Maldon mud race
Encyclopedia
The Maldon Mud Race is a fun race held in December or January at Promenade Park in Maldon, Essex
, England, in which competitors compete to be the first to complete a 400 metre dash over the bed of the River Blackwater
. The race is organised by the Lions & Rotary clubs
of Maldon and raises money for charity.
The race began in 1973 when a regular of a local pub was challenged to serve a meal on the riverbank dressed in a tuxedo. It became a race across the river to a waiting barrel of beer, to consume a pint of beer and race back. The barrel of beer has long disappeared and the race has become a charity event organised by the Rotary and Lions clubs of the town and Maldon District Council, with many participants wearing fancy dress. The event is watched by thousands of spectators and raises tens of thousand of pounds for charity.
The race can only take place when the tide is low enough to allow participants to run across safely. Participants start from one bank and make their way through water to the other side, negotiate 200 metres of mud along the river and then return to the original riverbank. In 2009, the race was run twice, on 4 January and 27 December, after the 2008 event was postponed due to high tides. About 250 competitors took part in the December 2009 event.
Maldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
, England, in which competitors compete to be the first to complete a 400 metre dash over the bed of the River Blackwater
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
. The race is organised by the Lions & Rotary clubs
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
of Maldon and raises money for charity.
The race began in 1973 when a regular of a local pub was challenged to serve a meal on the riverbank dressed in a tuxedo. It became a race across the river to a waiting barrel of beer, to consume a pint of beer and race back. The barrel of beer has long disappeared and the race has become a charity event organised by the Rotary and Lions clubs of the town and Maldon District Council, with many participants wearing fancy dress. The event is watched by thousands of spectators and raises tens of thousand of pounds for charity.
The race can only take place when the tide is low enough to allow participants to run across safely. Participants start from one bank and make their way through water to the other side, negotiate 200 metres of mud along the river and then return to the original riverbank. In 2009, the race was run twice, on 4 January and 27 December, after the 2008 event was postponed due to high tides. About 250 competitors took part in the December 2009 event.