Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

No Mud! No Glory! One Tough Mud’r3slated for April 11 

(Laredo, TX )    If you are looking for a sporting event that delivers maximum challenge in a stimulating and fun environment, then this year’s No Mud! No Glory!  One Tough Mud’r3! is just that event.  So get ready with your oldest pair of tennis shoes and your best teammates and get in ready to run, jump, climb, crawl and possibly slip through the third annual 5K mud race in Laredo on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at North Central Park, located at 10202 International Boulevard.  Hosted by District VI Council Member Charlie San Miguel, this 30 obstacle course, boot-cam style race is back by popular demand after two extremely successful races boasting over 1,000 participants for each race.

“I’m so excited to once again host this tremendously popular race that will bring people to the beautiful North Central Park to participate in this fun and exciting race, a race for  competitors of all ages and especially, for teams. I really want people to get together, whether it’s from your workplace, church, neighbors, school groups or any group organization to come out and experience the feeling of pride you get when you are running for your team,” said Cm. San Miguel.  “I encourage everyone in Laredo to come out and participate in  – or just watch – this really entertaining mud race.”                                                                                                                                                   

While the length is a typical 5K, approximately three miles, the course is anything but.  Throughout scenic North Central Park, the race course will feature 30-plus boot-camp training type obstacles, featuring, you guessed it, MUD.  Obstacles such as monkey bars, mud hill climb, over and under logs, mud pit and a mud crawl are just a few of the challenges that will make the No Mud! No Glory! one tough mud’r3  race so enjoyable to be a part of, or just to observe.

The entry fee for this race is $20 for youth, ages 11-14 years old and $25 years old for youth ages 15-18.  Early bird registration for $40 begins today for all other age categories, which includes male and female ages 19-23; 24-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60 and up, will continue at this level until March 27, 2015.  After that, the price jumps to $50 until April 8, 2015.

Interested participants can register as an individual or a team at http://NOMUDNOGLORY3.itsyourrace.com with credit/debit card only.  Register now for an early heat start time.  Participants can also register at any of the following four City of Laredo recreation centers with cash, check or money order only:

·         James & Maria Luisa Haynes Recreation Center, 2102 Clark’s Crossing Drive;

·         North East Hillside Recreation Center, 320 Wyoming;

·         El Eden Recreation Center, 4735 Loma Vista; and

·         Barbara Fasken Community Center, 1201 Cerralvo Drive.

All competitors must also fill out a liability release form.  A youth option on some of the course obstacles will be enforced, which means that obstacles that may be a bit advanced for youth will have a set of exercises, such as burpees or push-ups, that must be completed instead.  This modified option is also available to other racers on any of the other obstacles, as well.

Packet pick-up for all pre-registrants will be held on Friday, April 10, 2015, at a location to be announced, where participants can pick up their registration packets, which will include bib numbers, T-shirts and the all important heat start times.  For all procrastinators out there, late registration will be available for an increased $75 late fee online; on Friday, April 10, 2015, from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at a packet pick-up; or on site on Saturday, April 11, from 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. ONLY. However, organizers advise against this option and encourage all those interested in participating in signing up as early as possible to get the best possible heat start times.

“The race is beginning at 7:30 a.m., with approximately 10-minute staggered heat start times,” said Osbaldo Guzman, Parks & Leisure Services Director.  “However, because of the sheer number of participants last year, some people did not get to start competing until well after 12 PM.  By signing up early, you should get the better start time, avoiding the heat of the day, plus a less muddy obstacle.”  All competitors should arrive at least one hour before their designated start time.

Thanks to an improved electronic chip timing system, winners will be announced by the end of the race and participants can get their actual time texted to them, as well.  However, all racers are encouraged not to lose their chips in the mud and obstacles so that their times can be properly recorded. 

Every participant will receive a medal that shows what tough mudders they are, but for the really competitive people out there, trophies will be distributed to individual winners in each category.  The top individual male and female trophy is named in honor of the late Marcos Aranda, a City of Laredo firefighter and paramedic, as well as local sports hero who lost his battle with cancer.  The trophy is named the Firefighter Marcos Aranda Memorial Champion Award.

Teams will compete for the Agent Jeffrey Ramirez Memorial Team Championship Award.  This trophy is named for Border Patrol Agent Jeffrey Ramirez who passed away two years ago on the day of the first mud run; Agent Ramirez was a big fan of such events.  Border Patrol agents who ran in his who honor took the trophy vow to keep defending the title.

To add a little more fun and excitement to the competitive spirit of the race, other team categories will be:

·         Law enforcement – all teams will be automatically compete to be the best law enforcement agency, in the mud of course;

·         Gyms – find out which gym has the best athletes;

·         High schools – youth can cheer for their team.

Some awards are more fun and anyone has a chance to win.  At the Awards Ceremony, prizes will be given out for the

• Biggest Team
• Best T-Shirt Design
• Oldest Participant
• Youngest Participant
• Dirtiest Participant
• Best Costume (yes! Bust out the wig and crazy duds and run dressed up!); and the
• Best Team Name.

Thanks to the generous sponsors of the event, including at this point, the City of Laredo, Garza Medical Associates, Hickey Peña and Southern Distributing, Cm. San Miguel promises fun and prizes and a good hose down after the event. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities for the event are still available.

“We hope to have a festival, fun atmosphere at the mud race, with sponsor displays and other vendors selling food and drinks, as well as providing music and entertainment to make waiting around and watching the racers come in more fun,” said Cm. San Miguel.  Please contact Xochitl Mora Garcia in the City of Laredo Public Information Office at 791-7461 or via e-mail at lm***@ci.us for more information.

Thanks to the generous sponsors of the event, including at this point, CEC Engineering; Chaparral Distributing; Hickey Pena Architects; L&F Distributors; McDonald’s of Laredo; Southern Distributing; Wal-Mart; R Communications, including HOT 106.1; Digital 94.9; La Ley 100.5; 1490 Mega; and KAJP 93.5; Entravision; Univision-Laredo; Fox-39 Laredo; Mundo Fox; Univision Laredo; Lrd Sports Wire Network;  the Parks & Leisure Services Department and the City of Laredo, Cm. San Miguel promises fun and prizes and a good hose down after the event. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities for the event are still available. 

For more information about the race, please visit the Mud Run Facebook page or call the Haynes Recreation Center at 729-4600.