25 days til race day; registrations reach 80; ages of entrants range from 5 to 67

O'Fallon High School cross country coach Alan Elfrink finishes strong at Mud Mountain 2008.

Early entry totals continue to be impressive for Mud Mountain XIV. As of today, 80 runners have entered either the 5K race or one-mile fun run. The youngest entrant (in the fun run) is 5-years old. The oldest entrant so far is 67.

2009 online entries: 49
2009 mail-in entries 31
2009 total to date: 80
2008 total to date: 38
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

26 days til race day; Mud Mountain committee meets tonight

Kent Wories, former Metro-East Lutheran standout,wins Mud Mountain XIII last year.

With less than a month til race day, the Mud Mountain planning committee meets at 6:30 p.m. at Imo's this evening. On the agenda: t-shirt design, flyer/poster distribution, additional ambulance/paramedics, race day assignments (concessions, parking, set up, registration), and any other important matters.

27 days til race day; runners can now check entry status online

As runners register for Mud Mountain XIV, their entry information (name, age, gender and age/weight division) is being posted on the official race website (www.mudmountain.org). After you sign up, visit the website and click on "See 2009 Entries." Make sure the information there is correct. If not, contact the race director. Race entries will be updated daily between now and race day July 25.

28 days til race day; race entries total 74 to date

Mud Mountain XIV is exactly 4 weeks away. The majority of runners register the week prior to the race, with as many as a hundred or more registering at the course on race day. Here's the breakdown of race entries received so far:

2009 online entries: 46
2009 mail-in entries 28
2009 total to date: 74
2008 total to date: 38
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

29 days til race day; maintenance crews smooth course; Mud Mountain committee meets Monday

For a guided tour of the entire Mud Mountain course with course record-holder Dustin Davis, watch the video above.

I had a pleasant, although steamy, lunchtime run at Mud Mountain yesterday. Pleasant because severe erosion on the course from recent rain has been repaired by maintenance crews. Where there were deep ruts on Mud Mountain, and along mile 2, there is now smooth, soft dirt. The grass is still a bit long, but it will be cut at least twice between now and race day on July 25. It's a beautiful course. You can see it all in less than 5 minutes by watching the video tour above with Dustin Davis.

p.s. the Mud Mountain Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 29 at Imo's.

30 days til race day; entries total 70 runners, most register online

Registrations for Mud Mountain XIV continue to grow at a steady pace, ahead of last year at this time, and far ahead of 2007's pace. Here's the breakdown to date:

2009 online registrations: 45
2009 mail-in registrations: 25
2009 total to date: 70
2008 total to date: 38
2008 final total: 567 (485 5K entries, 82 fun-run entries)

31 days till race day; never fear: porta-potties have been ordered for MM XIV

Imagine all these runners, with no place to go? Fortunately, the all-important porta-potties have been ordered for this year's Mud Mountain 5K. Plenty to go around. The facilities will remain at the course this fall for use during high school and middle school cross country meets.

32 days til race day; entries for Mud Mountain XIV total 63, far ahead of last year's pace

As of today, 63 runners have signed up to run Mud Mountain XIV on July 25. That compares to a total of 38 runners registered last year at this time. Of the 63 entries, 19 were mailed in, 44 were received online.

33 days til race day; early entries total 56; recent heavy rains damage course

Heavy rain during May and June has created an erosion problem on portions of the Mud Mountain course. Deep gullies have formed on the third mile, known as "Mud Mountain." Maintenance crews from SIU Edwardsville and Edwardsville High School have been notified about the damage, and will be working to repair the course during the next few weeks. For now, those who are training for the race on the course are urged to be careful, especially on mile three.

34 days til race day; flyers printed, to be distributed this week

More than 500 flyers with race entry forms have been printed for Mud Mountain XIV. These flyers will be distributed this week to St. Louis area running stores and businesses. Posters will also be printed. While some runners still use these flyers to register for the race, more and more either download the entry form from www.mudmountain.org, or register online at Active.com.