A lot of hay bales, lengths of camo netting, a bouncy castle and plenty of mud made for a good day out at Wingatui.
The annual Mud, Sweat and Tears Challenge was held at the Wingatui Racecourse yesterday.
Event owner Ben Patston said about 250 competitors conquered the obstacle course.
‘‘We had quite a few trenches, but we also had an inflatable bouncy castle obstacle course and quite a few camo nets, a lot of hay bales, and a couple of slides in there as well.’’
Based on feedback from previous runs, competitors — many clad in fancy dress — this year had the option of tackling a short or a long course.
Mr Patston said he wanted to get people up and moving for fun — which he hoped the challenge would encourage.
‘‘In this day and age, it’s important to get people off their arses and into gear.’’
Student Chris Hughes, of Dunedin, was ‘‘stoked’’ to have won the men’s long run.
It was the third time he had taken part — it was an event he looked forward to during the year.
He enjoyed the ‘‘grit’’ of the run but admitted it was hard to prepare for.
‘‘I don’t know how you train for hopping over hay bales or running through mud or wading through water.
‘‘You finish and ... you feel like you’ve been through something.’’
