OC gets muddy at Spring Break at the Lake mud run

Participants may compete as individuals or as part of an open sized team with an unlimited number of runners. (Kseniya Taranyuk/ Lariat)

People from all over Orange County got muddy this past weekend at Irvine Lake’s annual mud run for their Spring Break at the Lake series. Sponsors included Shock Top and KROQ radio.

“Spring break at the Lake is our first mud run of a two race series here at Irvine lake,” said mud run director Paul Rudman. “We moved it up to February this year and then we have another one coming in the summer called Summer of Mud.”

The run is an approximate 5k course beginning and ending at Irvine Lake. The course is partially on the road and partially on trails, including hills, water, professionally built obstacles and over a dozen mud pits.

Participants may compete as individuals or as part of an open sized team with an unlimited number of runners.

Attendees trun through many differnt obstacles throughout the mud run course including slides and wall climbing. (Kseniya Taranyuk/ Lariat)

The start of the race consisted of separate “waves” with the first wave of individual timed runners at 9 a.m. and then timed teams at 10 a.m. Then untimed individuals at 11 a.m., untimed teams at noon, and then the kids run at 1 p.m.

The race brought out many vendors and volunteers spread out all over the lake grounds help attendees stay safe and full.
“Today’s race we’re helping raise the South Bay Spartans Woman’s Rugby Club,” Rudman said. “They provide a bunch of volunteers and they’re all out here.”

The volunteers were wearing bright yellow and could be found at multiple tents, at the start and finish line and all over the course itself.

“As the volunteers they go out on the course move people on, hand out water and if someone is having trouble getting over an obstacle or something they help them over,” volunteer Tammy Irizarry said. “Then we also have volunteers at bag check so when you check your bag its in a secured spot and they make sure everything is safe over there.”

The race brought out approximately 2,000 people this last Saturday morning but has brought out as many as 8,000 people three years ago.

The race started in 2009 with only 800 people attending the first race rapidly growing into something much larger. It started in the front part of Irvine lake and eventually had to move further back to were there was more parking and space available to meet the needs or the events growing popularity.

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