Mud? Check! Sweat? Check! Tears? Maybe not.
Toothy grins on mud-stained competitors dominated the finishing line at the third annual Mud, Sweat and Tears event at Wingatui yesterday.
University of Otago geology student and first time participant Thomas Dwight, finished second in the men's 10km event and vowed to be back next year.
''It was just so much fun ... I loved it.''
Finishing a beer after completing the 5km event was a mud-encrusted, Jason Braid, who said the key to a successful race was ''just to try to keep the mud out of your eyes''.
Organiser Russell Lundy said more than 500 people took part in the event.
This was the first year the event had been run locally, and ''we want to build it up and develop it a little bit''.
''There is tonnes of room and we would like to add more obstacles each year and look at doing some more kids' stuff.''
He said the clash with Father's Day was a slight issue, and might prompt a date rethink.
About half the entrants entered as groups and many opted to dress up, he said.
