed for dirt bikes are being adapted to host runners for the facility's second mud run on Saturday, June 15.
Owner Tim Krebs is working to come up with man-made obstacle ideas and bring them to life, including creating a "spider's web" of bungee cords for competitors to crawl through, building a machine to spray foam onto the course, and generally muddying up the place more than it already is.
Natural obstacles like hills and ponds are already in place.
This year's mud run has a new name after ties were severed with last year's promoter.
More than 1,100 people participated in 2012. Krebs says he expects a bit of a dropoff in 2013, largely because the mud run - patterned after obstacle challenge events that have become popular across the nation - was new to the area.
Competitors got banged up, got dirty and were largely exhausted after the event, and it takes a special kind of adventurer to tough out an obstacle course with military-style challenges.
"They just did it to say they did it," Krebs said of many local first-timers. "I know there are people out there that will just come up the day of the race" but not compete.
Online registration for adults is $55 by Saturday; kids 4 to 6, $15, and 7 to 13, $20. The day-of cost for adults is $60, and kids prices will remain the same. A portion of the proceeds will benefit local charities.
There are three races to accommodate different age groups: the older the competitor, the more challenging the course.
A course for children aged 4 to 6 years will be set up on the park's peewee motocross track with small obstacles. Parents must accompany the tykes throughout.
Kids from 7 to 13 years will on the intermediate track that includes more hills, a pond crossing challenge and a wall crossing.
The remaining competitors will compete on the adult track, where they can stick to the 5K route or, if they're feeling good, opt for a detour and travel a 5-mile course.
Additional man-made obstacles include military-style walls to climb over, barbed wire fencing to crawl under, and large hay bale piles to scale.
An automated self-watering system will keep all three courses plenty muddy. Krebs expects the kids will enjoy that the most.
"They love to get dirty, and they can get dirty without getting in trouble," he said.
The first wave of adults will begin at 8:40 a.m., with others following in 20-minute intervals. The intermediate races will start at 9:30 a.m. and the peewees at 10 a.m.
A free post-race party will follow with live music at Krebs Grove. Parking is free.
For more information, visit braveheartmudrun.com.