September 11, 2005

Muddy run benefits Toys for Tots

The second annual Marine Corps Mud Run was held on the campus of Culver Academies on Saturday morning, with participants battling some difficult obstacles. Tribune Photos/GENE KAISER

CULVER -- Nearly 200 runners doubled the fund-raising efforts of the U.S. Marine Corps in their Marine Mud Run Saturday at Culver Academies.

Now in its second year to benefit Toys

For Tots, the event challenges runners to about three miles of rough and tough terrain, including mud pits made especially by area Marines to test the mettle of participants.

1st Sgt. Samuel Alameda, with the 6th Engineers Co. B 6th ESB, 4th FSSG, out of South Bend, got the idea for the Mud Run, he said, when he was stationed in California during the 1980s.

"There was the Volks Walk out there, and I was part of the unit that hosted it," Alameda said, grinning at the group of runners who were soon to experience the mud pit, with its dips and slippery slope.

"I figured this would be a great way to raise awareness of the Toys for Tots program, and it's helped me to get a cash flow."

That cash flow he was talking about fills the gap if Christmas presents are lacking in any age group each year, he explained, adding that toys for newborns to 3-year-olds and also for teenagers are sometimes slim

in the annual drive. With the cash, area Marines can make sure those age groups receive the same kind of attention other children do.

Dr. Paul Herman, left, of South Bend, and Mark Flemming, of Mishawaka, get rinsed off by the Culver Fire Department after completing the Marine Corps Mud Run II at the Culver Academies on Saturday morning.

"We have twice the number of runners this year," Alameda said, noting that he'd received $2,000 in registration fees prior to the run, and another $2,000 at the door that morning.

Staff Sgt. Brion Snow, along with Cpl. Michael Collins and others, built the course in a couple of days, putting in the mud pits, the obstacles, and generally designing the route. Collins, of South Bend, couldn't keep the grin off his face as he urged on the runners, group by group.

"Come on, you can do it," he yelled. "A little mud never hurt anybody. It's good for your complexion!"

Collins pointed to the pit, adding, "There are a couple of shoes in there right now. One guy found his, but another one just continued on with one shoe!"

Snow was grinning, too. His children, Chelsea, 10; Xavier, 13; and Duante, 11, were on hand, waiting for what they hoped was their turn to get into the mud. Their T-shirts already had spatterings of the mud, but dad wasn't quite ready to let them become fully immersed.

"The key is to make it a real challenge," Snow said of the fun creating the course.

He said the Marines completed their work about 7 p.m. Friday, then walked the course Saturday.

"This gets us to be interactive with the community," Snow said. "And everybody has a really good time."

Once the runners became coated, they were greeted at the finish line by volunteers with the Culver Fire Department, who awaited their arrival with fire hoses to spray them clean.