Over 1000 take on the Muddy Buddy

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They signed up for mud and it didn’t take long for the laughs to follow.

More than 1000 competitors took part in the annual Sport Tasman Muddy Buddy on Sunday.

Participants lined up for the fund-raising fun run in all manner of fancy dress including Mexicans, hula girls, bumblebees, Native American Indians and Smurfs, but by the time they reached the finish line they were all unrecognisable under a thick layer of mud.

Fun runners and walkers gathered on the field outside Tasman School before heading over Aporo Rd and into the estuary for the run, which is now in its 8th year.

There they were greeted with a 2km long course of mud that had many wading, crawling and stumbling to the finish line.

Race options included 1, 2 or 3 laps, with an obstacle course to navigate at both the start and the end.

“It went superbly, we were quietly surprised [at the numbers], given that the event was much later than it would normally run, but obviously the weather was in our favour and I think we just struck it right, so we were really pleased with how it went,” says Angela Mangnall of the event’s organising committee.

The Angels and Demons team decided to take part for the first time as a way of doing something fun with their children, while others were competing alongside their friends and colleagues.

“My friend rang me up [the day before] to say come and do it, so it was an impromptu decision,” says first timer, Kat Halkett. “It was awesome, I loved it, so much fun for everyone.”

Around 1050 people took part in this year’s event, a great improvement on numbers from last year, and together they managed to raise $15,000 for Tasman School.

The organising committee say they would like to thank parents of the school for all their hard work making the day a success, as well as the event’s sponsors and everyone who participated.