Maldon Mud Race 2015
Mud, Mud, glorious mud.
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!
So follow me, follow.
Down to the hollow.
And there let us wallow.
In glorious mud
Essex is a strange county to live in, with its traditions and customs – some traditions centuries old, such as the Dunmow Flitch, Plough Monday and New Year’s Day Molly Dancers. Other customs are more recent, such as the Maldon’s Mud Race, which (according to its official website) was first “run” in 1973.
Maldon is one of Essex’s hidden jewels of a town. But, for good reason, the town is locally nicknamed “Maldon-on-the-Mud”. Its nickname certainly comes to the forefront with its unique race. The race is “run” (or should I say, “crawled”) when participants have to make their way from Maldon’s beautiful Promenade Park, across the river Blackwater at low-tide, then crawl along through the mud on the river-bed, and run back through the river to return to Promenade Park. This year, on Sunday 26 April 2015, three-hundred people took part; most raising money for local and national charities.
It is such a good fun race to watch that I thought I’d share with you some of my photographs from the day. It would be good if modern-day technology had “smell-o-vision” because the pictures don’t give you the earthy salty smell of the thick black gloopy mud which wafts up from the river-bed at low tide. The poor “runners” had to contend with all of this, and it was a freezing cold day. If you look closely at some of the pictures, you will see some poor participants sunk upto their waist in the black mud and being pulled out with ropes from the helpers.
First up – The Duck Race
Ducks reach the finishing line
Clearing all the ducks from the water ready for the main event
Excited participants lining up – all nice and clean!
The first participants walk down to the starting line
Marshalls already strategically positioned on the far river-banks and in the river, ready and waiting for anyone who gets into trouble in the mud
Where’s Wally?
One by one, with arms outstretched, they navigate the mud…
Super Mario looking very confident…
Bright, bright colours. Soon to be turned black with mud…
Walking in the footsteps of those that went before.. The mud now knee deep in places.
Thick, thick mud.
She’s down!
Chloe’s mum being pulled out of the mud
On your marks… Get set… GO
They’re off!
Some falling at the start
First slippery mud bank to navigate…
Mud, mud, glorious mud…
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!
So follow me, follow.
Down to the hollow.
And there let us wallow.
In glorious mud!
One of the Where’s Wally Team streaks into the lead
There’s Wally
Behind Where’s Wally are the front leaders
Meanwhile, back at the start of the race…
Hands and knees are easier…
Where’s Wally making steady progress
Streaking across the final stretch of water, two marshalls guiding the way
The winner is… Where’s Wally!
Back at the start, some still hadn’t made the first mud bank
On the mud bank, the participants crawl on their hands and knees along the course. On the foreshore, two participants have given up the race.
Some still haven’t made it up the first mud bank…
Whilst others are streaking (or crawling?) to the finishing line…
Crawling to victory
Or not
The last runners make their way home
Only in this wonderful county of Essex can you see the surreal sight of crazy people (and someone dressed as a dog), all crawling their way to victory in thick black sticky Maldon-mud.
I wonder what John Betjeman would have made of Maldon’s glorious Mud Race?…
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You may also be interested in
– John Betjeman’s Essex
– The hidden treasures of Essex by Fred Roe
– The only way is Essex: A is for arsy-varsy
© Essex Voices Past 2015.
