Irvine Lake Mud Run

Typical race with tons of mud and more mud. After race festivals were great from the food to the entertainment. I will definitely attend next year.

I will admit, I had a good time. Despite the weather being hot, we weren’t sweating too badly. Our heat wasn’t until noon. But by then the porta-​poddies were kinda gross and there was no water to wash your hands. Kind of silly saying that since we were just going to jump in the mud. But I can’t go without washing my hands. I wish they would’ve had more food vendors. I shared a hot dog and tri-​tip wrap with my friend. They both were not worth the price and didn’t taste good to me at all. The chili cheese fries from the Tommy’s truck were bomb!
As far as the course, there were long lines to go through the obstacles. It took us about two hours to complete the course. There were some parts that you literally had to sit on your butt and slide down. Do not wear clothes or shoes you’re attached to or plan to wear again. I ripped a few small holes in my sorts. And my hands and knees were all cut up at the finish. The lines for the showers were insane. I would recommend coming with a group of people, setting up a shower tent, and bringing in food of your own. It was our first time out, so now we know what to expect.

Pretty awesome, get ready to get nice and muddy. I recently ran the 5k and it was so fun, although I didn’t do all of the obstacles I still had lots of fun. My team had a start time at 12:09pm and it was very prompt. Every so often throughout the course there are obstacles and puddles of muddy water. I fell a few times because of the slippery mud, but it was one of the best times I’ve had. It took us about 2 hours to complete the run, the mud and lines slow you down.

Just did this today with my S.O. and his coworkers and my S.O.‘s colleagues. We alll loved it. Well organized. Fun and challenging. Super hard obstacles had volunteers ready to help any stragglers. Had plenty of volunteers handing out waters at each mile point. Got dirty and loved it. The money went to a charity for the visually impaired. Shower lines were long so they brought in a truck and sprayed us. That was awesome. Parking was $ 10. There was Tommy Burgers and other booths selling food. No free bananas. KROQ didn’t play music. The vibe, nonetheless, was happy and energetic and positive.

This race was pretty fun, after looking at some of the reviews from a few years ago I can say a lot has seemed to change. Everything was well organized, & there were a lot of helpful volunteers. Since I live in the San Fernando valley I opted to pay the $ 10 for race day pick up (packet mail back was $ 11) since I wasn’t going to bother driving all the way to Orange County during rush house traffic to pick the packet up from Road Runner shoe store. Picking up my packet was a breeze, you find your name and your bib number is to the left of your name, you tell your number to the next table & you’re done, the free bag check was very quick also.
The race itself was great, I was in the 9am times individual part of the race which they stagger in waves so there isn’t a ton of people at once waiting for others to finish mud pits or obstacles. The email you get the week leading up to your race has the start time for your wave. There were water stations at each mile mark (3 total inside the course & 1 at the finish line) & volunteers at each obstacle as well as EMTs through out the course.
At the end of the race there’s a large shower area & a covered area to change clothes. There were a few food trucks, taco & hot dog stand, a few beer trucks, & a stage for a few bands to play live music.
The entire event is pretty fun, the early bird price for the race is around 49 or 59 which is a little expensive but on their facebook page they’re always having special promo codes to enter to save $ 15 or 25% so it’s worth it if you can get it cheaper.
Oh and some tips during the race use shoes that still have some try of traction like hiking shoes but nothing too heavy. I wore an old pair of Nike Shox that I planned on throwing away & it was a bad move. The bottom were worn down so I kept slipping as I was getting out of every mud pit so I pretty much had to grab dirt and pull myself out the pits & since the shoes were so heavy I sank a lot fast in the pits & would have to pull my legs out almost each step. Also try to wear light weight clothes so the water and mud doesn’t slow you down. I wore a thick pair of basket ball shorts & running in those while wet slows you down a lot too.

