Walk, 5K to benefit two local nonprofits

Registration is currently underway for the second annual Great Marsh Mud Mosey to be held on Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m. at the Great Marsh Institute (GMI), 34 Moores Road, Elverson. The event, which is being presented by GMI and ChesCo Search Dogs, will feature a 5K run and 1-mile walk.

Runners and walkers of all skill levels are invited to take part in the 5K or walk, both of which will travel a course throughout the marsh, through the woods and along ponds and finish on a grassy surface.

Because parking is limited, the walk and run can only accommodate 150 participants. Packet pickup will take place on April 12 from 9 to 10 a.m. Attendees will receive their packets as they drive onto the property.

At last year's inaugural event, participants had to deal with windy weather conditions and, as the name implies, a muddy trail. "We had 50-mile-an-hour winds, and a lot of trees were blowing down. It was so windy, and that held people from coming," said ChesCo Search Dogs president Keith Studnick, event organizer. "We had about 20 walkers and 30 or 40 runners. They loved it. Out of those already signed up (for this year's event), a lot of people are coming back for the second year."

ChesCo Search Dogs is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to training and providing trained K-9 teams to help find missing and lost persons and to detect human remains. It conducts practice search missions on the GMI property, which is how the partnership between the two organizations came about.

"We train there monthly," said Studnick, who noted that his dog, Hunter, will be the honorary starter of the 5K race. "He will be our 'bark starter.'"

Following the race, the Epicurean Garage food truck will offer food selections and Stable 12 Brewing Co. and Botanery Barn will offer beer and spirits. A DJ will provide music for the post-race activities.

Team members from ChesCo Search Dogs will also perform demonstrations with their search dogs at the conclusion of the run and walk.

In addition, environmental biologists will be on hand to talk about the unique Great Marsh property, as well as the animals and flora that can be found there. GMI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to wetland conservation and education. To learn more about GMI, visit http://www.greatmarshinstitute.org.

Last year, organizers polled the participants asking for their feedback about the first-time event. Some suggested an earlier start time, but Studnick said that the course may have to be altered on the morning of the race depending on the weather conditions. For example, rainfall can cause portions of the course to be too muddy to travel.

"Whoever developed the property 100 years ago put walking paths throughout the marsh and the ponds. It is fairly elevated from the ponds, but it does get muddy," he noted. "We didn't want to put people through really thick mud, so we can alter the course quickly and make that change on game day."

He said that the course is family-friendly and is suited for those not accustomed to a trail run. "(Many participants) are friends of Great Marsh or friends of the search dogs and not necessarily trail runners," noted Studnick. "We mark the course very well. We have directional yard signs with a marshal at every turn. We don't want people to get lost."

The 5K race will be timed, and the first-place male and female runners will receive a gift card to a running store. Personal pets will not be permitted.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.runsignup.com/Race/PA/Elverson/GreatMarshMudMosey. The registration deadline is Thursday, April 10. No same-day registrations will be accepted. Registration proceeds will benefit both organizations.

A video from last year's event showing runners making their way through the mud can be found at http://www.youtube.com by searching for "2024 Great Marsh Mud Mosey."

For more information about ChesCo Search Dogs, visit http://www.chescosearch.org or http://www.facebook.com/ChesCoSearchDogs.