Experience trumps youth at Mud Mountain XV: Freudenburg, age 32, and Caveny, age 40, triumph in the heat; race sets new record for attendance

Candace Caveny wears the Mud Mountain "Champion" dri-fit after claiming her second Mud Mountain title today. Photo/Tom Atwood

Zac Freudenburg about to cross the fiish line at Mud Mountain XV. Freudenburg ran the course in 15:37, just 2 seconds off the record pace established by Dustin Davis in 2005. Photo/Tom Atwood

Under a blazing sun hundreds of runners competed in the Mud Mountain 5K and One Mile Fun Run today at the SIU Edwardsville cross country course. The event set several records, including the record for overall registrations. More than 700 runners signed up this year, surpassing the old record of 684 set in 2009. Most remarkable is that this record was set on one of the hottest days of the summer, in the middle of an extended heat wave. And best of all, no serious medical problems were reported during the race due to the heat.

Here's the final registration breakdown for Mud Mountain XV:

Race day registrations: 92
Pre-registrations: 616 ( a new record)
Total registrations: 708 ( a new record)