Runners to get hog wild in Dirty Dash

MIDWAY — Somewhere in the middle of the Big Pig Climb I seriously questioned my decision to run a preview of The Dirty Dash.

First of all, "dash" is never used to describe what I do in a pair of tennis shoes — even when I'm being chased by my neighbor's dog.

Second, in order to accommodate us media people, Dirty Dash co-founders John Malfatto and Jeff Harps set up the preview course at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The temperature, if you're curious, was a balmy 91 degrees at Soldier Hollow. Of course, there was nice cloud cover until about 2:10, which is when about a dozen of us set out to run most of the course that will be used for the Sept. 25 race.

The Dirty Dash is a mud run.

Malfatto, who grew up swimming, was introduced to mud runs at Camp Pendelton's annual race. The concept is simple. Find what would be a nice trail run. Set up some really exhausting obstacles — climbing walls, pyramids of hay bales and tires — and then spray water generously on the course until it's so slippery and sloppy no animal would actually go near it.

"It's the most fun I've ever had," Malfatto said of the Camp Pendleton Mud Runs. "I started thinking, a mud run in Utah would be amazing. The running community is so huge and so social."

After moving to Utah he found a running community that was always looking for something new, unique and challenging.

Malfatto and his partner in this endeavor, Harps, have found what is sure to become a huge success in the Dirty Dash. In addition to the Sept. 25 race at Soldier Hollow, the two have scheduled a second run in Boise on Sept. 18. For more information go to thedirtydash.com.

In addition to the aforementioned obstacles, the Utah race will have a slip and slide, tubes to crawl through, a cannonball into Deer Creek Reservoir and a section where spectators can pelt runners with water balloons.

A Salt Lake County alternative school, Vista, will prepare and sell about 2,000 water balloons and Super Soakers that loving, supportive family members can buy (proceeds to go charity of the students' choice). Then, you know how you resent all that time (and money) your husband/wife spends running while you mow the lawn, do laundry, run kids around? You can have some revenge participating in what is affectionately known as the Hog Wash.

But the highlight of the race is certain to be the mud pit at the finish line. With grandstands on either side, runners will slip, slide, crawl and maybe even dog paddle their way through the pit to the finish line.

I thought about that pit from about 200 yards into the Big Pig Climb (one mile up the side of the mountain) until just before I tackled my 16-year-old daughter in the bog. (It's the only way I could beat her.)

And I can tell you after running in the heat on what has to be one of the most scenic trails in the country, that mud was heavenly.

That is, until I got home and tried to figure out how to get from my garage to the shower without leaving a trail of dirt clods. I blame heat exhaustion, but I decided the best course of action would be to "dash" through the house, leaving all kinds of forensic evidence of my day at the office on the floor.

Which my husband, who will certainly be buying some of those water balloons, cleaned up with only minimal complaint when he got home.

e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com