Buddy, get muddy...

An Adrenaline rush is something we've all experienced in our lives, but a mud rush? Well, remember the time you used to run around in the mud, racing against your school pals? The Mud rush is something like that, a five-kilometre-long muddy trail with a number of obstacles, that help unleash the kid in you! Asia's first mud rush took place in Kolad this February and now, Happy Feet Entertainment and Sheer Management are back with the monsoon edition of the race. To be held on August 31 at Fort Jadhavgarh in Pune, the Mud Rush promises to be muddier, slushier and more challenging than ever, say the organisers.

Participants manoeuvre the slush and water obstacles during the last Mud Rush in Pune

So, what can the participants expect from the monsoon edition of Mud Rush? Jay Goradia, CMO, Happy Feet Entertainment, says, "What's different this time is the weather. Since it's the monsoon edition, we're hoping there will be more water and it will be muddier and more greener." With the backdrop of the 300-year-old fort, rains, fog and over 21 obstacles, Goradia says they are internally reffering to the race as Temple Run, the popular mobile game. "The whole feel of the race, running around the fort, going to the jungle, facing obstacles, coming back to the fort - sort of gives it a very ‘Temple Run' feel," laughs Goradia. One can participate as an individual or as a team, and can even team it up with some whacky costumes.

The race is followed by a party, where everybody gets to let their hair down. Aneesh Sood, DJ Clement and Sequel are some of the DJs and bands slated to perform there. And like last year, the Mud Rush has tied up with some NGOs, so that some part of the proceeds, benefit society.

Explaining the reason they started this event, Goradia says that he and his friends were tired of attending events that were only related to music. "There was nothing experiental."

A friend of mine had attended a Mud Rush in America, and suggested we do this. Initially, we were apprehensive as we didn't know if people will accept this.

But the growing popularity of marathons and the fitness industry shows that people are more than willing to run," he says. And the first Mud Rush confirmed their belief. "We learnt that people are ready and willing and happy to run. In fact, some of them asked for more obstacles, so we added a couple more and made it 21 from 17. People are ready to rough it out and get down and dirty," he adds. u00a0