Faces at the Finish Line; Countdown says goodbye until next year; see you at Mud Mountain XIV

Faces at the Finish Line: Photos from Mud Mountain XIII
Produced by Tom Atwood
Photos by Bryan Daley
© 2008 Edwardsville Cross Country and
Track & Field Booster Club
All Rights Reserved

The race results: what went wrong?

by Tom Atwood
Race Director

When I think about Saturday’s 13th running of the Mud Mountain 5K, I am reminded of the old, bad punch line: “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?”

The race itself went perfectly. A record turnout. The 5K Started on time. No injuries or heat-related problems. The fun-run was fun. There was plenty of water, free fruit, and energy bars at the finish line.

But when it came time to announce the results, the winners of the race, and the top finishers in each age category, things seemed to fall apart. What happened? It looks like several events combined to produce initial race results that were flat-out wrong.

First, several runners crossed the finish line--and were timed--who either did not register, or did not have a race bib (like #94 in photo above). The tags from those bib numbers are used to record results, and when they are out of order or some are missing, it throws off all the results.

It also appears that in the crush of almost 500 runners in the chute, some of the tags got shuffled.

Fortunately, we also use a backup method in the chute: literally writing down the number of each runner so we can cross check those numbers with the tags from the bibs. Since it soon became clear the tags were not correct, we switched to the backup, handwritten numbers to, in effect, score the race the old-fashioned way: by hand. That will be completed by this evening and the final, official results will be posted.

None of this is an excuse, just an explanation for those of you who might be curious about what happened. Again, as race director, I apologize for the delay in getting the final results, which will be posted later today on www.mudmountain.org.

Needless to say, we are already looking at ways to prevent this from happening again at next year’s Mud Mountain. And we hope to see you there!

Mud Mountain XIII sets registration record; 567 runners sign up; race director releases "Mud," issues apology for delayed results

MUD (SCENES FROM MUD MOUNTAIN XIII)
PRODUCED BY TOM ATWOOD
MUSIC BY TADASHI TOGAWA
VIDEOGRAPHY BY TOM ATWOOD AND JACK TWESTEN
© 2008 EDWARDSVILLE CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD BOOSTER CLUB
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

To see high resolution version of this video, click here.

THANKS, AND AN APOLOGY

Tom Atwood

Race Director

Mud Mountain XIII is history. The overall winners - Kent Wories and Candace Caveny - outran the largest field ever at Mud Mountain. In all, 567 runners registered for the 5K and One-Mile Fun Run. The weather was warm and humid, the course a bit wet and muddy in places, but no one required medical assistance due to the heat, and no one was injured in a slip or fall. The event was a great success for the Edwardsville Cross Country and Track & Field Booster Club.

However, there was some confusion at the end of the 5K Classic. We are still trying to figure out what happened, but regardless, it took longer than usual for us to determine the top finishers in the various age divisions, and we were unable to give out medals to the female age division winners at the race. Instead, we will be mailing those. There are a couple of men’s divisions that were also in dispute (including the Clydesdale division). We will make sure the right people get the right medals.

I want to apologize for the confusion. We will learn from this, and make Mud Mountain even better in the future. Most of all, I want to thank not only those of you who ran this challenging, muddy course today, but also the dozens of volunteers who give their time and energy to make Mud Mountain, by far, the best 5K race in the St. Louis area.

Over the next few days we’ll be posting lots of photos and video highlights of this year’s race, so keep an eye on www.mudmountain.org.

See you next summer!

p.s. if you have any questions about the results, or comments, please contact me.

Race day! Mud Mountain in all its glory; race director rates course condition 'good, muddy;' registrations cross 400-mark, over 500 expected to run

This Year Mud Mountain Lives Up to Its Name

by Tom Atwood
Mud Mountain Race Director

As of 7 pm, Friday, July 25, the Mud Mountain course is in good, but somewhat muddy, condition for the 2008 5K Cross Country Classic. After Thursday night’s significant rainfall, there are intermittent puddles along Mile 3 of the course, and lengthy stretches of mud on portions of Mile 3, particularly at the base of Mud Mountain. Runners are advised to run along the extreme edges of the course on those muddy sections. It is likely that course conditions will deteriorate during the race, as more and more runners attempt to negotiate Mud Mountain.

Aside from the mud, the course itself has benefitted from excellent maintenance during the past week. Severe ruts have been repaired, overhangs have been trimmed, and the grass has been cut. However, at 8:30 am in July, expect the grassy portions of the course to be wet with dew and slippery. And be forewarned: if you run, you will get muddy.

Please run with caution, and enjoy Mud Mountain in all its glory!

---

How many runners have entered the race so far?
Entries to date: 404.

Traditionally on race day about 100 additional runners show up and register to run Mud Mountain. Registration opens at 6:30 am today, and if the weather is good, as many as 150 runners may sign up (based on the high number of pre-registrations). What is the official prediction for total registrations? 534. We'll know if that guess is a good one in a few hours...

--Tom Atwood

1 day til race day; Bipod offers packet pickup today; race director has message for runners on eve of 5K; entries total 401 so far

GOD'S RACE:

A MESSAGE FOR RUNNERS FROM

MUD MOUNTAIN RACE DIRECTOR TOM ATWOOD

Mud Mountain:

Running the way God intended--on grass.

Say no to asphalt.

Say yes to the Mud Mountain 5K Cross Country Classic:

God's race.

