- The race’s website describes the spectacle as ‘probably one of the most unusual events’ in Britain
- Organisers said more than £35,000 was distributed to charities after last year’s successful event
- First edition of the race was held in 1973 and competiters have raced around the Blackwater since
Runners got covered in mud as they raised cash for charity at one of the world’s dirtiest sporting events.
Dozens of people braved the squelch as they took part in the 2018 Maldon Mud Race in Promenade Park, Essex.
Pictures show competitors completely covered in mud from head to toe, with one participant wearing what appeared to be a mud-caked tutu.
The race originated in 1973, with a dare being given by a local resident to the landlord of the Queens Head public house, which stands on the Hythe Quay in Maldon. They challenged him to serve a meal on the saltings of the Rivers Blackwater dressed in a dinner jacket.
The challenge was accepted and carried out, resulting next year in a bar being opened on the saltings. About twenty people made a mad dash across the driver bed, drank a pint of beer and dashed back
The crazy participants crawled through metres of sticky mud to reach the finish line before the tide came in
The event sees a number of competitors dressed in wacky costumes, which makes the task of crossing the finish line somewhat harder
Sticky: Participants reach the finish line of the annual Maldon Mud Race in Maldon, Essex
Competitors race around a course on the mudbanks of the Blackwater river at low tide. The first edition of the race was held in 1973
In the thick of it: A competitor in distress attempts to crawl through the muddy sludge
The race’s website describes the spectacle as ‘probably one of the most unusual events’ in Britain
Muddy waters: Competitors leave the freezing water and enter the thick mud
Organisers said more than £35,000 was distributed to charities after the race in 2017
The race is run annually across the River Blackwater
Out the other side: The competitors cross the river then get reduced to a crawl
Charity fund raiser Joel Hicks takes part in the Maldon Mud Race
You can do it! One competitor in pink struggle on the final stretch
Another looks almost done for as he crawls to the finish line
A participant recovers after taking part in the annual Maldon Mud Race in Maldon, Essex
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