UPDATED: City’s Mud Run course is a ‘closely guarded secret’

High dirt piles, orange cones and pools of water currently occupy a vacant stretch of city land just west of the Acacia Crossings subdivision. For Maricopa, such a sight generally means new development is on the way.

Not this time.

Local business owner Ryan Riecks of AZ-Ry’s Landscaping got his hands dirty this week by helping create a 2 1/2-mile obstacle course for Maricopa’s first Mud Run. The event sponsored by the city and the M.A.S.H. (Maricopa, Ak-Chin, Stanfied, Hidden Valley) Coalition takes place Saturday morning on a vacant lot in front of Fire Station 575, 45695 W. Edison Road.

Participants can expect a challenging two-lap swing around an up-and-down 1.3-mile route with 24 obstacles.

Riecks, who calls himself the “evil genius” behind the course, is keeping silent about the course’s specifics, but did offer up a few names of the obstacles runners will encounter: the Temple of Doom, the Polar Plunge and ‘M’ Mountain.  

“Everything is a closely guarded secret,” he said.

Riecks added the course is meant to challenge runners both “mentally and physically.”

Construction on the course began Tuesday. Riecks and city employee Monte Cowing researched other mud runs and picked out different aspects from those races in order to develop the layout, he said. The original course plan called for 12 obstacles, but a dozen more emerged during construction.  

Cowing, recreation services lead in the city's Community Services Department, said he's a "huge fitness nut" who was interested in creating some type of physical event for city residents. The idea for Saturday's race came after Cowing participated in a mud run event in Scottsdale. 

Cowing hopes Maricopa mud run will continue in future years, but it will depend on the amount of participation at Saturday's event. 

If another mud run does happen, Cowing said he'd want the next race to be a "zombie mud run," would feature zombies chasing other runners. Saturday's run already welcomes a participants who want to get dirty as well as celebrate Halloween. Awards will be given to those with the best costumes. 

Julie Stanfill, program coordinator for M.A.S.H., said the event is a way for Maricopa residents to participate in a healthy activity. 

Stanfill cited a 2012 survey that found about 60 percent of youth within the group's service area used drugs to either have fun or because they were bored. She also said this area is one of the worst places in the state for obesity. 

"Obesity and substance abuse normally go hand in hand," she said. 

The Maricopa Fire Department provided hoses to create the mud for the event. EMTs from the department will also be on hand Saturday. 

"If it wasn't for them, we would not be able to do this," Cowing said. 

Participants can sign up for four different divisions: recreational, competitive, junior high and high school, and an open heat. Riecks said the junior high and high school division might be broken into two separate heats on race day.

Those participating in the competitive heat can win a one-year membership to Anytime Fitness (first place), a one-month membership to a Crossfit center (second place) or a gift certificate from AZ-Ry’s Landscaping (third place).

Participants should bring shoes and towels to the event and expect to get dirty.

Riecks said the event not only will appeal to competitors but also to spectators who can expect an “incredibly comical” show. The event will include food and business booths.