--rejected marketing campaign

for Mud Mountain XIII

I ran the course yesterday evening, careful to check its condition just a couple of days before the 2008 Mud Mountain 5K. A gentle rain was falling, misting the grass. The course was actually shimmering, even in the dim light of low rain clouds. Fallen mimosa blossoms occasionally carpeted the 2nd mile where it begins its endless incline; a Monarch butterfly circled me for a moment as I plodded along, wildflowers lining each side of the path.

A perfect evening for running, I thought, hoping this is what it might be like on race-day morning. But, the weather forecast suggests a warmer start when the running begins at 8:30 am on Saturday—temperatures in the low 80s, humid after a good chance of showers the night before. In fact, this year Mud Mountain may actually live up to its mysterious name. The steep hill on the third mile seems unlikely to dry out, and is almost certain to be truly, deeply muddy by the time 500 pairs of running shoes negotiate its climb.

I love this course. Green. Hilly. Almost tropical, in a summery, hazy, Midwestern kind of way. My kids have grown up running Mud Mountain. Riley was a half-foot shorter than me when he first ran here as a 6th-grader seven years ago. Now, on Saturday, he’ll duck to dodge delicate vines hanging down from Mud Mountain’s trees and shrubs. This is where he won his last home cross-country meet as a senior, the Tiger Finale. His younger sister, Ellen, has struggled with this course, like many runners, although she still has two years left to figure out how to run it.

But on Saturday, there is nothing to figure out, no real pressure. The Mud Mountain 5K Classic is a chance, once each year, to run the course for no reason other than to have fun. To take part in a celebration of running with other people who love to run, or at least who love to hate to run.

Do me a favor. Before you line up for the start of the race on July 26, look closely at the faces of the others gathered there. Old. Young. Very young. Look at the smiles. There is only one reason they are there—to run with others who enjoy running, or at least with others who enjoy hating to run.

On Saturday, only a few will be running to win Mud Mountain. Most of us will be running for other reasons. These days, I run mainly to keep moving. For those of you who are like me, I have this request: please be careful. The course will probably be slippery at that time of day, rain or no rain. Prepare for the heat. Each year, someone requires medical assistance due to summer’s temperatures and humidity. Drink the free water. Gobble up the free oranges, apples and bananas. But most of all, look around and take in the beauty of this moment. The beauty of doing something you love to do in a setting that is as lovely as any other 5K course in the area, a course that could have been—and, perhaps in a way, was—designed by God.

Enjoy God’s race.

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How many runners have pre-registered for Mud Mountain XIII?

Entries received today: 55 (19 online, 34 Bipod registration, 2 mail in)

Total registrations to date: 401

Former EHS cross-country runner Bridgette Hoover to sing National Anthem at Mud Mountain XIII

Bridgette Hoover, pictured above medaling at the Madison County Cross Country Championships last year, will sing the National Anthem at this year's Mud Mountain 5K Cross Country Classic. Hoover graduated from Edwardsville High School in June, where she also participated in choir and drama, starring as Dorothy in the EHS production of The Wiz.

Thanks in advance Bridgette!

EHS boys turn to french fries as odd training tool for Mud Mountain XIII; freshman Brendon Colligan wins french fry race; others lose lunch

EHS runners down fries at Jack-in-the Box, first of several french fry stops during Wednesday's "French Fry Run," won by freshman Brendon Colligan. The event, devised by Coach George Patrylak, combines speed, endurance, and the ability to "eat & run."
Photo/George Patrylak (click image to enlarge)

Members of the EHS boys cross country team pose for photo after enduring annual french fry run.
Photo/George Patrylak (click image to enlarge)

2 days til race day; Bipod to host packet pickup Friday, runners can avoid race-day rush; Mud Mountain XIII entries total 346 and counting

Bipod, the running store in Edwardsville, is hosting a packet pickup for Mud Mountain runners Friday, July 25. Runners can avoid the race-day rush by picking up their Mud Mountain XIII t-shirt and bib number between 10 AM and 7 PM at Bipod, which is located at 1063 South State Rt. 157 Suite 9. The store is 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis and sits off Highway 157, just north of Center Grove Road. Telephone: 618-655-0351. Runners can also register for the race at Bipod on Friday for $15. That price jumps to $20 on Saturday for adults who wait to register at the course. (Race day registration begins at 6:30 am.) Thanks to Bipod - for hosting this packet pickup, and for sponsoring Mud Mountain.

How many runners have pre-registered for Mud Mountain XIII?
Entries received so far today: 33 (20 mail-in, 13 online)
Total entries to date: 346

3 days til race day; Active.com site repaired, online entries resume; Mud Mountain XIII pre-registrations total 313 so far

Online registrations resumed today on Active.com after the website corrected its technical difficulties. With 3 days left til race day, runners can register onine, or can register at the course on the day of the race (this Saturday, July 26). Registrations at the course begin at 7 am. See you there!

How many runners have pre-registered for Mud Mountain XIII?
Entries received yesterday: 31 (all mail-ins)
Entries received today: 30 (18 mail in, 12 online)
Total registrations to date (5K and Fun Run): 313

4 days til race day; technical problems halt online registrations; Active.com promises fix by Tuesday evening; race entries remain at 252 so far

Technical problems at Active.com have prevented many from registering for Mud Mountain XIII online during the past 24 hours. An Active.com spokesman says technicians are working on a "system-wide problem" and hope to have it fixed by the end of the day. We apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully, Active will correct the problems soon. Keep checking. And remember, you can also register for Mud Mountain on race day. Registration begins at the course at 7 am. See you there!