Registration — Throwing an extra star because I was late. Due to the road construction at the 241, I didn’t make it on our designated start time. My team started without me, but our team captain left my race packet at the registration. Since there was no phone reception, they were unable to tell me where to get it. As soon as I arrived, I went to the registration area, and asked the registration guy if he has my packet. He asked for my Team Name, but never really bothered look for my packet! Instead just he gave me a new bib and safety pins. Oh, he also did not ask for my name, ID, or any proof that I am registered! Really, did I just waste my money paying for the registration? Maybe next time I could just tell the same story, and race for free!
Water Stations — You’re giving the racers dirty water. All water cups I got from all water stations have 2 – 3 mud dots at the bottom of the cup. Water is stored in open big bins with black garbage bag lining, as your guys are scooping the water with cups. How sure are you that their fingers never touched the water? Very unsanitary! Yes we all signed up for mud, but racers deserve clean water to drink.
Showers — How come showers are already off for afternoon racers/​finishers? Sure there was the water truck, but after a few minutes of rinsing it ran out of water.
Fresh Fruits and Water — your website specifically said Entry Fee includes Fresh Fruits and Water at the finish. Where were the fresh fruits and water?! Like the showers, were these only given to morning racers/​finishers? We all paid for the race. Everything promised should be available from the first up to the very last finisher!
Hotdog Vendor –That morning, I had $ 60 in my wallet — 2 bills of $ 20, and 2 of $ 10. I gave one $ 10 bill for parking. Right before I left my car, I took one $ 20 bill and slipped it in my cellphone case. I know this maybe out of your control, but I will still say it. After all, I would have not bought hotdog and water if I got my fruits and water! Hungry and parched, I went to the hotdog vendor after cleaning up. The guy said my total is $ 6, so I gave him my $ 20 (without actually looking at the bill). Then he gave my $ 4 change. I said, «Wait, I gave you $ 20». He answered, «No, you gave me $ 10». Thinking that I might have mistakenly taken the $ 10 instead of the $ 20 before I left the parking, I just said «Oh, okay». As I got in my car, I immediately checked my wallet. Inside was one $ 20 bill and one $ 10 bill. I was robbed!
Will I do another Obstacle Course Race? Are you kidding me, I love OCRs! Will I do another Irvine Lake Mud Run? Probably not! I should have just saved the money I paid for this for a different OCR!

GET DIRTY OR GO HOME!!!
5K OBSTACLES MUD RUN!
This event is benefitting the Gavin R Stevens foundation in Chino, CA: «Our mission is to raise awareness and increase funding for research to find a treatment and cure for blindness, focusing on Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA).»
Follow their Facebook page for discount code or early bird ticket sales notification.
WEAR YOUR OLD SHOES THAT YOU OK TO BE APART WITH AFTER THIS RUN. But not too Old, because your sole could be missing in the thickness of mud while you still need to run 2 more miles (for example), happened to my friend.
Don’t bother to wear SUNGLASSES, it will cover with mud.
======================================
OBSTACLES:
#Jump walls (different height): not bad
#Stepping tires: easy
#Running ramps: not bad
#Climbing cargo nets: ok
#Crawling under cargo nets: pretty fun
#Mud Slide: super fun! Woohoo!
#Mud Pits (A LOT): more than 2 dozens around the course: fun, meh, fun, meh, fun, meh
#Running upside down Hills: ok, beautiful scenery
======================================
Put your BIBS tight in the front, they will take pictures of you while you’re struggling fighting those muds.
If your bibs NOT visible, they won’t post your pictures. Your friends could actually follow you at some location spots to snap your pictures, but not all spots open for them.
Do NOT worry if you’re out of shape, this is NOT competitive run. You go by your own pace.
Even if you skip some obstacles, that’s fine.
Of course, you’re encouraged to do ALL, but SAFETY FIRST. There’s some obstacles that you can’t skip though, e.g. mud pits, mud slide. The others, you could walk around and skip.
Individual run starts at 9am. Group run starts at 10am by waves. Dress up as a group for fun pictures and more bonding. I suggest WHITE plain t-​shirt to contrast BEFORE and AFTER pictures.
Water provided every 1 miles by the organizer.
When I run, many of the participants are in Marine, Army corps. They run in the group with all cadence songs and cheering each other. Pretty fun to tag along with hehe… very motivating!
Your first obstacle is MUD PIT. There’s no way to skip this one, you have to GO INTO those muds. Time to get DIRTY (literally). It’s cold, thick, smells like mud (dohhhh!).
You will slide, fall, get up, fall again. Willpower in action! Just be SURE not to be at the back of someone Huge, because when they fall, you get all the dirts. SPLASH!!! It’s very slippery everywhere because of those muds, be careful!
The mud is pretty thick. We have to keep moving before become mime. Some people purposely fall to the mud and playing around, e.g. making face masks.
At the end of the course (before FINISH LINE), you will go to CAR WASH where they sprayed you with bubbles. You get washed. Bubbles everywhere, super fun! You feel fresh, breathing out those muds.
There’s 30 open showers with long line. Huge tents to change clothes (separate men/​women).
Bring plastic bags to throw all of your dirty stuffs.
There’s recycle bins everywhere for shoes donation.
Beer garden, live music and sponsors booths waiting at finish line.
FREE entry for family and friends who could help you watching your belongings while you fight those obstacles.
ILLEGAL TO JUMP TO IRVINE LAKE to clean yourself, do not think about it ;)
#MEMORABLE RUN#
#HIGHLY RECOMMENDED#
#ACTIVE-​LIFE#

