Region of Mud Survivors: Athlete Race Recaps

UIL 6A - Region 3
Travis Miller


Region 3 has been named the "Region of Mud". Hear what athletes had to say about fighting the elements in Huntsville on Monday.

Khayla Patel

I thought the region race represented a true XC course! Going into it I knew there would be mud, but I did not realize that it would be the whole course! I was a little frazzled in the beginning, but as the race went on it began to get better. After the race it felt like all of us truly accomplished something. Instead of looking at the course in a bad way, I took it as something we will remember and laugh about years from now :).










Ryan Yerrow:

The day before we knew that the course was going to be really muddy and wet, and we were all ready to have tons of fun with it. But that was not the case at all. I'm sure every runner that ran that race can agree that the "Region of Mud" was definitely the hardest race any of us had ever ran. Nobody will know the pain of that race unless you ran it.

When we arrived to the meet some of the guys and I wanted to walk the course to kind of see how it was. We saw some of the other finishers from other races and we saw all the mud that they had on them, and I'm pretty sure we all looked at each other at the same time with wide eyes and dropped jaws. When we got back in the woods and walked some other parts of the course (the places we could walk without being submerged a foot deep) I really don't think we saw one "dry" section.

Now to the race, when we started off it was pretty fast, but when we got to the first muddy section that pace slowed down significantly (It was nice to add in some dirt and mud into my diet). The whole race almost felt like you were running with 5 pound weights on your ankles from all the mud. I'm honestly just happy I didn't lose a shoe. Back in the woods is where all the real sloppy mud was though. All of us were slipping and trying to pick out knees up to get through it. I remember taking a step and literally going knee deep, and that was about 800 in, I thought to myself "there is no way I'm going to be able to make it through this two more times", but that's what cross country is all about, racing with your heart and not listening to your body. It was a true guts race that's for sure. When everyone finished we were all just completely covered in mud from head to toe, but it was such a relief to finish the race. It was a great experience to run in conditions like that and I'm sure it made us all a lot stronger!

The region 3 course was more painful and muddy than the famous NXR South #nike #txmilesplit #mudhurts
A photo posted by @bret_brock on

After the meet when we went to get some lunch I remember we were all saying how we are going to be really sore the next day, we were right, and we were going to go to sleep having nightmares about that course.

Going into the State meet in Austin on November 7th is such an amazing feeling for us Katy guys. It's been such a journey for us all, going from a heart breaking 4th at districts and not even making it out last year, to this year, winning district, winning region, and qualifying for the State meet! Which are all feats that have never been accomplished in Katy HS boys cross country history, until us. I know for sure we are going to go into this meet appreciating the hills after the "Region of Mud". But if it is like Region 3 then we'll be ready!

Abby Brudnick:

Getting to race at the super muddy region 3 course was an unforgettable experience. We had never run on a course with that tough conditions before so it was definitely a surprise when we first started the race, but I think that it was good for our team because it was really about who was the toughest and could survive the mud. Really the whole time I was just trying not to fall (like my teammate, Brooke, did twice), and tried to just ignore how squishy the ground was. It was like trying to run on play dough. We also had to duct tape our shoes on so they wouldn't fall off and wear super long spikes. Overall, I thought it was a fun race and it's not everyday that you get to see your teammates face plant in the mud.

Megan Hopper:

The region 3 6A race was one of the hardest races I have ever run. It was muddy, slippery, intense on my body, and a real xc race. When we first set up camp we saw all the runners who had already ran and were amazed at how muddy they were. When it was time for us to warmup, we had to put our spikes on a little early, because we had to tape them on our feet so that they would stay on. Our coach explained to us our strategy for the race, and we followed it the best we could. It definitely changed my race plan, because I had to think about where to go on each mud pit, so I wouldn't fall. The start of the race was nice and big, which gave me a lot of space to get in front of the pack. The wind was a problem, though, in the beginning and throughout the race. Then I got to the clay-mud, which was terrible, because it stuck in globs around your spikes, weighing your feet down. Mud piles were everywhere; you had to plan where you wanted to go, but really there wasn't a non-muddy spot to aim for. I definitely had to adapt my body and mind during the race. I tried to pass people on the "less muddy" parts ,and not loose places on the "thick muddy" parts. I also had to be sure-footed. During the race, the tape on my spike unraveled and was whipping me continuously! On the other hand, though, I liked how the three loops were different so you weren't doing the same thing, and the hay bales in the ditch were fun to jump over . After the race, our coach told us that, whatever happened, she was proud of us. Even though the "region of mud" race was hard, it was really fun, because I always love running different races on different terrains and being with my team.. so far this season for fastest freshmen 3 Milers.