Mud Monsters Run - A Review

Deep in the countryside of West Sussex, a hidden gem of an obstacle course is placed. With a permanent 135 acre site, the Mud Monsters Run promises an extremely muddy course packed full of obstacles.

With three distances on offer (5km, 10km & 20km), as well as a kids, ‘Mud Monster Ninjas,’ run, the course offers multiple options for a variety of abilities. Always up for a challenge, I registered for the 20km course, which has in excess of 120 obstacles.

Prior to Arrival

If you try and remind yourself of your first time at a new event- you’ve registered for a race however you have no idea of the exact details of the race. You search the website for details of parking, camping, start times, set-up, the map etc with little to no luck. Fortunately with Mud Monsters Run, this was certainly not the case at all.

About a week prior to the event, I was sent a detailed set of pre-race instructions. The instructions were broken down into different sections where your suggested kit, directions, kit drop, safety and other features were explained in detail. It was a fantastic resource for those first-timers and seasoned runners could easily skip sections that weren’t relevant to themselves.

For the build up to the event, I knew exactly what to wear, how to get there and even what to eat for a great pre-race breakfast.

The Village

It seemed little surreal at first: I was driving down a suburban street and then suddenly turned left into a huge field, previously hidden by homes. Signage was excellent and the queues to enter the site were very well-managed.

The parking was managed by the Sussex 4x4 Response team and were excellent at offering me a disabled parking space, close to the village. Admittedly, all of the parking was close to the village so regardless, it would have been fine.

The village itself was clearly signposted and very well laid out. With multiple food vans ranging from burgers to healthier dishes, there were plenty of options for everyone. A fire-pit in the centre made the world of a difference after your race when you’re suddenly hit by the cold.

Registration was simple and well-staffed. Upon registering, I was given a numbered headband and some bands within an envelope. The whole village was pointed out to me, including the bag drop which was kindly managed by the East Grinstead Lions Club.

Small items were free at the bag-drop however runners were encouraged to give a small donation to the charity, which of course was worth it for the organisation and kindness of the volunteers.

After dropping my keys off at the bag drop facility, I made my way to the start line.

RUNNING!!

For anyone running the Mud Monsters Run, as with any race, I suggest stretching and warming up prior to your wave. Full of energy, the warm-up was brief but fun and informative of the guidelines on the course.

We were sent off in small waves and sent straight into the forest and deep into the heart of the Mud Monster.

The first few obstacles were a fantastic introduction to the rest of the course and a good way for the frontrunners to separate themselves from the rest of us mere mortals. As the forest thickened and the obstacles appeared, different challenges were apparent. At every single obstacle and crossing, a volunteer was present to keep you going in the right direction!

Volunteers

I feel as though the volunteers deserve a whole separate section within this blog just simply because they completely made the experience for me. Run on volunteers, the Mud Monsters team did a fantastic job of retaining so many volunteers to really give the experience to the runners.

Volunteers were often armed with sweets and were very good at directing the runners when certain obstacles were slippery or tricky. In some sections, you find yourself alone for a few hundred metres, which is where the exhaustion can start to surface however once you spotted a volunteer, your spirits are instantly lifted - especially on the 20km course when you see each volunteer twice!

Obstacles

For an obstacle that’s only 4 years old, it’s safe to say that Mud Monsters have nailed the obstacles!

With over 120 obstacles on the 20km version, you can expect to see a lot of tyres and mud pits but with most of the obstacles, there was a fantastic option to opt for the easier or harder versions. There was certainly something for everyone!

The Mud :O

How do you describe the colour blue to someone without sight? How do you describe a sound to someone without hearing? That’s what it’s like trying to describe the mud at the Mud Monsters event.

Mud was everywhere…..I was almost convinced at some parts of the run that I was going to loose my leg (again) in the mud.

If you love the idea of mud, this is certainly the obstacle course for you!

Expect to find mud everywhere - in every section of your body for the next month after the event (or just wash properly straight after).

Overall Impressions

There are very few obstacle runs that cater to everybody and I can certainly say that Mud Monsters has achieved it. With difficult obstacle options and mud to suck your shoes off, Mud Monsters promises a fun, challenging event for the whole family.

Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a complete newbie, Mud monsters will offer you an experience that you won’t get elsewhere.

A huge thank you to Mud Monsters for offering me the opportunity to experience your incredible event!