Well…
Was here for THE BLIND START mud run. An organization who helps the blind with scholarships help equipment whatever they need. My friend who’s son was born blind asked if I wanted to do this I said why not. Can’t be that hard right? Ha!!! It was hard for the first 1.5 miles. I was blindfolded. In that 1.5 miles. I had a different awareness for the blind. I was lead by my sister in law. (Bad leader by the way)… Lol. I saw how the blind didn’t see and I was blown away by how much more the blind sees that us. The sounds. The chirping the foot steps… I could go on and on. But I guess I’m going off track.
The had food stands. Great!
Beer booths… Didn’t buy any. Brought my own;)
The track was fun. LOTS of mud!!! The trails were marked off so you didn’t venture off course. Hurdles to jump climb and crawl under. The place got 5 stars from me. But I was border line 4 and it is cause I JACKED. and I mean JACKED!!! Up my hands. The monkey bars had some gritty spray on the bars. Not in ANY of my emails did they tell me to bring gloves. Cause I would have. But when I got done with them. My hand were bleeding and all torn up. I’m tough so I’ll manage. But really… No warning? Retard me. I guess me thinking it was just grip. And not knowing it was tear your skin sandpaper… Oh well. All and all. This was an awesome first experience:) please irvine lake. At least put a sign on the monkey bars so everyone else who don’t have gloves like me are aware that it will tear your skin. Some people won’t be as nice as me:)
Irvine lake did look like an awesom place to camp. Nice looking water. Big lake. Lots of people fishing. Clean. Beautiful hills. I would like to try to camp here soon… Bringing gloves for the next mud run:)
PS… BAD BAD PHONE RECEPTION!!! You would think the «OC» would get better reception:)

Ran the 6÷21÷14 event. Third mud run (all different organizers)
Positives: Several enjoyable obstacles including the slide and the rock climb.
Negatives: A handful. First, when checking in there was no id check. Felt that anyone could have walked up, pointed to a team on the list, and said they were them. Second, they ran out of t-​shirts and was giving last years shirts out. Third, they had timed their kids run so that as my group was finishing we got stuck behind the mass of kids in the mud pits and foam. Last, incredibly long line for showers and people ended up just jumping into the lake (which was a listed as a big no no) while volunteer workers were just looking on.
Overall, unorganized and seemed to drop the ball on what should have been a good event. By far least enjoyable of the three events I’ve done.

