On an uncharacteristically sunny day in February, Devil Mud Run hosted the first of their soon-to-be-regular events. Knowing the Cotswolds’ hellish hills and countryside well, local angel Keith Fairburn went to take on the challenge.
It was clear to see that Devil Mud Run was going to be making full use of the surroundings from the offset, as finding the venue required navigating through small Cotswold villages and thatched-roof cottages before arriving at the farm through an ominous-looking archway and a short challenging hill for my car to find a parking space (I should have realised already what was in store for us).
After an incredibly swift registration (always a welcome start, especially for a brand-new event), the unassuming crowds were put through their paces in the warm up – cue a lot of overhead clapping, jumping back-and-forth and rolling around on the floor – it’s not like anybody was planning to stay clean anyway.
Satan’s Playground
Into the race itself, and we were immediately faced with scrambling over tractor tyres and 4ft walls, a few muddy hills and a wall of tyres – personally this was the only area I experienced any queuing, surprising considering some of the obstacles we were about to face – helping some runners clearly overcome a fear of heights (or a fear of tyres). We were treated to a soapy slide, muddy uphill runs, tyre pits, muddy uphill runs, muddy trenches, tyre over-and-unders, cargo net A-frames and some muddy uphill runs. There was definitely a theme on the day and others will share in the feeling of knowing that you’ve definitely gone further uphill than down somehow.
There were three real standout obstacles here; firstly were the haybales on top of the highest point. While a haybale mountain might seem a fairly standard obstacle, it’s location meant that you could overlook the whole of the surrounding countryside and really appreciate the area we were lucky enough to be running in; secondly were the monkey bars – the first I’ve encountered where I’ve had to make a slight change of direction from one ladder to the next.. – followed by the longest downhill crawl under a net that I have seen, through the stickiest clay immediately followed up by the slippiest – the shower felt the brunt of this one later on; and of course Satan’s Staircase – being from this area of the country I was expecting some steps built into a footpath that perhaps ramblers and walkers make use of regularly – not quite – what we got were a series of steps (around 4ft high each) built into the hill, each either featuring mud or muddy water to make sure nobody was climbing them too easily at any point!
We were greeted at the finish by two big muddy puddles, to make sure we’d had our fill
These were, as mentioned, just the standout obstacles on a course that was full of big, well-built obstacles that felt unique to this course – nothing felt like it was copied or taken from any other events, something which is very nice to see for those of us who spend most weekends face down in the mud.
The finish line greeted us after a rope climb (well done to those who got over the wall – the ropes got quite slippery!) and two final big muddy puddles just to make sure we got our fill. After taking some time to relax and discuss the course, thinking it was all over, we were faced by one final challenge – The Devil Burger. A few bites in I started to realise something was out of the ordinary and my mouth was tingling a little more than it should be, I had been handed a burger apparently made of fire and nobody in the bar area would accept my comments until they tried it themselves. This is what led to one burger being shared among a group of strangers, each bonding over this one final obstacle, while other more macho men kept quiet in the corner with their own, making sure to drink their post-race beer tactically so nobody would see their red faces.
Devil Mud Run has made a cracking entrance onto the mud running scene, with large, well-made and well-designed obstacles and routes they will really be able to make an impact. Everybody who I saw out in the field were enjoying themselves in one way or another, and that includes the marshals who were enthusiastic and supportive all day. The team behind the run own the land, which means the only way is up in terms of course structure, challenges and of course hills! If anything could be done for September’s event, a medal always goes down nicely (of course I was going to suggest that – although we did get a good quality tech shirt from sponsors Raging Bull), and perhaps make the first wave a competitive wave with prizes for the winners and later waves for the fun runners – and fun they will have!
It’s always great to see a new race come in and make such an impressive entrance (especially nice when they’re so local to me), let’s hope Devil Mud Run are here to stay – remember though, Angels Need Not Apply.
To find out about Devil Mud Run’s September event - visit their website.
Image credits to Glos Echo.