The Maldon Mud Race is an annual fun race held in spring (originally in the winter, now in late April or early May) 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.[1] The race is organised by the Maldon Mud Race committee, a team of volunteers, which raises money for charity.[2]
History
editThe Maldon mud race began in 1974 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,[3][4] with many participants wearing fancy dress.[5] The event is watched by thousands of spectators and raises tens of thousands of pounds for charity.[5][6] The 2010 race was delayed until Easter 2011 due to poor weather and the organisers later decided to permanently move the event from winter to spring. Brian Farrington, from the Maldon Rotary Club said: "It doesn't make any difference in regard to the race itself, because people still get covered in mud. ... Our main concern is health and safety and then how much money we can raise for charity."[7]
The race can only take place when the tide is low enough to allow participants to cross the river safely. Participants start from one bank and make their way to the other side, negotiate 200 metres of mud along the river and then return to the original river bank.[4][8] In 2009, the race was run twice, on 4 January and 27 December, after the 2008 event was postponed due to high tides.[9][10] About 250 competitors took part in the December 2009 event[10] 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.[11]
The 50th anniversary of the Maldon Mud Race will occur on 2 June 2024.[12]
References
edit- ^ "The Maldon Mud Race". Essex Life. Archant Life. January 2009. p. 21. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ "The Maldon Mud Race". Essex Life. Archant Life. January 2009. p. 19. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ "River race gets down and dirty". BBC News. 29 December 2002. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ a b Godwin, Hugh (2 January 2005). "Alternative sports: If mud-racing looks too soft for you, how about a spot of shin-kicking?". The Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2008.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Maldon's magical mud race". East Anglian Daily Times. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ "Thousands watch dirty river race". BBC News. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ "Maldon Mud Race set for permanent switch to spring date - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ "The Maldon Mud Race". The Birmingham Post. 30 December 2002. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
Competitors set off at low tide from one bank and wade or swim through the waist high water to the other side. They then have to negotiate 200 metres of deep, sticky, mud along one side of the bank, some attempting to run, others propelling themselves along on their stomachs. Caked in mud, they then make their way back across the water to the other bank.
(Registration required.) - ^ "Hundreds in charity mud-flat race". BBC News. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Hundreds get dirty for Maldon Mud Race". BBC News. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
- ^ "Essex Maldon river mud race attracts charity fundraisers - BBC News". BBC News. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ "The World Famous Maldon Mud Race". Maldonmudrace.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.