That was quite an experience today. I kinda had a glimpse of what was to be expected, but I didn’t really know until I tried. The trail felt pretty long probably due to all the obstacles that came in the way, but it was a fun experience. Towards the end there was a mini wall that I could normally leap over on any average day, but my legs were giving out. Then at the end they hit you with the mud and the soap to clean you off… interesting. I felt dirty but hey its all good and fun lol. Not sure if I would participate again, but I really didn’t like the event and the medal was pretty cool (it was magnetic gasp!!). I stayed most of the day enjoying the good music (as my run had ended at around 10). There were also decent food for a relatively good price (better than what I had seen at other events). My sister volunteered as well and I could have both been a volunteer and a runner which I only found out at the end, ah wells.

Did this one two years ago. Two words… LOVED IT! Did it with a meetup group called OCAP. My friend that I knew from my brother had a extra ticket for 25 dollars! Man… saved a lot of money for this event. I decided to spice things up from my 5k and 10k runs that I’ve done in the past and give mud run a chance! Gosh… opened my eyes of many things out there that I would love to do. Didn’t really care about the time or anything for this one. Took my time and just came here to get covered with mud and do the obstacles… some of them I was scared of my mind. Me and heights don’t mix! I got threw it though! At the last mud pit, I did it twice! Two cannon balls = one hell of a day. Skin became nice and smooth. Can’t complain about that!
RECOMMENDATIONS
–Wear clothes that you don’t mind throwing away and shoes you don’t mind donating after the race.
–Extra towels so your car doesn’t get dirty!
–Take your time and have fun!

This is one of the best mud runs near LA. This year was the best, by far. The chilled tank was pretty good and the guy manning it really made it a great obstacle. There was a very long section of continuous, slick mud that really wore you down. For a few of the obstacles, there was a line to get through, but it wasn’t too long of a wait.
If you get there early, the parking isn’t so bad, but it looks like it might be a hassle later in the day. There were sections that were dry and rocky, but there was more than enough mud to make up for that. The only real complaint was for the showers. The line to get a rinse was insane and not worth the wait. You’d be better wet-​napping yourself to death. maybe. For a beginner, this would be a great intro to mud runs.

I did the mud run with two of my girlfriends and my boyfriend. We had SO SO much fun! The obstacles were fun. If you’re looking for a total challenge, then this may be too easy for you. You start out in waves so if you’re signing up with friends be sure to sign up and register together or in a Group. Luckily my girlfriends and I got to start together; my bf had to catch up to us. You don’t really get a lot of running time… the main thing is the obstacles… once you get a good momentum you have to stop again for an obstacle but it was so fun! The one thing that kinds sucked was the line for the slide at the 1 mile mark. SO many people… but it kind of gives you a chance to meet up with your friends and group so Its all good.
As for clothing. I would recommend covering up your knees… there are a few obstacles where you have to crawl on your knees and the dirt has pebbles and rocks in it. Wear tight shorts or pants so that the dirt doesn’t weigh you down and definitely wear high socks at least over the ankle, ankle socks will fall and you will find yourself stopping to throw your socks away. NO BUENO! :) WEAR SUN BLOCK! I forgot to and got totally baked! HAHA! Sports bra tan is NOT attractive. LOL
Also be careful when sliding down the dirt hills… there are HUGE rocks poking out and if you’re sliding down on your badonk, its painful! HAHA! It also could be a good idea to take your shoes to your feet as its possible you could lose them at one point. :)I don’t want to give away the fun parts so I will let you find out for yourself.
They do have showers but are VERY crowded… I would recommend taking many bottles of water to rinse off after… but I found that no amount of water helped without soap. HAHA I just brought a blankey and sat on that till I got home to shower. All in all I had a GREAT time! I do recommend the Mud run to anyone interested! Do it with friends! So much fun!

