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| One of the many Mudrush moments |
About a dozen cars passed by me as I stood on the highway with my thumb out. At 6 am on a Saturday, August 31st, I began to wonder if I should even be on that highway instead of my comfortable bed without really knowing what I was in for. A very nice gentleman stopped by and dropped me off at the pick up point where I was to catch a bus and head off to a 300 year old Fort Jadhavgad, outside Pune as this was the host to an event called 'The Mud Rush'.
First let me tell you a little bit about Mud Rush, it was a 7km course across the hills laden with 21 obstacles and a lot of muck! Add around 2,500 enthusiastic participants in their colorful costumes and an Electro-Dance Music Sundown Party and it really catches your eye. But what made this event stand out was that behind an excuse to party and get fit hid a cause, to help the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India (MSSI) raise funds to continue their noble deed of helping those diagnosed in India. Now, I want to break down all these separate entities that somehow found a way to work together and lead to an event that became one of a kind.
The course was set-up in a sense for everybody, from little kids to veterans, but if done with serious vigor it would have been quite a challenging task. From crawling under barbed wire to climbing up a 70 degree wall, from enjoying a water slide to jumping into ice cold muddy water, from balancing on thin logs to jumping over fire it really pushed the limits of all the participants in some or the other way. However since it was an event designed for fun you had the option of skipping any of the 21 challenges. As I went through the course, I saw friends cheering each other on, some competing to get better, and some making bonds that will last for a long time to come in the future. Towards the end of this course was something that might not have been intentional but something that I saw affecting people in a very soothing way, was that they had to walk through these beautiful Marigold farms, Guava and Banana plantations, and a couple of really beautiful landscapes that inevitably gave peace to all. At the very end of the course they were showered, firstly, with ice cold water not only to clean them but to provide with instant relief from the sun and, secondly, with a medal and chilled beer to really reward them for their efforts!
Once the participants started finishing the course they were eased into the second part of the event. The sun started going down and so did the beers. The Sundown party with DJ's like Sequel, Ajit Pai, Anish Sood and Clemente definitely ensured that fun was had! Even after an exhausting run, the participants somehow got the energy to dance for hours on end. More joined...some that came just for the party and they added to the already memorable night it was turning out to be.
This event was one of the best managed events I have been to in India on such a large scale. There was never one moment where I felt that there were too many people (a feeling that smacks me in my face almost everywhere I go in this beautiful country). There was ample space for parking and enough space to walk and sit and dance and run, and I feel like more of these events should happen. I know that the next MudRush is going to be a bigger event than this one and I'll be there at Mud Rush Aamby Valley City in 2014.
Here are a couple of links that will help you out:
Look at all the fun that was had! (click on the image to start a slideshow)
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| Gold's Gym helping the participants with the warm ups |
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| Participants about to start the race |
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| Many of them wore colorful headgear |
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| Balancing beams |
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| That happy moment! |
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| Getting into Muddy waters |
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| Happy finishers |
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| The beginning of the Sundowner.. |
