Miner's Mayhem Gearing Up For 4th Year Of Muddy Challenge

By Angela Gemmill

There’s an event coming up in three months that lets adults play around in the mud while working through some challenges.

The 4th annual Miner’s Mayhem is set for Saturday, June 20th at Adanac Ski Hill and Rotary Park in Sudbury.

Race Director Donna Smrek is hoping for 750 participant who will run, climb dig and crawl through the obstacle course.

She stresses: this event is for all fitness levels.

Participants can walk or run it and there is no time limit to finish.

Smrek says volunteers are on the course to help participants get through each obstacle, walking, talking and encouraging them through the challenge.

If you don’t think you can get through a specific obstacle there is what is called a “burpee buy-out”, which is doing a number of burpees instead of the obstacle.

New this year is the Team Challenge, where teams of five have one timing chip and must all run/walk together and help each other through the obstacles, in what Smrek labelled: “No Miner Left Behind”.

She says some of the obstacles will be the same as previous years, but she’s got a few surprises up her sleeve for new challenges…including the final obstacle: the wall.

One of the 550 participants from last year was Mayhem first-timer, Randi Lachapelle, who encourages others to sign up for the challenge.

She says she had a great sense of self-pride at the end for conquering all the obstacles, including the ski hill and 12-foot climbing wall.

Lachapelle says she ran the course with a friend last year and found it encouraging when they helped each other along and finished together.

She has signed up for the event this year.

The recipient charity for this year’s Miner’s Mayhem is the Human League’s PLAY program, which helps local children be a part of organized sports and recreation.

You can register online theminersmayhem.com or at Adventure Ski & Cycle at 444 Barrydowne Road.

In fact. those who register before Sunday (March 15) will get a two-week free training boot camp to help prepare.

The Miner’s Mayhem was the first event of its kind in Northern Ontario.