FIRST MUD RUN = THE TIME OF MY LIFE.
Being an adult, there’s hardly a time when you can be completely messy and not give a hoot. Irvine Lake Mud Run allowed me to be a kid all over again. I suffer from the ‘Peter Pan syndrome,’ so this was like a dream come true for me. Warning: You WILL be covered in mud from head to toe! There’s no avoiding it.
Parking was not bad at all around 9 am when we arrived. We paid $ 10 for regular parking and got a space right in front of the entrance gate. I would highly suggest following each other’s vehicles if you’re planning to go with a big group as it was a pain trying to gather everyone when we got there. Reception was kind of iffy.
The obstacle course itself was an intense 3.8 miles! I took my time with it… I was just there for one reason — to have fun! There were countless «mud baths» you’ll have to make your way through, a few walls to climb over, and a mud slide, which was my favorite part. Make sure to hold your breathe before you fall in. It got a little tricky near the end. There was «quick mud» that literally almost pulled my shoes off. No wonder people tape their shoes on.
It was nice that there were photographers throughout the run. You just have to find it on the website a couple days after. Cleaning up to leave was a pain in the ass. Be sure to bring plastic bags to store all your dirty belongings. There were showers with soap provided to wash off, but the lines were ridiculous. We opted for the ghetto way and got hosed down by one of the employees. Saves a whole lot of time, but you won’t get AS clean.
It was definitely worth the $ 39 I paid. It’s unfortunate that a Groupon came out a couple weeks before the run for a even cheaper price, but oh well. I’m looking forward to doing it again!

This was our first mud run and we had a great time! I admittedly did not read the Q&As on the website or even look at the course map prior to starting, which in hindsight was probably the smarter thing to do. :)
Here are some tips that I am glad we stumbled upon, or wish we had known prior to this run:
1. Register for the earliest wave. Why? First, for the parking. Parking is $ 10 for general and $ 20 for VIP. Parking opens at 6:30 AM but they don’t let ppl in until 7 AM. We were in line by then so got to park right next to the VIP section but only paid $ 10.
Second, for the bag check ins and showers. I heard the bag check-​in process was a bit of a nightmare as the day went on, but we easily got our bags when we finished since we started with Wave #9. By the time we finished, we only had to wait for one person ahead of us in line at the co-​ed showers. After we showered, changed, had a quick lunch/​beer, and were heading out, we noticed the shower lines had at least 20 – 30 ppl!
Third, the temperature/​weather. By the time we started, it was sunrise. By the time we finished, it was sunny and the temp was comfortable. By the time we left, it got hot! Plus, the pits and trails get worse as the day goes on.
Fourth, the port ‘o potties. No further elaboration needed here.
2. Watch the folks ahead of you at each mud pit, and if you can, go through near the sides. Some are shallow for a couple of feet and then drop another feet midway. I saw some poor runners plunge in face first.
3. Pinch your nose when you go down the big slides. Even if you hold your breath, muddy/​sweaty water will still go in your nose and down your throat. Gross.
4. The water/​mud will add extra weight so wear lightweight clothes, preferably a tankini and running shorts/​pants for women. It was also easier to shower this way.
5. No need to tape your shoes but do double-​tie them and tuck the laces in.
6. Don’t bring cameras and phones but if you do, know the risks. We saw a few people trek back looking for lost phones, that probably fell out during the mud crawls or slides.
7. Wear sunblock and tie your hair back/​use elastic headbands.
8. Take some anti-​inflammatory meds when you get home (motrin, advil, ibuprofen). You may not think you need it that day, but you will the following day or two.
In all, we had so much fun doing this run! It’s definitely not your typical 5K run because of the 35 obstacles and mud pits, which will make you that much more tired than usual. When we finished, we received metals (nice touch) and got to enjoy some great food and beer before heading out. We hope to be back next year with more friends and family, and more time to enjoy the music, beer garden, and food vendors!

Taking part in the Irvine Lake Mud Run was a lot of fun. It was my first mud run and I liked that everything seemed to be pretty organized. They let out waves of about 40 people, so it wasn’t too crowded while you are on the course.
My only complaint is that there was one part were you go through freezing ice water and they hurl buckets of ice water at you. Seems unnecessary and it hurt some people that I know.

