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LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 77 WRITTEN BY TOVA MORRISON ALOHA SUMMER MUD! FACES & PLACES : SUMMER FUN In the mud run universe, Irvine Lake is the crown jewel of the sport. Surrounded by rolling mountains, the racecourse ascends above the beautiful lake. On July 17, the 5k Irvine Lake Mud Run will provide runners with the opportunity to see this view while they raise money for a good cause. "This race will have more mud pits than we ever had before!" race director Paul Rudman said of the 5k (3.8 mile) run. "We'll also be featuring the largest mud pit in Orange County that's called The Big Watoosy. It's going to be pretty phenomenal — it's 145 feet long by 35 feet wide. It's just massive, and the kids love it — oh my gosh!" Yes, the kids love it, but so do the grown-ups — and apparently, especially the feminine gender. "More than 60 percent of the mud runners are going to be women," Rudman estimates. The Mud Run was sold out in June, but is only open for registrants who want to run with an Open Sized Team. Another day — Sunday, July 18 — was added recently by popular demand. This is the only mud run with an open-sized division. "No other race has this," Rudman said. "We get a group called Gavin's Groupies. They had over 170 people on their team at last year's race. They probably have over 300 on their team this year!" This group is raising funds and awareness to help a young child who is blind, Gavin, to gain eyesight. Fundraising is a big part of the Mud Run for the organizers' Eco Fun Challenge. They aim to reach $1 million in donations for the Boys and Girls Club Orange County Alliance. A $5 raffle ticket benefit for the Boys and Girls Club will give one winner a week-long Hawaiian vacation for two at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina. There are also cash prizes. "We are the only mud run that offers a cash prize," Rudman said. "The fastest male and female runners of the event will get $200." There will also be cash prizes going to the fastest four-person women's team, four-person men's team and four-person mixed gender team. Even the Dirty Dodgeball Tournament and costume contest — you remember the rules from grade school right? — will have a trophy and cash prize. "It is so different than any other race you've ever done before. It is even different than any other mud run that you've ever done before," Rudman said. "I believe we are the only mud run that goes off in wave starts." Instead of one big blast of people starting at once, this Mud Run separates runners and teams into intervals, or wave starts. What this does for the course is to create space. You don't have to wait for a crowd to disperse along the route's obstacles. After the grown-up race, the children can have a go during the Kid's Mud Puddle Race. An ever-foaming Human Car Wash is part of the race course, and afterwards, there are segregated men's and women's showers and changing tents. And if you want to come for the spectacle, you only need pay $5 for parking. This isn't only a fun muddy run — this is a festival too! Everyone is encouraged to dress in costumes, as for a Hawaiian luau. Expect a lot of grass skirts, a lot of coconuts, surf getup and folks wearing Hawaiian shirts while they run. The Rewind Music Festival features the rock steady ska grooves of the Skeletones and Venice Beach surf, skate, punk rock and reggae-beat trio Meet Me at the Pub. The party will definitely boogie when these bands start to jam. The Skeletones are a legendary 10-piece band, with a full horn section, that formed in 1986. They rock a mix of dancehall, soul, reggae and ska. With the nearby Beer Garden, Action Sports & Eco Fair and food vendors, it'll be a luau dance party to the max. And, the MC for the event is well-known KROQ and Sirius radio DJ Richard Blade. "We create our own mud pits on dry spots of the land at Irvine Lake," Rudman explained. "All we need is to add water and go in there and dig up the dirt a little bit, and voila — it's the mud pit! The venue back there is just incredible for what we do!" How can you not have fun? n Irvine Lake Mud Run's Summer of Mud July 17 – 18, 9 a.m. 5305 Santiago Canyon Rd. Irvine, CA Visit irvinelakemudrun.com for more information. Photos courtesy of Brightroom Photography.