With 192 acres and nearly 13 miles of trails meandering through the Butler woods, Clear Fork Resort does not only cater to skiers and snowboarders. In Richland County, this resort is becoming the mecca of mud running.
This weekend was the last of the mud runs, which invites and attracts people from all over the county to bring their vehicle of choice to run through the dirt and mud: lifted trucks, ATVs, motocross motorcycles, golf carts, three-wheelers, and cars.
The mud-runs are every third Saturday starting in May and running until the end of October. This past weekend was the last for the season. The cost to come out for a day to roll around in the mud? Ten dollars.
The tracks were built last summer. They were finished within a few weekends, and soon after that, people flocked from all over the county to get dirty.
“Usually we have close to eight hundred people show up, but the rain is really keeping people away this weekend,” said Annie Weirich, events coordinator.
Eric Smith, one of the spectators and mud-runner on Saturday, said, “I live right down the road and come up here every weekend or whenever I can. I love it and always have a blast.” His friend, Terry Shisler, brought his Jeep Wrangler out, but it broke on the first run.
“I stayed up until two in the morning fixing that thing and it broke on the first run,” said Shisler. He spent the rest of the afternoon watching others rip through the cold mud, with a look of longing in his eyes.
Rap Attack entered the muddy course at 4:30 p.m. and had his go at ripping through the mud. The wheels were six feet high, easily qualifying the machine as a monster truck. He ramped crushed cars, spun around in donuts and sent mud flying in every direction, all the while onlookers laughed and enjoyedying every bit.
The resort plans on opening the trails for mud-running in the spring of 2014. In the meantime, however, they will prepare for the upcoming ski season, which will start as soon as snow falls on the ground, or the weather is cold enough to make snow artificially.
For more information, visit their webiste or their Facebook page, or call 419-883-2000.
“I live right down the road and come up here every weekend or whenever I can. I love it and always have a blast,” said Eric Smith.