This was my first mud run and it was a good one! Mud runs can get pretty expensive and I think $ 40 for a 5K is kind of ridiculous and being the frugal person I am, I bought tickets through VOICE DAILY DEALS for only $ 20 6 months in advanced! Sure you don’t know what is going to come up in 6 months but yet, it was a pretty good deal if you ask me!
Picking up the bib numbers was super easy. Went to a store, gave them my team number name, picked up the bibs and shirts (bought a parking pass as well for $ 10) and then off you go! that simple
The race itself was pretty fun! You enter a mud river after about a minute of running. After that, it was kind of a stretch. Wish there were more obstacles in between but for the most part it was good:)
Definitely wear some tight clothing because if you don’t, the mud will definitely way you down and you don’t want that. Where some high socks (not ankle) because they might fall down. No need for goggles and ductape! You will do just fine.
There was a slight mishap at the mud slide. Some boards fell into the water and it held up the line quite a bit. I had to wait about 20 minutes but you know what, i think it was worth it because it was so fun to slide into mud water… which I could not reach by the way so beware… you should know how to SWIM!
There are bag check ins so feel free to bring your stuff. Donate your muddy shoes too! As for the showers, they were nice enough to provide some body wash for you. The showers are quite weak but I guess it can get the job done before getting into your car.
I brought gallons of water just in case if the showers were crowded but it wasn’t. The water did come in handy when we had to wash our dirty feet (didn’t have shoes since we donated it)
Overall, fun thing to do once in your life!
NOTE:
–Definitely do bag check in (you don’t want to walk barefoot to your car. it was a pain)
–bring ID if you want beer
–lots of vendors and food afterwards
–receive a medal after you cross the finish line
–photographers present to capture your dirty self
–CAR WASH OBSTACLE: go into it backwards! it’ll save you the trouble of breathing and eating bubbles ;)

This event was so much fun! I have never done a mud run before but I’m definately doing another one. I recommend, to get the most out of the experience, to work-​out ahead of time and prepare.
Hiking note, I think this would be a great spot!

I was a DIRTY DIRTY girl today! I also learned what a Dirty Sanchez is (thanks to the large team name in front of our group), then I proceeded to strip down to my birthday suit in the parking lot and get my ass rinsed out — so all in all today was quite an interesting day to say the least.
Spring Break at the Lake was crazy! My first and I think I went about it as well as a virgin mud runner could, being the prissy beeotch that I am on occasion — I was a bit scared to totally trash my legs crawling on my knees over the rocks so I did my best to not come out bruised and bleeding — I wore shorts and the scrapes are very minimal but I can see how you can really get severely wrecked on the course and obstacles if you are going balls to the wall out there.
I wore a bikini under my shorts and tank and my vibrams which proved to be a pretty solid choice.
The mud pits were insane fun but nerve wrecking to me at the same time — having never experienced a mud run I am SO lucky Rich J. was there to hold my hand through almost every single pit — with drop offs in the pits, I was terrified each time we were in one (I guess I didn’t want to encounter any injury that would prevent me from my real running and workouts) but at the same time it was an unforgettable fun experience.
The polar plunge was crazy freezing — this way out did any ice bath I’ve ever taken in life — holy shit!!!
I can’t wait to see the pictures as there was no way in hell I was able to get any — I’m pretty sure the Go Pro cams hold up well out here but we didn’t have ours with us today and everything else was checked in with bag check (which was well organized) — thank god!
We had been there since 9A since the group packets I had paid to be mailed to us never arrived and we had to deal with same day pick up.
Timed Teams in the 10A wave seemed to take forever to start — we were 10 – 30 which didn’t start until after 11A. I’m not sure if the goal was to start in waves each minute of the hour but it didn’t go off that smoothly and everyone was pushed back a bunch.
The finisher medals are pretty sweet! Parking was $ 10 cash
Customer service ended up proving to be completely useless and downright rude in the end when I reached out to them Tuesday before the race to ask why we had never received the shipment I paid to be mailed to our group. Not cool!
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this exact mud run due to some of the organizational issues but I’m pretty certain I’d be up for another mud run in the future.

Its 2013 and ready! My second this year, it’s exciting, deeerrttyyyy, muddddeeey and creyzeeeee. I loved it but this time, I may not give up my fave tennis shoes, lol.