LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 17, 2024) – Registration for the Mud Run – affectionately known as Little Rock’s Dirtiest 5K – opens today. The Mud Run is a project of Little Rock Parks & Recreation and will be held Saturday, Sept. 21 at War Memorial Park in Little Rock.

 Mud Run organizer Geneva Lamm said this year’s event will feature a new team challenge element called Mud, Guts & Glory, an old school tug-of-war challenge where teams of six will face off in a bracket format tournament competing for glory and the championship.

 “We started the Mud Run to introduce people to the sport of running to people who would have never considered it before,” Lamm said. “It’s a big change of pace from your typical road race, which is great, but we wanted to add a more competitive element to the event.”

 Lamm noted that part of the glory of the Mud Run is not to finish fast, but “to finish in style.” She said race organizers hope that adding Mud, Guts & Glory to the event’s roster will bring in people who are drawn to that competitive finish that the Mud Run doesn’t offer. “Not everyone wants to run or walk. Tug-of-war opens the day to people who work out but aren’t into running.”

 This event shares the same mission of the Little Rock Marathon – to provide a premier event open to athletes of all abilities while promoting a healthy lifestyle through running and walking while raising money for Little Rock Parks & Recreation. Although the two events share a mission, participants who have only run Little Rock on Marathon Weekend might be surprised at how laid-back event around the Mud Run can be. Mud Run shares another similarity with LRM - costumes and themes are highly encouraged for both the run and the tug-of-war competition.

 Registration is $25 through July 16, when it jumps to $30. Day of registration for the Mud Run will be $45. Mud, Guts & Glory will follow the same fee structure. The Mud Bug, a special event for kids 10 and under, will follow a $15/20/25 fee structure.

For more information visit www.mudrun.org

 Race Day Timeline of Events for the Mud Run and Mud, Guts & Glory includes:

• 7:00 am – late registration and packet pick up opens
• 7:50 am – presentation of official types (the VIPs and such)
• 7:55 am – reading of the rules and other silly stuff that’s also important and needs to be said out loud
• 8:01ish am – official Mud Run start (or as close to that as we can get)
• 8:25 am – Mud Bug waller
• 8:45 am – awards ceremony and other official stuff
• 9:30 am – official Mug, Guts, & Glory start