Mad Mud Run on tap

It's fun to get dirty, burn a few calories and laugh a lot with family and friends. People of all ages can do that at the Mad Mud Run and companion Mudpuppy Splash for kids at 10 a.m. April 21.

For the second year in a row, the event will be held at the Providence master-planned community in northwest Las Vegas.

The race and other festivities are centered at the community's Knickerbocker Park, located at 10695 W. Dorrell Lane.

Participants of the 4.5-mile Mad Mud Run race will travel an action-packed, marked course through multiple obstacles that culminates with a messy mud pit.

Obstacles include typical boot camp-style activities with a low wall, belly crawl, balance beams, water wall, tire array, hay bales, and the 40-foot-long mud pit.

The minimum age is 12. For those younger than 18, special waivers are required. Male, female and co-ed teams of two and five also may participate.

Early registration at $50 per person ends today. The cost is $60 per person thereafter until 9:30 a.m. on race day when check-in closes.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to support Spread the Word Nevada., a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy in Nevada. For information, visit www.spreadthewordnevada.org.

Entrants and other attendees are encouraged to bring new and gently used books for Spread the Word Nevada.

Online registration at www.madmudrun.com closes at midnight April 17.

The cost includes an event T-shirt, goody bag, dog tag and refreshments. A mandatory prerace meeting will be held at 9:45 a.m. with the race beginning at 10 a.m.

The 100-meter Mudpuppy Splash is open to the first 200 4- to 12-year-olds who register. The $15 per child cost includes a T-shirt, race bib, dog tag and refreshments. Children ages 4 to 6 must be accompanied by a parent through the mud pit. Registration will be available until 10 a.m. on race day with the event starting around 11:30 a.m.

Mad Mud Run begins and ends at Knickerbocker Park, with the course winding through the 1,200-acre community and surrounding neighborhood. Other activities at the park will include registration, entertainment, refreshments, booths, volleyball, soccer and other park games. Awards will be given to the fastest individuals and teams and for best costumes.

Pre-event check-in takes place at the REI store in Boca Park from 5-7:30 p.m. April 20. It is at 710 S. Rampart Blvd.

Mad Mud Run organizers also need volunteers to douse participants with water in the course's Splash Zone.

For information, registration or to volunteer, visit www.madmudrun.com or email help@sierraadventuresports.com.

Providence is developed by Focus Property Group. It is among the top-selling master-planned communities in the country, according to rankings by RCLCO, the leading independent real estate advisory firm in the country. It's ranked as the second best-selling community in Nevada.

Framed by wide tree-lined boulevards, the master plan features the Providence Promenade linear park and new Knickerbocker Park. Both have views of the Las Vegas Valley and have trail systems.

Providence builders include Beazer Homes, D.R. Horton, KB Home, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pardee, Richmond American Homes, Ryland Homes, Warmington Residential Nevada and Woodside Homes.

To learn more about Providence, visit the community's information center, open daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Call 433-5084 or visit www.providencelv.com.