Paralympics hero’s son, 16, fights off hundreds of plucky racers wading across boggy riverbed to win annual Maldon Mud Race
The teenage son of a Paralympic hero battled hundreds of brave racers across a boggy riverbed to win the annual Maldon Mud Race.
Albert Crates, 16, managed to run, walk and crawl to victory across a 440m section of the muddy Blackwater River in Essex on Sunday; which made him the youngest person to win the race.
The teenager, who is the son of Paralympic athlete Danny Crates, the British world record holder in the 800 metres, admitted that he did this without any training.
When asked by BBC If he had made any preparations for the race he said: ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing.
‘My legs are burning but my head is very happy. ‘I don’t know how I did it… I’ll be back next year.’
The dirty dash dates back to 1973 and stemmed from a bet made at a local pub, the Queen’s Head; One of the patrons is asked to serve food by the river, wearing a jacket.
The challenge turned into a race across the river to a waiting bear barrel; here the racers drank a pint of beer before sliding to the other side.
Now a charity event, the beer keg has been taken away and runners raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity each year.
One racer seems to have thought it was too much and chose to lie down and rest in the thick mud.
Runners get muddy as they climb a dried river bed
Albert Crates (pictured) managed to run, walk and crawl his way to victory across 440 meters of the muddy Blackwater River in Essex on Sunday; which made him the youngest person to win the race
The 16-year-old is the son of Paralympian Danny Crates, the British world record holder in the 800 meters (pictured)
Joel Hicks, who participated in the race, decided to bring his selfie stick with him on his muddy journey. He is known for running the race naked every year
Some contestants choose to up the ante by wearing flashy outfits; Bananas, ‘Where’s Wally’, fairies, Mario, Batman and minions have been known to cross the riverbank.
This year, the first elite race in the supersport field was won by John Matthews, who entered the race just last week.
Paralympic athlete Mr Crates was blown away by how well his son did. He said: ‘Being the youngest and potentially setting a record time also makes it special.
‘It embarrassed me. If I had made it work I’d still be there.’
The former athlete competed in T46 (arm amputee) running events and represented Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
The dirty streak dates back to 1973, when a regular, emerging from a bed made at the Queen’s Head, a local pub, was asked to serve food by the riverside wearing a jacket.
Participants ran, walked and crawled through thick mud and across the riverbed
Some contestants choose to up the ante by wearing flashy outfits; bananas, Where’s Wally, fairies, Mario and minions have been known to cross the riverbank
Runners dressed as Where’s Wally crawled across the Blackwater River plains
A man was completely submerged in mud after appearing to slip on a drained river bed
One contestant appeared to be wearing a mud mask after wading through the river
Who said romance was dead? A couple proved that wasn’t the case by cowering in the mud
A participant wearing a Peppa Pig costume walks through the mud
One racer opted for a sword and a king’s outfit as his running gear, barely visible under the thick mud.
While one of the participants was happy, the mud was too much for some people trying to get out of the mud.
The elite race started at 15.30. Winner Mr Matthews said: ‘It was a lot harder than I thought, almost impossible.
‘You have to pull your legs out with your hands, it was almost like a full body workout.’
It was estimated that the river temperature would be around 8 degrees during the race.
The event attracts hundreds of competitors who travel to places as far away as Australia and Japan. According to organizers, approximately 20,000 people attended the event in 2022.
