Would You Do "The Dirty Donkey"?

If one of your close friends, significant other or even work colleagues approached you and asked "Do you want to do The Dirty Donkey with me?” Would you: A) Be mildly offended, B) Answer “I beg your pardon?”, or C) Scream “Oh Yeah!” and run off to the nearest mud puddle to prepare for the most exciting event to come to Manitoba?

But what drives a person to take on a 5 km course consisting of mud and obstacles with names like The Teeter Totter Topple, The Monkey Ramp or Be Un-Drunk? “Those that can muster up the energy to cross the finish line after 5 kms of being dragged through the mud and over obstacles will be able to exclaim ‘I’m a Dirty Donkey Bad Ass’,” says John Ford, co-creator with race partner Rick Shone.

The Dirty Donkey Mud Run will take place August 18, 2012, at Springhill Winter Park/ Oasis Resort and John promises, “This is no run in the park and will surely be the highlight of the summer.”

Combining trail running with unique obstacles that challenge both fierce competitors and off-the-couch thrill seekers, events like The Dirty Donkey Mud Run are sweeping North America and the world. Competitors will complete the course solo or in teams of any size, crawling through mud, under barbed wire, shimmying through tunnels, and climbing over and under obstacles in an attempt to cross the finish line wet and muddy. The Dirty Donkey Mud Run is filled with mud (of course), fun, music and a victory party celebrating the fact that they survived.

As for training to do The Dirty Donkey, it’s something that’s achievable for everyone. You don’t have to be a super-athlete, but in order to finish strong (and still be able to curl a drink at the after party) we have a weekly Dirty Work-out that’s posted on the website by our training partner, Aspire Fitness.

After participating in sprint and multi-day adventure races for years, John and Rick know what makes a great event and they combine fun with the personal challenge of crossing the finish line. In just five short years with their Swamp Donkey Team they have put on 13 multi-sport races and challenged thousands of participants. These events have established this Manitoba organization as one of the top Canadian adventure race series. The events: Swamp Donkey, Ice Donkey and Pain In The Assiniboine, are all equally fun and exciting. “We take great pride in encouraging people to try new things like our signature event The Swamp Donkey Adventure Race, which was the largest adventure race in Canada last year,” states John.

So why pay hundreds of dollars to sit in a fancy spa covered in mud, sipping tea and listening to new age music? You'll get a do-it-yourself mud treatment with thousands of your closest friends! Afterward, quench that thirst with a beverage and party with fist pumpin' music!! What could be more Canadian, more Manitoban, more donkey kicking than that? Join in the mud, music, beverages, and food, then stay and get "down and dirty!"

This is going to be one big "mud" party!

For more information go to DirtyDonkeyRun.com, Like us on facebook.com/dirtydonkeyrun or Twitter @DirtyDonkeyRun