Braving the Mud, Sweat and Tears

DON SCOTT/The Press

MUDDY MAYHEM: Competitors make the most of the muddy conditions at Motukarara.

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Over 800 hardy souls braved mud, obstacles and rain in the South Island's inaugural Mud, Sweat and Tears Challenge yesterday.

Motukarara Racecourse, near Christchurch, was full of squelching, exhausted competitors dragging themselves under barbed wire and diving down mudslides.

Event organiser Vaughan Utteridge said 850 competitors braved the course, running 5 kilometres or 10km in teams, or individually.

The course, which took three weeks to prepare, tested the runners against a variety of obstacles made from hay bales, logs and barbed wire.

Utteridge said it was the first event of its kind in the South Island, but he hoped to organise another next year.

"I think people just like the novelty factor, and it pushes them outside their comfort zone ... getting together and having some fun and doing something completely different."

Ian Reeves emerged as overall winner of the men's 10km race with a time of 46 minutes, while Millie Haughey won the women's event in 52 minutes.

The miserable weather had played its part in making the event a success, Utteridge said.

- © Fairfax NZ News