15 days til race day; glitch on Active.com briefly halts online registrations; 124 currently signed up

Thanks to Vickie Schultz, a runner who notified Mud Mountain of a problem at Active.com, the online race registration website. Apparently, registration for Mud Mountain XIV had been unavailable overnight.However, the servers are up and running again, and runners can register on Active.com, or just download an entry form from www.mudmountain.org, and mail it in. There is plenty of time until the race on July 25.

2009 online entries: 73
2009 mail-in entries 51
2009 total to date: 124
2008 total to date: 99
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

16 days til race day; entries to date total 119; race website gets 500 hits yesterday

As race day approaches, interest in Mud Mountain XIV is growing. The official race website (www.mudmountain.org) received more than 500 "hits" yesterday, an unusually high number. Will that eventually translate into an unusually high number of race entries?

2009 online entries: 73
2009 mail-in entries 46
2009 total to date: 119
2008 total to date: 84
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

17 days til race day; entries total 115 for Mud Mountain XIV, including dozens of Weight Watchers

So far, entries for Mud Mountain XIV are far ahead of last year at this time, and one reason could be that, for the first time, dozens of members of Weight Watchers have signed up for the race.

Weight Watchers and Active.com have chosen Mud Mountain XIV as a "challenge race" for Weight Watchers members in the Midwest. It is estimated that as many as 150 Weight Watchers will sign up for Mud Mountain this year.

Here's an excerpt from a letter sent from Shannon Iberger of Active.com:

"We are currently managing a “couch to 5k training program” for Weight Watchers called The Momentum Walk-it Challenge. The Momentum Walk-It Challenge encourages all Weight Watchers meetings members and Weight Watchers Online subscribers to get active this spring. As a measurable goal for the members we are encouraging them to sign up for their first 5k walk/run and are providing them with access to the tools they need to reach their goal.

We value our current relationship with the Mud Mountain Cross Country Classic 5k and have chosen your event as the St. Louis Market’s featured race for this program! We have 5 Team Trainers with a total of 150 members that will be participating in your 5k and your race currently has nationwide exposure on our website (www.teamweightwatchers.com – “Get Started” – “Sign up for a 5k”). The program launched on April 12, if you have seen a rise in your registrations it may be due in part to this program.

We would like to have a presence near the finish line on race day in support of all of these members who will be crossing your finish line for their very first time. We would be providing all of the branded Weight Watchers collateral for the presence including a 6-foot table/table cover, cooler with waters for the members, and an umbrella with a stand to provide some shade relief! All we would need is a designated space to set-up and reserve for the Team Trainers and members.

There is also an excellent potential for media exposure at the race given the reach of this national program and all the buzz already forming around The Momentum Walk-it Challenge. This spring 150 Active.com Team Trainers will be leading 4,500 members in training for their first 5k. After two weeks of the program website going live, we have an additional 27,000 members across the country that have decided to start teams in their neighborhood and are electing their own team trainers to lead them through the journey. And this number is rapidly growing by the day!

We are extremely excited to work with you and to bring Weight Watchers to your incredible event!"

18 days til race day; 105 runners now registered; flyers, posters distributed

Posters like this one were distributed yesterday along with hundreds of Mud Mountain flyers and race entry forms. The flyers and posters were sent to various running stores in the St. Louis area, and also were distributed to local businesses, YMCA's and the SIUE Fitness Center.

To date, 105 runners have signed up for Mud Mountain XIV. Here's the breakdown:

2009 online entries: 63
2009 mail-in entries 42
2009 total to date: 105
2008 total to date: fewer than 68
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

19 days til race day; entry total for Mud Mountain XIV reaches 100

As of today, 100 runners have signed up for Mud Mountain XIV. This is the earliest that number has been reached. Here's the breakdown:

2009 online entries: 59
2009 mail-in entries 41
2009 total to date: 100
2008 total to date: fewer than 68
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

20 days til race day; 95 runners now entered; cross country picnic next Saturday

The annual cross country picnic for all Edwardsville cross-country runners and their families will be held this Saturday, July 11, at Glik Park. The picnic begins at 11 am with a cookout at the park, and features sand volleyball until 2 pm.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks will be provided by the Edwardsville Cross Country and Track & Field Booster Club. More information about what to bring (drinks, side dishes, desserts) will come later this week.

This event is for middle school and high school cross country families. It traditionally kicks off the cross country season, and is also where parents can sign up to volunteer for Mud Mountain XIV, the fundraising race for Edwardsville's cross country and track & field programs, which will be held July 25.

3 week til race day; race entries total 93; Happy Fourth of July!

Awards ceremony at Mud Mountain 2008.

With 21 days til the running of Mud Mountain XIV, the pace of registrations is beginning to pick up. Eight entries were received yesterday, bringing the total to date to 93. Here's the breakdown:

2009 online entries: 55
2009 mail-in entries 38
2009 total to date: 93
2008 total to date: fewer than 65
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

22 days til race day; 85 runners have signed up so far; 2nd photo shoot adds to publicity posters

Devon Dudding is among more than a dozen Edwardsville runners who posed for publicity photos this week for Mud Mountain XIV. A second photo shoot was held yesterday at the SIUE cross country-course. Race t-shirts from the past five years are featured in the posters, which will be distributed in the St. Louis area, and posted online.

23 days til race day; entries grow to 84; photo shoot produces publicity posters for ad campaign: "Meet Me At Mud Mountain"

Runners from current and past Edwardsville cross-country teams took part in a photo shoot Wednesday to publicize Mud Mountain XIV. The photos, featuring athletes wearing Mud Mountain t-shirts from previous races, will be used on posters distributed in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and also as cover pages on the official website for the race, www.mudmountain.org.

Thanks to the athletes who took part. Photos will be used in the days leading up to Mud Mountain XIV.

So far, 84 runners have signed up for Mud Mountain XIV. Here are the totals:

2009 online entries: 53
2009 mail-in entries 31
2009 total to date: 84
2008 total to date: 38
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

24 days til race day; runners registering on race day need to arrive early

This year's Mud Mountain 5K starts a half-hour earlier than in 2008. The reason? To beat the heat. So, to accommodate runners who have not pre-registered, race-day registration will be available at the course starting at 6:00 a.m. on July 25. However, because we are using an electronic chip timing system this year, all runners must be registered at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the race. So, race day registration will close at 7:30 a.m.

Best advice: register now by clicking on this link.