Mississippi mud run offers a blueprint for a similar event
By Todd Davis
As the program director at a rural university in the Mississippi Delta, I am challenged in finding innovative and unique methods to subsidize an academic outdoor-recreation education program. In a region with little to no wilderness spaces and limited public-land access, the Delta State University Outdoor Recreation Education Program often explores surrounding states (Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana) for practical and accessible outdoor expeditions. This means travel costs can be high, which limit student participation, so fundraising and ancillary programming to generate revenue for programmatic costs is necessary. This is where the Delta Down and Dirty Youth Mud/Obstacle Run came to life.
In 2014, my wife and I competed in the popular obstacle, sprint run. At the event, I noticed a tiny area roped off for youngsters to play in with miniature obstacles and objects to climb on, but nothing of real substance, so not many children were engaged. A lightbulb sparked in my head, and I asked my wife, “Wouldn’t it be great to have an obstacle-like run developed specifically for youth, with mud and structures engineered for a variety of age groups?” Her response was, “Yes, it would, you should get busy!” So, I did.