The 2016 full and ultras were marred by what ultimately came down to, IMO, poor management. High winds were predicted on race day for several days in advance. So there was plenty of time to determine if the race could be safely held. With average wind speeds predicted from 27-43 mph, I think it should have been cancelled. Sporadic announcements were made before the race via Facebook, and two stated times for announcements came and went without any word; the final decision was to start the race an hour later than originally planned. This would let thunderstorms pass, leaving only the wind.

Sure enough, I was at mile 5.25 when word started spreading in the field that the police in one section of the course had cancelled the longer races due to flooding. Again, I think this was entirely foreseeable given the long-expected high winds. All 26.2 and ultra races were shortened to a half. I would have been fine with this if it had been announced before the start, but it was infuriating to find it out during the race.

Confusion abounded at the finish line. Someone handed me a medal for the full marathon, which was unearned. Oh well.

It should be noted that course volunteers did an outstanding job under extremely difficult circumstances. I can't imagine what it must have been like to wrangle paper cups with the high winds.

Even on a day with perfect weather, I wouldn't run this race again. Communication is poor, and the overall organization is insufficient--parking was a scrum, even though I arrived an hour before the start time, and there should have been more porta-potties). Avoid.

I didn’t realize ‘til after I had run the Buck Mountain Mudslinger 6.5 mile trail run (http://www.runwildadventures.com/events/buck-mountain-mudslinger-trail-run-8/) that I had never run a truly muddy race. Sure, I ran cross country in high school—in FLORIDA! Look out, we have to run on pine straw—oh noes! This was way different.

My friend Victoria had suggested the race, held at the end of February in Silver Falls State Park. I had run the Silver Falls Half there a couple of years back, but that course was more of a nature romp—running behind waterfalls--and featured just a small slick grassy hill toward the end of the course. This race was being held at the Howard Creek Horse Camp. Also, it had the word “Mudslinger” in it.

Right away I could tell that the race organizers at Salem-based Run Wild Adventures had their act together. I already liked the low ($20) entry fee. When Victoria and I entered the park, there was great signage directing us to the start/finish area. There were volunteers marshaling drivers into the parking area. There was hot chocolate, coffee, and two types of bread. There were plenty of porta-potties (crucial!).

Many runners were dressed in Wild West gear, all set for a costume contest after the race. Everyone was friendly, but also in that low-key mode runners have when getting their mental game ready. There were about 200 runners and maybe another 100 family members and race organizers/volunteers.

I checked out the course elevation map (http://www.runwildadventures.com/web_images/buck_mountain_elevation_chart.jpg) beforehand. Obviously miles 2.75 to 4 were going to be a challenge, but an elevation map is only an abstract concept until you actually get to the hills. I had been averaging 9-minute miles during recent training, so I foolishly suggested I might do 10s or 11s on the course. Victoria said 12-13 was more likely, and she was right.

They weren’t joking about the mud.

It was a clear day with sunshine and blue skies, but under the trees’ canopy it was humid and chilly, with lots of standing water and slick hills. Assorted rocks and fallen branches kept things interesting. At first I tried to pick out dry spots through muddy patches, mostly walking during those stretches, but after a while there was just too much mud and water. Only one thing for it: get wet and dirty! As soon as I figured out I could just run though the water, my pace picked up a bit.

Every now and then, I made sure to look around and take in the gorgeous scenery. It’s tough to beat the Pacific Northwest for natural beauty, and the mix of green trees and blue skies was good for the soul.

I think I heard someone say the course difficulty was moderate. If that’s true, I have total respect for people who do the hard trails. I nearly tripped or slipped completely half a dozen times.

I cursed far too much for a Sunday morning.

Miles three to four were so steep and muddy that, like most people I saw, I walked most of the way uphill. So much for 10-minute miles. The walk did give me a chance to see lots of costumes and see what people wear when running in mud. Bravest choice: fluorescent rainbow-striped knee socks (!).

Although I was wearing trail shoes, I still slipped sideways in the mud a lot, but I just figured I had to “zen” it, trusting that I wasn’t going to topple over and break myself. This was especially important on downhills. It quickly became obvious that I was endangering myself by trying to go slowly. I decided to just use The Force, step lively, and trust my leg strength to prevent calamity. As the dirty Slip ‘n’ Slide went on and on, I developed a permagrin at how ridiculous I must have looked, and at how I was tempting fate—whee! I was constantly a half-step from whatever the muddy-hill equivalent of a skiing “yard sale” is. Somewhere between miles four and five I shouted “I LOVE MUD!” Everyone else was having a similarly challenging but fun time.

Naturally, after making it down the entire slick downhill for two solid miles, I caught a toe on a fallen branch and ate it on a flat section during the last half mile. I had to laugh.

I finished with a net pace of 12 minutes per mile, and felt pretty good about it. Victoria knocked more than four minutes off her previous time, so it was a good race for both of us.

After the race, there was chili and beer—LOTS of beer—a keg and several cases for the 300 of us. There was also a raffle that would be familiar to FitRight NW scavenger hunt participants; Run Wild gave away shoes and tech gear. I won a t-shirt, which probably was worth most of my entry fee alone.

Run Wild has the perfect amount of sponsorship: enough so that racers have plenty to eat and drink, and for giveaways, but not so much that there are ads everywhere. That’s a very rare thing.

I was extremely impressed with everything about the race, and I definitely caught the mud-running bug. I’m doing this one again next year, for sure, and I’m also looking forward to Run Wild’s Detroit Lake Mud Run six-miler this October.

One last note: When doing a mud run, bring a complete change of clothes for the ride home. I did, and was glad for it.