SALEM, Va. – If you’re looking for a physical challenge and a way to give back, the Roanoke Marine Mud Run is happening Saturday, September 19th.
For the last 24 years, Ferguson Fitness in Roanoke has designed and put the course together and that’s not going to change this weekend for the 25th anniversary. What is going to change is some of the obstacles on the course.
Anthony Ferguson, owner of Ferguson Fitness, said this year, they are focusing more on terrain challenges and less on touch points. That means Saturday at Greenhill Park in Salem you won’t find ropes or walls like past years.
There will be sanitizing stations throughout the race course.
“So racers will not be sharing obstacles like a sand bag for example, or won’t all be jumping over the same wall or something. We’ve removed obstacles that would be a potential problem to sanitize,” said Ferguson.
Racers will also be released in smaller groups.
The three races include a 5K, an obstacle course for adults and a course for kids. Each race is scheduled two hours apart so there won’t be a large group of racers at once.
Virtual runners still have to earn their medal and t-shirt. Ferguson told 10 News, whether you’re running the race in your neighborhood or another park, you’re still going to sweat.
Race organizers got creative this year to still give runners a taste of how U.S. Marines train. They replaced obstacles with intense exercises on top of the miles you need to run.
It doesn’t make a difference if you’re running in person or virtually, your registration cost goes back into the community. The Roanoke Marine Mud Run is a fundraiser for Roanoke Valley Toys for Tots and Camp Roanoke.
The concern is the race is less than a week away and registration is still low.
“It’s going to impact Toys for Tots, what we donate because of that. So if people want to help Toys for Tots, and there’s probably going to be more of a demand this year because of the pandemic, people out of work and things of that nature,” said Commandant Mike Shepherd at Marine Corp League Roanoke Valley.
You don’t have to register to run to donate. To donate, click here.
To register for the Roanoke Marine Mud Run, click here. You can register for the in person races the day of, but need to show up early.