Muddy Miles draws thousands

COEUR d'ALENE - With promises of obstacles, mud and summer fun, 2,000 revelers came out Saturday under the late afternoon sun for some North Idaho style merrymaking.

The grandstands were full of onlookers, and many attended solely to throw water balloons at the racers.

"This is amazing!" said Mike Baker, CEO of Dirne Community Health Center. "We had a lot of fun Saturday, and are really trying to encourage good diet and exercise as a core value of preventive health - and exercise, as we proved out in the mud, can be a whole lot of fun."

This year's winners are: Brandon Chamberlin, 19, in the adult class; Matt Robb won the youth trophy; Kristin Lynn's family team 50 earned the family trophy; and the traveling Muddy Miles trophy can be found now in Sandpoint with the Sandpoint Track Team.

The event this year is the second mud race and charity benefit for uninsured clients of Dirne CHC. The proceeds raised will provide quality care to more single mothers, students of NIC, seasonal and part-time workers and other uninsured members of the community.

According to the Kootenai County Indicators website, there are more than 30,000 uninsured in the county. Dirne CHC has been providing care to a growing number of them, and served nearly 8,000 uninsured individuals last year.

Additional obstacles like the Car Wash, King-o-the-Monster and others were brought in to compliment last year's offerings such as the Tire Trap, the Chute & Wiggle, and the Alli-gloop.

"This is the kind of community event that everyone in the family can enjoy, and that's why we're solidly behind it," said Greg Helbling of Helbling Benefits.

The business community used this as an opportunity for team building or even an excuse to throw balloons at coworkers. Many business teams ran in their company logos, so check the lobby of their storefront for muddy faces next to the little league team. Businesses like StanCraft also got involved this year as champions of healthy family activities with sponsorships to make the event a whole lot of fun.

"This is the second time my kids and I have sloshed our way through the course, and you can bet we'll be back again next year," said Tiffany Morrett, board director at Dirne Community Health Center.