Suicide Hill Mud Plunge adds new wrinkles
The Suicide Hill Ski Bowl will see it’s fair share of action this weekend, with close to 800 runners set to trudge through three miles of muck. It’s all part of the 3rd Annual Suicide Hill Mud Plunge.
The course is already being watered down because, this year, the festivities start a bit earlier than usual.
“Because it was so big last year, we moved it to a two-day event. On Friday night, now, we’ve got the Twilight Run, which is the same 5K mud run that they’ll do the next day,” explained Kori Tossava, the Executive Director of the GINCC. “It’s the same obstacles, climbing wall, quarter pipe, they’re just going to do it at night. Headlamps are required for that. It’s going to be a little more difficult for them. I think they’re going to have a blast for the people who have signed up for it. We’ll have some of our major obstacles lit, so that they can do it. The Ski Bowl will be lit up all along the lower bowl while were listening to music as well; eating some chicken and enjoying our company. So, that’s new on Friday night, and I think that’s going to go really well. People are really excited about that opportunity.”
Tonight will also feature the CrossFit 906 1K run for kids 12 and under. Then on Saturday, the Lindberg and Sons Competitive Run and Bell Hospital Fun Run will be bookended by a new event: the Suicide Hill Climb, which will challenge competitors with a 200 meter dash to the top of the ski jump. So, no matter what your skill level may be, there’s a little something for everyone.
“It is, I ran it the last two years and I don’t consider myself a professional runner at all. It’s fun,” Tossava added. “The last few years, when I’ve gotten a chance to run it, there have been people there in costumes. There have been people there walking it, running it, run-walking it. People just want to say ‘I ran a 5K. I competed in obstacles. I climbed a ten-foot wall. I did a quarter pipe. It’s just for fun for anyone. We do have the competitive aspects, but we broke those apart so that you have the Twilight Run and the Competitive Run that are different for some of those more hardcore athletes and active runners.”
Online registration is now closed for all the events, but you can sign up in person right up to the start of the race.