Local fundraiser
brings community
together … in mud
Amber Quaid / Managing editor
Hundreds of people not afraid of getting dirty took part in the Junior League of Corpus Christi’s fourth annual 5K Run Amuck mud run on Sept. 27. The run benefitted the Junior League, which is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.
The run took place at the Greyhound Racetrack. The track included a small 1K course for children and a 5K course for the adults, though some children chose to participate with their parents on the larger track. The kids course included a mud mountain that they had to climb and a mud pit they had to Army crawl through to reach the finish line. The adults course circled the entire Greyhound Racetrack property and included a mud slide, and over/under pit with zombies, tunnels, trenches, a log cross over a mud pit and numerous other mud-covered obstacles.
To keep the runners on the right path and help motivate them with cheers of encouragement, the Junior League had volunteers posted at every obstacle and at tricky corners. They also had many local high school students participate as well.
“The Junior League works with many high schools in the area to help volunteer at events,” said Alexis Belko, the Junior League coordinator for the event.
Volunteering is a great way to help your community and a chance for people to experience what is happening in their city. Not all the women and students just volunteered.
“This is my first year running and I also wanted to help out,” said Junior League volunteer Christie Batey.
There were many obstacles both in the mud and in the minds of the runners. Batey said the obstacle she feared the most is the climbing wall because once you climb up you have to jump off. A few of the runners had the same fear of facing difficult obstacles.
“I didn’t like being splashed in the face,” said Cayce Berryman, a Del Mar College journalism major. “There is mud in the water and it got splashed into my eyes.”
Though the mud, rain and 5K course tested many individuals, some found a part of the race they embraced and can’t wait to face next year.
“My favorite part of the mud run was the slide and the tunnels,” local junior high school student Nathan Guvara said.
Nathan ran with his dad in the 5K portion of race because the gym they both go to signed up as a group to test their teamwork and progress.
“I ran this race to bond with my son, to support the Junior League, and for Personal Results gym but mostly to bond with my son,” said Ron Guvara, Nathan’s dad.
Ron Guvara said his favorite part was all the obstacles in general as they were challenging and fun. Personal Results gym had 59 members in the run. Many of the participants ran as a group (some in team gear, some in costumes) but some ran as individuals. Some ran for fun and some for competition.
“I did this as a personal test,” said Brett Stenner, a Corpus Christi resident. “This is the first time I’ve run a race like this.”
Stenner finished ninth in his category, male ages 35-44. For a complete list of results go to www.iaapweb.com/results/14/10_26_13_runamuck.htm.
For some it wasn’t about the competition.
“It’s the only race I run every year,” Berryman said. “I like mud more than I hate running.”
Mud was the word of the day and no runner came out clean. The dirt paid off though, raising over $100,000 last year for all three of the Junior League’s fundraising events. The other two fundraisers are the Fairy Tale Ball and a rummage sale. They also succeeded in getting women and local high school students involved with their community as well as giving back to the community through various projects such as the National Adoption Day celebration, Annual Christmas Around the World, Children’s Advocacy Center, Kids in the Kitchen and Cinderella’s Closet.
“We want to give back to the community,” said Junior League volunteer Sarah Medina.
Anyone interested in getting involved with the Junior League of Corpus Christi can call 884-3000 or stop by the group’s office at 4050 Weber Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays. The group’s website is www.jlcc.org.
