Photostory by James Hanlon
About 4,000 brave souls flocked to Koenig Sand & Gravel over the weekend to run – and play – in the mud. Although it took last year off, Oxford has hosted the only Tough Mudder in Michigan since 2017.
Participants chose from two courses: The Classic, 10 miles with 25 obstacles; or an easier 5k with 13 obstacles.
While Tough Mudder is usually noncompetitive, the first run of the morning, ‘The Tougher Mudder’ is a timed challenge against the clock. Steven Davis, 34, of Covington, Kentucky, won the men’s division, completing the course in one hour, 33 minutes and 44 seconds. Katie RietKerk, 31, of Middleville, Michigan, won the women’s in two hours, two minutes and 14 seconds.
Chris Ellis, 44, drove from Ithica, New York just to participate. He has ran 25 or 30 of these events across the country, but this was his first time on the Michigan course. “It was awesome. Loved it. It was a hard course, a lot of steeps,” said Ellis, who placed second in the men’s Tougher challenge.
No worries if you missed this weekend. Tough Mudder is already slated to return to Oxford for the same weekend next year, June 18 and 19, 2022.