Stuck in the Fundy Mud

I’m here relaxing and recuperating from my TKR surgery (total knee replacement) and looking forward to the day I get out and about in anything other than a cane shuffling, slow walking manner.I’m wondering what the summer may bring, which,if all goes well  may be  participating for the second time in the Not Since Moses  Mud Run held yearly in Five Islands 

For some it may be a competitive  5 or 10k run.But for most, myself included, it’s an entertaining, dirty and labor intensive schlepp through stick deep goop. Not just any mud but the thick ankle sucking  red mud of the Bay of Fundy.

I first participated in 2015, and had no false aspirations about running the thing- but walking it seemed doable. That automatically eliminated the 10k for me (as if) because I had to be back to the start line in time to avoid being trapped by the incoming tide-they are only the highest in the world there.
My two partners in crime and I booked a B&B early. As in January early. Accommodations are very limited and we wanted to be close enough to avert a 2 and a half hour drive to make the 7:45 am start. 

Race Day- Not Since Moses Mud Run

In my admittedly somewhat limited experience,I  have never seen a race so well organized. There were friendly volunteers everywhere! We drove to the ball field,after which we boarded buses that transported us to the start line at Sand Point. A lively band was playing there, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric.

And then we waited.

Thankfully there were plenty of interesting characters to observe, take pictures with and talk to-like this guy

 Finally, we were off! It was gloppy going,but we struggled along and managed to reach the halfway point without  much strife. The scenery was so beautiful one just had to stop and take pictures along the way.

The way back..well that was a  mud hole of a different color.

I kept getting stuck in the muck-so stuck I couldn’t pull myself out. I’d get my foot free but then my sneaker would stubbornly stay behind.
I looked around for my buddies and one was nowhere to be seen-but ahh, there was the other-just ahead of me snapping pictures of me being rescued by good Samaritans that I didn’t know at all. Thanks for that.Thanks a lot.

What You Should Know About the Not Since Moses Run

• The 2018 run is held on July 15th this year.You can register here.
• It takes roughly 2 hours from downtown Halifax to Five Islands.The race starts at 8:30.You do the math.
• There are few accommodations and some campgrounds nearby.The best resource for finding out what’s there is our provincial tourism website as it is updated with new operators and closures regularly. I also find that websites such a Booking.com and such often have wildly wrong listings when it comes to area distances.You don’t want to book a place and then find out you are a five hour drive away. Quick reference- Parrsboro is about 40 minutes away, Economy (where we stayed) about a half hour, Truro is an hour and a half.
• Wear old sneakers and tie them tight. And then tighten them some more.  Good luck getting the red mud out of them afterward. I don’t recommend going barefoot (but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do) because of the possibility of sharp rocks and broken shells hiding in the mud.
• Not every activity try I want to do a second time, but I knew right away I wanted to do this one.
• It’s a family friendly event and good fun.