The Battlegrounds added a new option specifically designated for elite runners to race others with similar abilities.  The 8 a.m. wave is limited to the first 250 runners, including both individual and four-person teams, who can maintain an 8 minute 30-second mile pace. 

Proceeds from the mud run will benefit The BackStoppers, a non-profit organization founded in 1959 to support the families of fallen heroes in the greater St. Louis region.  The group uses their funding to emotionally and financially assist families of police, firefighters and EMS/EMT personnel that are dealing with the loss of their first responder.  For more information, visit www.backstoppers.org.

The Battlegrounds also is working with Barrel Aid, which partners with the non-profit Mission-Haiti.org to supply clean shoes, fresh water, food and schooling for more than 1,600 unserved children in Southern Haiti. Barrel Aid attends mud races from around the country and collects donated shoes, which are laundered and transported in barrels to Mission Haiti in Ti-Rivier. For more information, visit www.barrelaid.com.

On-site showers are available for mud run participants.  The event, which is free to spectators who can easily watch the run from many vantage points, includes a free kids’ mud zone area.  Post-event activities include individual and group award presentations, food and drinks.

All participants must be 18 years of age or older.  Registration and awards are available for individuals, as well as teams of four that can be comprised of men, women or a combination of both.  Groups of five or more are highly encouraged.  For more information, call (314) 569-3005 or visit the website at www.thebattlegrounds.com.