MADISON- With a record attendance of 840 participants, and with 40-plus volunteers assisting into making for a flawless day, the sixth annual Mustang Mud Run again showcased determination and fun all wrapped up in one event.

Hosted by Madison Academy and held on its campus on Slaughter Road bordering Indian Creek, the 5K (3.1-mile) obstacle course where participants ran, swam, jumped, climbed and crawled through 23 pre-arranged obstacles in the fundraising event for the private school with the end result of helping others while having fun. The event was not a competition, but a show of a little survival skills, along with athletic skills and the willingness to get down right dirty; in the case of the event, muddy.

In attendance were 60 JROTC Cadets from area high schools Buckhorn, Madison County and Sparkman. There were numerous teams engaged in the event including from the local FBI office, Officer Training School of Prattville and corporate teams such as i3 Cares, Dean Plumbing, Healthsource Chiropractic and many others. The winner of the trophy representing the largest group to participate was Burn Boot Camp which had 100 crossfit members take the plunge into the muddy mess of Indian Creek.

The annual trek through mud, and sometimes blood and tears of joy, also featured the Lil’ Muddy 1K for youngsters ages six and up with over 100 little runners making their way through a predetermined course for their own wet and muddy extravaganza. After sloshing through the creek and conquering a couple obstacles, each of the Lil’ Mudders were sent crawling into the mud and then onto the finish line for their own personal finishing medal and photo.

Proceeds from the event will not only provide infrastructure upgrades for Madison Academy, but will also help the First Stop organization meet the needs of another growing population of the homeless in the Huntsville area.

Enrollment for Madison Academy is now over 800 students and expected growth in the next several years is anticipated.