Maldon mud race

The Maldon Mud Race is an annual fun race held in spring (originally in December or January) at Promenade Park in Maldon, Essex, England, in which entrants compete to complete a 500 metres (550 yd) dash, in thick mud, over the bed of the River Blackwater. The race is organised by the Lions & Rotary clubs of Maldon and Maldon District Council which raises money for charity.

The race began in 1973 when a regular at a local pub was challenged to serve a meal on the riverbank dressed in a dinner jacket. The challenge evolved into a race across the river to a waiting barrel of beer, drinking a pint of beer there and racing back. The barrel of beer has long disappeared and the race has become a charity event, with many participants wearing fancy dress. The event is watched by thousands of spectators and raises tens of thousand of pounds for charity.

The race can only take place when the tide is low enough to allow participants to run across safely. Participants start from one bank and make their way through water to the other side, negotiate 200 metres of mud along the river and then return to the original riverbank. In 2009, the race was run twice, on 4 January and 27 December, after the 2008 event was postponed due to high tides. About 250 competitors took part in the December 2009 event and it has increased in size every year since.

In 2014 the race was held on 26 May and once again attracted hundreds of competitors.

External links

• Maldon Mud Race website