Who says playing in the mud is only for kids?

Written for The Villager

   Get down and dirty next summer when the Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride rolls into town.

   Founded 11 years ago, the Muddy Buddy Ride has been offering people the opportunity to once again act like kids and roll around in the mud. The Muddy Buddy Ride is a family event that involves teams of two riding in a leapfroggish way. “One teammate bikes a mile, does an obstacle and starts running. The other teammate runs a mile, does the obstacle and begins riding the bike and they switch on and off like that through the race,” said founder Bob Babbitt. “Then at the end, they wait for each other and go through the mud pit together … Because of the way it’s set up, anyone can do it because you are only running and riding three miles of each.”

The obstacles range from climbing up a hill and sliding down an inflatable to crawling through a pit of mud, fun huh?

   The ride is in cities across the nation, mostly big cities like Miami and Chicago, but starting next June 19 it will be coming to our little corner of the world. The ride is said to be coming here for the next three years  “It’s a perfect fit for Ellicottville!” said Katie DiDonato, Inn Manager and the one responsible for getting the ride to Ellicottville. “The ride will start at the Yodeler Lodge and circle around back,” DiDonato said. The route will take place on fire and access roads.

   Expected to bring in 1,400 competitors next year, the Muddy Buddy Ride will be a great addition to the Ellicottville area activities. “It will be a great fit with our existing customer base,” DiDonato said. “The people that come here and ski and the people who come here for our festivals are the very same people that I think will find this event very appealing. It’s a great reason to be outdoors. You don’t have to be an elite athlete, you can just be someone who enjoys being outdoors.”

   Since this is a family function, the Muddy Buddy ride offers a “Mini Muddy Buddy” ride.  It’s a 600-yard ride that kids participate in. They get to ride a bike, run, do an obstacle and then “go through the mud pit like mom and dad did earlier,” DiDonato said.

   The ride also has attached a fundraising component. Part of the proceeds from each race goes to the Challenged Athletes Foundations (CAF), which helps to fund prosthetics for those involved with sports. “Most insurance companies see sports as a ‘luxury’ but it’s not,” Babbitt said. (For those involved with sports) it’s a part of their lives.” The CAF is primarily funded through the Competitor group (known for their magazines and other sports involvements), which is the parent of the Muddy Buddy Race.

   To join in all the muddy fun, check out www.muddy-buddy.competitor.com or www.holidayvalley.com under special events for more information.  Babbitt hopes that registration will be available in the fall. As a perk, there are chances to win prizes from the Columbia Sportswear Company.