MUDonia run for kids to debut this summer

By BILL SCHANEN IV

Ozaukee Press staff

Waubeka has Flag Day, Port Washington has Fish Day, Saukville has Crossroads Rendezvous and there’s Celebrate Grafton.

Now Fredonia may have a signature event of its own in the MUDonia Kids Mud Run set to debut on July 22.

It’s not a race but an obstacle course for children ages 4 to 12 divided into three groups that includes water features and, of courses, mud pits.

The MUDonia event was inspired by West Bend’s Dirty Ninja Mud Run for Kids, an event that draws thousands of children to the city’s Regner Park annually.

Earlier this year, Wesd Bend officials briefed members of Fredonia’s Parks and Recreation Committee on the event, and the village was sold.

“We saw the success they’ve had in West Bend and we wanted to bring that to Fredonia,” Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins said Tuesday, the day the event was announced.

Fredonia officials anticipate a more modest event than that held in West Bend but hope it grows and becomes a regular highlight of summer in the village.

“The idea is to start small,” Jenkins, a West Bend resident and its former mayor, said. “We’re not expecting 1,000 kids, but if we get 100 children, that’s great, and the more the merrier.”

The MUDonia Mud Run will be held in Marie Krause Park, and children will tackle  muddy obstacle courses of different lengths in three age groups.

Children ages 10 to 12 will run a one-mile course starting at 9 a.m., while those who are 7 to 9 will tackle a .75-mile course starting at 10 a.m. The youngest children, those 4 to 6, will navigate a half-mile course starting at 11 a.m.

The course will be staffed by a crew of volunteers that in addition to village employees will include employees of the event’s sponsor.

“Guy and O’Neil has made this a volunteer day for its employees, so they, along with our people, should have it covered,” Jenkins said.

Village departments also plan to be involved.

“Our marshal’s office plans to be there  to hang out with the kids,” Jenkins said.

And the fire department may be on hand to spray muddy children off, he said.

Food and beverages will be sold at the event.

The entry fee, which is $25 through May 31 and $30 after that, includes a T-shirt, participation medal and coupon for a free lunch.

For more information and to resister, go to www.fredoniawi.gov/home/news/mudonia-mud-run.